Hartzell Propeller and Hartzell Industries announced as Co-Presenting Sponsors of Our “Oscar Night of Aviation”


53rd Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony takes place in Dayton on October 2, 2015

(DAYTON, Ohio – May 27, 2015) The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) announced today that Hartzell Propeller Inc. and Hartzell Industries are the Co-Presenting Sponsors for the 53rd Annual NAHF Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony. The black-tie gala, widely known as America’s “Oscar Night of Aviation,” will take place Friday, October 2nd, in the NAHF Learning Center and the adjacent National Museum of the United States Air Force.

United by shared heritage, the separate ownership teams of these companies are pleased to join together to celebrate this year’s class of excellent inductees. The two organizations lead a growing roster of corporate sponsors will expand as NAHF officials announce others in the coming months.

The late Robert N. Hartzell, one of four inductees in the NAHF Class of 2015, founded Hartzell Propeller in 1917. The company was sold by the Hartzell family to a Fortune 500 company in 1981. Since 1987, Hartzell Propeller Inc. has been owned and operated by the Brown family.

Hartzell Industries was founded in 1875 and is currently a family-owned trio of companies: Hartzell Air Movement, Hartzell Hardwoods, and Hartzell Veneer Products.

The NAHF is a Congressionally-chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of honoring aerospace pioneers to inspire future leaders. The rigorous nomination and election process, and the annual black-tie ceremony – widely referred to as America’s ‘Oscar Night of Aviation” – are at the heart of that mission. Previously committed sponsors include United Airlines, GE Aviation, L3 Communications, Universal Weather, and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). Among local sponsors are Dayton International Airport and Dayton History.

NAHF Enshrinement Director Ron Kaplan said that sponsors are attracted to the ceremony for a variety of reasons such as exposure to the mix of participating aviation legends and aerospace industry leaders. Sponsors and their guest enjoy such perks as access to a VIP photo reception in the NAHF’s interactive learning center and premium seats at the spectacularly staged ceremony in the Air Force Museum’s Modern Flight Gallery. Former news anchor and talk show host, David Hartman, will serve as emcee, and a number of former enshrinees and Apollo astronauts are expected to attend. The 650-seat venue will sell out, according to Kaplan.

This year’s inductees will join the roster of 225 men and women pioneers so honored since the NAHF’s founding in 1962. They four to be enshrined are:

Brig. Gen Robert L. Cardenas, USAF (Ret) – WWII B-24 combat pilot, test pilot for record-breaking X-plane programs, SE Asia fighter-bomber wing commander, and Air Force Special Ops pioneer.  The late Robert N. Hartzell – Early manufacturer of wooden aircraft propellers, later designing lightweight, controllable metal propellers that helped develop the general aviation industry.  Eugene “Gene” Kranz – Air Force fighter pilot, aeronautical engineer, and 37 years in
spaceflight operations at NASA including the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle mission programs.  The late Abe Silverstein – NACA aerodynamicist in WWII and early supersonic aircraft development, later credited at NASA as the architect of the U.S. space program and “The Father of Apollo.”

For more information about sponsorship opportunities or to reserve seats today, call (937) 256-0944 ext. 11 or visit www.nationalaviation.org.

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Media Contact:

Ron Kaplan
[email protected]
TEL: (937) 256-0944 x16