The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) has announced that it is postponing the selection of the 2019 Robert J. Collier Trophy winner due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The selection committee was scheduled to meet on April 2 in Arlington, Virginia, with the winner to be announced on April 3. NAA has not yet rescheduled the selection meeting.
“NAA’s top priority has always been to maintain the integrity of the Collier Trophy selection process while also ensuring the health and safety of nominees and selection committee members,” the organization said in a statement. “We will provide additional information when a date for the rescheduled selection is set.”
The Collier Trophy is awarded annually for “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.” As previously reported by AVweb, this year’s nominees are the Airborne Collision Avoidance System Team, Bombardier Global 7500, Gulfstream G500 and G600, Hubble Space Telescope Team, magni500 Electric Propulsion System, Project Heaviside, Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft, United States Air Force-Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Team and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management Team.
