The Annual
Wright Memorial Trophy & Dinner
The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy is administered and presented by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) at the Aero Club of Washington’s Annual Wright Memorial Dinner in December of each year.
The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy is awarded to a living American for “significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States.”
78th Annual Wright Memorial Dinner
The 78th Annual Wright Memorial Dinner will be held on Thursday, December 17, 2026 at the Westin DC Downtown Hotel honoring Robert Sumwalt, Former Chairman of the NTSB, and the Aero Club’s 2026 Person of the Year (to be announced). More information coming soon.
2025 Wright Trophy Recipient
Joan Sullivan Garrett, Founder & Chairman of MedAire
The 77th Annual Wright Memorial Dinner was held on December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. and honored the 2025 Wright Trophy recipient, Joan Sullivan Garrett, Founder & Chairman of MedAire.
Garrett founded MedAire in 1985 with a vision to provide flight crews with knowledge, skill, resources, and access to medical expertise to manage in-flight medical emergencies. In 1987, Garrett launched MedLink, the first 24/7 global aviation medical response center staffed with emergency physicians. Today, MedAire is the world’s leading provider of remote medical safety and security services, serving over 180 airlines worldwide, 6,800 private aircraft, and managing approximately 900 emergency calls daily.
Past Recipients
- 1949 Charles A. Lindbergh
- 1950 Grover C. Loening
- 1951 Dr. Jerome Hunsaker
- 1952 Gen. James Doolittle, USAF
- 1953 Carl Hinshaw
- 1954 Dr. Theodore von Karman
- 1955 Dr. Hugh L. Dryden
- 1956 Dr. Edward P. Warner
- 1957 Senator Stuart Symington
- 1958 Dr. John Francis Victory
- 1959 William P. MacCracken, Jr.
- 1960 Frederick C. Crawford
- 1961 Senator A. S. Mike Monroney
- 1962 John Stack
- 1963 Donald W. Douglas, Sr.
- 1964 Henry F. Guggenheim
- 1965 Jerome Lederer
- 1966 Juan T. Trippe
- 1967 Igor I. Sikorksy
- 1968 Senator Warren C. Magnuson
- 1969 William M. Allen
- 1970 C. R. Smith
- 1971 Senator Howard W. Cannon
- 1972 John H. Shaffer
- 1973 Senator Barry M. Goldwater
- 1974 Dr. Richard T. Whitcomb
- 1975 Clarence “Kelly” Johnson
- 1976 William A. Patterson
- 1977 Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker, USAF (Ret.)
- 1978 Senator Jennings Randolph
- 1979 T. A. Wilson
- 1980 Olive Ann Beech
- 1981 Dwayne L. Wallace
- 1982 Dr. Willis M. Hawkins
- 1983 J. Leland Atwood
- 1984 David S. Lewis
- 1985 Harry B. Combs
- 1986 Joseph F. Sutter
- 1987 Allen E. Paulson
- 1988 Sam B. Williams
- 1989 Thomas Jones
- 1990 Edwin I. Colodny
- 1991 Benjamin A. Cosgrove
- 1992 Senator Jake Garn
- 1993 Gerhard Neumann
- 1994 A. L. Ueltschi
- 1995 Russell W. Meyer, Jr.
- 1996 Frederick W. Smith
- 1997 Charles H. Kaman
- 1998 Edward W. Stimpson
- 1999 Delford M. Smith
- 2000 Herbert D. Kelleher
- 2001 Neil A. Armstrong
- 2002 Paul H. Poberezny
- 2003 Senator John Glenn
- 2004 Robert Crandall
- 2005 Edward “Pete” Aldridge
- 2006 Norman Y. Mineta
- 2007 Eugene Cernan
- 2008 Norman Augustine
- 2009 Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
- 2010 Harrison Ford
- 2011 Thomas Patten Stafford
- 2012 Robert Stevens
- 2013 Marion C. Blakey
- 2014 Robert A. “Bob” Hoover
- 2015 Burt Rutan
- 2016 Colleen Barrett
- 2017 Gen. J.R. “Jack” Dailey
- 2018 General Lloyd “Fig” Newton
- 2019 Major General Michael Collins
- 2020 Major General Charles Bolden
- 2021 No Award
- 2022 Colonel Eileen M. Collins
- 2023 Capt. Robert L. Crippen
- 2024 Ben Baldanza
- 2025 Joan Sullivan Garrett
- 2026 Robert Sumwalt
