Celebrating the legacy of R. A. “Bob” Hoover
R.A. "BOB" HOOVER AWARDS
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE R.A. “BOB” HOOVER TROPHY RECEPTION
Historic Lobby Terminal A Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, VA
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 | 6:30 pm
Hotel Information
Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport 2799 Richmond Hwy Arlington VA 22202.
Exclusive Discounted Room Rates: 15% off (rates vary as we get closer to event arrival). *The room rate is based on hotel availability and does not include parking or taxes (14.25%).
Click here to bookHistory of the Hoover Award
AOPA was founded 85 years ago with one simple mission “Protect the Freedom to Fly”
No one embodies that spirit more than the late R. A. “Bob” Hoover. A true pioneer. Bob inspired so many with his passion for flight, unbelievable skills, his humility and an anwavering commitment to the aviation community.
The first Bob Hoover Trophy was presented to Bob himself. In 2016 during the unveiling of the statue in his likeness at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center.
Bob agreed to have his name forever memorialized as a tribute to aviators whose airmanship, leadership, mentorship, and passion for aviation inspire a love of flight in others. AOPA has been entrusted with carrying on his legacy through this annual award.
In the words of Bob, “The most important thing any aviator can do is to encourage others to want to fly.”
This is one of the reasons why all of us here at AOPA share Bob’s passion, and a big reason we started AOPA’s You Can Fly initiative.
Sean D. Tucker was awarded the Bob Hoover Trophy in 2017, followed by Harrison Ford, Clay Lacy, Burt Rutan, Wally Funk and Senator James M. Inhofe.
Also in 2021, the late Brigadier General Charles McGee presented the Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Aviation Inspiration Award to Legacy Flight Academy founder Kenyatta Ruffin. In 2023 the award was presented to Ramone Hemphill.
Other awards presented during this special evening are the Hartranft Award named after AOPA’s first president and former chairman of the board “Doc” Hartranft. It is given annually to elected or appointed government officials for their significant contributions to the advancement of GA. It was presented in 2017 to Congressman Todd Rokita (IN), in 2018 to Congressman Ralph Abraham (LA) and Congressman Steve Russell (OK). To Sen. Jerry Moran (KS) in 2019, to Sen Tammy Duckworth (IL) in 2020; to U.S. Representative Rick Larsen in 2022; and to Peter Defazio in 2023.
The Sharples Award named for AOPA’s first chairman of the board, Laurence P. Sharples, is given to those who may not work directly in aviation but who have made extraordinary contributions to GA. It was presented in 2017 to Pat Hartness; 2018 to Ron Dearborn, AOPA Airport Support Network Volunteer; in 2019 to Hawaii State Sen. Kai Kahele; in 2020 David DeVries, President and Founder of the Out-Of-The-Blue Scholarship Foundation and Dewey Davenport and Tony Restaino in 2021 and 2022. Mike Dale received the award in 2023.
In addition, the AOPA Air Safety Institute believes that knowledgeable people, well-trained and proficient in their craft, and operating reliable equipment in a culture that promotes sound aeronautical decision making, will achieve strong safety performance. It recognizes individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary safety enhancements for general aviation.
We established the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s General Aviation Safety Award to honor those that have delivered exceptional safety performance and innovations. This award was first presented to Dick VanGrunsven of Van’s Aircraft in 2018; in 2019 to Tyson Weihs and Jason Miller of Foreflight; to Boris Popov, Founder BRS Aerospace in 2020, and Garmin in 2022. The National Association of Air Traffic Controllers were awarded in 2023.