The Flight International Aerospace Industry Awards are recognised within the industry as the leading indicator of excellence. Much of this is to do with the high calibre of judges enlisted to study the entries for the awards. This year there was once again a top-line panel at work.
Sir Michael Graydon
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon completed a distinguished RAF career as its most senior officer, becoming Chief of the Air Staff in 1992. His stewardship came at a challenging time for the RAF, which was grappling with major downsizing. While there, he oversaw some key re-equipment programmes, with contracts for the EH Industries EH101, Lockheed Martin C-130J, British Aerospace Nimrod 2000 and a series of Tornado upgrades among them.
Sir Michael had begun his 40-year RAF career flying Hunters, Lightnings and Phantoms in the UK, as well as later serving in NATO appointments in the Netherlands and Belgium.
He went on to head RAF Support Command and then RAF Strike Command, before becoming Chief of the Air Staff.
Following his retirement in 1995 he has acted as a consultant in the aerospace industry.
Pierre Jeanniot
As director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) over the last five years, Pierre Jeanniot has helped oversee the association's work to increase its voice in the world, leading campaigns on issues affecting the world airline industry. Recent campaigns have ranged from unfair taxation and infrastructure shortfalls, through to the environment and passenger liability limits. Before joining IATA, Jeanniot had spent 35 years with Air Canada, becoming president and chief executive in 1984 as the carrier prepared for privatisation. He retired from the airline in 1990, but retains several directorships in Canada including the Scotia Bank. Among other awards, he received the Order of Canada in 1989 and the Légion d'Honneur in 1991 from France, the country where he was born.
Peter Lok
After retiring as director of Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department two years ago, Peter Lok has been asked to act as advisor for several Chinese airlines and is a non-executive director of China National Aviation. His aviation career began in 1956 when he became the first ab initio trainee taken on by the CAD, which had previously drawn on UK expertise. He gained broad experience across the department, which handles everything from airport services to route and crew licensing in the former UK colony. He became overall director in 1990 at a crucial time for Hong Kong, which was preparing for the hand back to mainland China in mid-1997, and was involved in cultivating important aviation links with the Chinese aviation authorities.
Joe Sutter
Recognised as one of the world's pre-eminent aircraft designers, Joe Sutter helped to lead Boeing's development effort for more than four decades. Born and bred in Seattle, Sutter first joined Boeing as an aerodynamicist in 1945, later working on prototypes for the USA's first jet airliner - launched as the 707. By 1965, he was appointed chief engineer for the 747, the programme with which he is perhaps most closely linked. He went on to head operations and product development across Boeing's commercial aircraft business, where he was instrumental in bringing a new generation of airliners to launch, including the 757, 767, 737-300 and 747-300. By the time of his retirement in 1986, Sutter was executive vice-president, overseeing all civil airliner engineering and development. He has continued to serve as a consultant for Boeing.
Bernard Ziegler
Bernard Ziegler is perhaps best known as the man who led the flight test programme at Airbus Industrie for more than 25 years. His flying career began with the French air force, where he served as a fighter aircraft pilot for ten years, before joining the country's flight test centre in 1964. Ziegler joined Aerospatiale in 1970, and a couple of months later arrived at Airbus as head of the Flight Test Department and chief test pilot, taking the co-pilot's seat when the first A300 took to the air in October 1972. He has since crewed on the first flights of all Airbus types up until the A340-200. From 1985 until his retirement in 1996, he was Senior Vice-President Engineer, covering flight testing, certification and technical issues across Airbus.
Source: Flight Daily News
