Yesterday we had lunch with HSH Prince Albert II at Castel Roc restaurant in Monte Carlo, Monaco! Prince Albert and his foundation are very active in energy and the environment AND they are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first mail flight by flying 20 kilos of mail in an electric aircraft to Nice, France this summer.
My amazing friend and former Pan Am pilot Max Gurney from San Diego set up the meeting with the Prince which happened on his birthday. Happy 89th birthday Max! We look forward to working with the Prince and his foundation on Electric Aircraft in the future. Big thanks to Nikki Incandella who took great photographs!
What a whirlwind of travel in the last six weeks… Americus, Georgia where Grandfather bought and soloed his first plane (a Curtis Jenny) for a LEAP speaking engagement, then Denver to present at the Wings Over the Rockies Museum Gala. May 14th had me in San Francisco for two days of XPRIZE Visioneering meetings, then off to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in New York for another gig.
We are well on our way to awarding the first of our annual suite of Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prizes at the World Electric Aircraft Symposium on July 30th. The technical advisory committee and the Education committee have been doing incredible work preparing for our programs at Airventure. This has been a monumental effort by a lot of people, and thanks to a lot of volunteers and a few visionary donors, we are going to rock!
Most importantly our team of kids from Aviation High School are going to rock! Six students immersing themselves into the world of electric powered flight and making a documentary. Interviewing inventors, entrepreneurs, pilots and industry leaders. Talking, tinkering, asking questions, finding answers… Seeking out the potentials and the barriers to practical electric flight.
Working together they are going to share what they’ve learned with the rest of the world. They are making their own contribution to the next big leap in aviation technology. I wish I had this opportunity when I was in high school!
Stop by and see us at the Aviation Learning Center at EAA Airventure in Oshkosh: July 26th through August 1. You can also sign up for the LEAP newsletter: http://lindberghprize.org/contact and join our founders circle to help us shape the future of aviation and education for generations to come.
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