Boeing 787-8 Development Team to Receive the 2015 Elmer A. Sperry Award Written 3 June 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: John Blacksten
703.264.7532
johnb@aiaa.org

To be Presented at AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition in Dallas, Texas

June 3, 2015 – Reston, Va. – Michael Sinnett and the Boeing 787-8 Development Team, Seattle, Washington, will receive the 2015 Elmer A. Sperry Award. Michael Sinnett, vice president, product development, will accept the award at a 12:30 p.m. (CST) recognition luncheon on June 25, as part of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition (AIAA AVIATION 2015), June 22–26 at the Hilton Anatole, Dallas, Texas.

The team is receiving the award in “recognition of the pioneering engineering advances including lightweight composite wings and monolithic composite fuselage construction and advanced systems that have led to significant improvements in fuel efficiency, reduced carbon emission, reduced maintenance costs and increased passenger comfort.”

“The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner represents what our community is capable of when we set out to revolutionize flight,” said Edward Anderson, chair of the Sperry Board of Award. Anderson continued, “With its lightweight components, groundbreaking fuselage design, and its state-of-the-art systems, the 787 has transformed how we travel from point A to point B and back again. The aircraft ensures that we get to our destinations faster, in greater comfort, and with less impact on the environment than was possible before. These advancements indeed capture what the Elmer A. Sperry Award represents – a truly distinguished contribution that advances the state of transportation. The six sponsors of the award – AIAA, ASME, IEEE, ASCE, and SNAME, jointly congratulate the Boeing 787-8development team for a job well done, and for being this year’s Elmer A. Sperry Award winners.” Anderson concluded, “It is also noteworthy that this 2015 Sperry Award is the third awarded to employees of The Boeing Company for development of three generations of commercial jet aircraft. This is by far the most Sperry awards given to those affiliated with a single company. Our 1965 Award, won by Maynard L. Pennell, Richard L. Rouzie, John E. Steiner, William H. Cook, and Richard L. Loesch, Jr., was for their work at Boeing developing the family of jet transports exemplified by the 707, 720, and 727; and the 1980 Award, won by William M. Allen, Malcolm T. Stamper, Joseph F. Sutter, and Everette L. Webb, was for their work at Boeing creating the 747, the first widebody commercial jet. This third award truly reflects Boeing’s significant place in the history of commercial aviation.”

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner came into service in 2009 and has revolutionized commercial flight. It is the world’s first airliner to use composite materials as its primary building materials. Its structure along with its advanced electrical systems have allowed the 787 to operate with greater fuel efficiency resulting in the use of 20 percent less fuel than today’s similarly sized airplanes. The aircraft already has set two world records for speed of flight and distance traveled for the airplane’s weight class.

The Elmer A. Sperry Award recognizes a distinguished engineering contribution, through application proved in actual service, that has advanced the art of transportation whether by land, sea, or space to stimulate innovation in many fields. The award commemorates the life and achievements of Elmer Ambrose Sperry, whose genius and perseverance contributed so much to so many types of transportation. It is the only transportation engineering honor sponsored jointly by six engineering societies: AIAA, ASME, IEEE, SAE International, ASCE, and the SNAME. For more information about the Sperry Award, please visit www.sperryaward.org.

For more information about the AIAA Honors and Award program, please contact Carol Stewart at carols@aiaa.org.

For more information about AIAA AVIATION 2015, please contact Duane Hyland at duaneh@aiaa.org.

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