GE Aviation CEO and president David Joyce, Bigelow Aerospace founder Robert Bigelow, and ForeFlight co-founders Tyson Weihs and Jason Miller were among the list of honorees for 15th annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards. The awards are presented annually to honor those who have made significant contributions to aviation. Actors Harrison Ford and John Travolta were the scheduled co-hosts of the 2018 event January 19 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California. The ceremony was dedicated to astronaut Gene Cernan, who passed away last year.

Joyce, who also serves on the boards of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Aerospace Industries Association, among others, is the recipient of the Lifetime Aviation Industry Award. Bigelow was selected for the newly renamed Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award, and Weihs and Miller share the Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Other Living Legends honorees include: Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), who was selected for the Harrison Ford Aviation Legacy Award; Jack Dailey, who is retiring from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and received the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Award; and Mike Silva, a retired news helicopter pilot and Bronze Star recipient who was recognized with the Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award.

Frank Franke further was selected for a special Legends Wings of Help Award for his assistance in founding Aviation Without Borders. Meanwhile, the slate of a half-dozen new Living Legends inductees included Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association president Mark Baker.