Living Legends of Aviation
The Living Legends of Aviation Europe Awards for the 4th time at "Wolfgangsee"
Seven award winners and four new Hall of Fame members honored at the scalaria
St. Wolfgang, September 01, 2024 - Once again, leading figures from business, industry and society gathered at the event resort scalaria at "Wolfgangsee" to celebrate the presentation of the "Oscars of Aviation and Aerospace" at the Living Legends of Aviation Europe Awards. A total of 11 winners from aviation, aerospace and business were honored with awards and inducted into the Hall of Fame as Living Legends of Aviation. The Flying Bulls, award winner Dario Costa, Living Legend Hall of Fame member Felix Baumgartner and two Eurofighters from the Austrian Armed Forces provided the flying entertainment. Possible future mobility scenarios were also presented and discussed in the newly created Science Lounge.
The world as a guest at "Wolfgangsee"
The Living Legends of Aviation Awards, founded by Jerry Lips in Los Angeles in 2003, have also become one of the most important events in the industry in Europe. With bright sunshine, seaplanes in the sparkling lake and the impressive mountain landscape of the Salzkammergut, the setting could not have been more perfect as the red carpet filled up at at on Saturday afternoon: Moto GP rider Dani Pedrosa, Ulf Merbold, German physicist and astronaut, gliding world champion Bruno Gantenbrink, Kenn Ricci, CEO of Flexjet, Living Legend Bertrand Piccard, Greg Williams, owner of Williams Turbines, Lucie Pereyre, 4th generation representative of the house, Fatih Ozmen, CEO of Sierra Nevada Cooperation, Justin Lips and Stacy Elsner Living Legends of Aviation organizers and many more were spotted.
Awards at the award gala
The 2024 award winners included Markus Bucher, CEO of Pilatus Aircraft, who was presented with the Dr. Sam B. Williams Technology Award, and Dieter Morszeck, founder of Rimowa and owner of WACO Aircraft, who received the Eren Ozmen Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The Aviation Industry Leader Award went to Gilles Labbé, one of the leading suppliers in the international jet industry. A special honor was bestowed on Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury, who was named Lifetime Aviation Industry Leader. Steve Varsano of The Jet Business received the Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award.
Peter Besenyei, known as the pioneer of the Red Bull Air Race, Ben Chin, owner of Diamond Aircraft, Elie Zelouf from Jet Aviation and Ivo Boscarol from Pipistrel were inducted into the Hall of Fame and can now call themselves "Living Legends of Aviation". Special recognition was given to Red Bull pilot Dario Costa, who at made history on September 4, 2021, by flying through two tunnels in Istanbul and immortalizing himself in the book of records. He received the Bob Hoover Freedom of Flight Award for this outstanding achievement. The audience at at was able to experience his great passion for flying at the Red Carpet Opening Show above "Wolfgangsee" on Saturday. There he also gave an impressive flight demonstration together with a P-51D Mustang of the Flying Bulls, the most famous aircraft of the award's namesake Bob Hoover.
