X PRIZE Foundation to receive 2008 Milton Caniff “Spirit of Flight” Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday May 13, 2008

X PRIZE Foundation to receive

2008 Milton Caniff “Spirit of Flight” Award

Group honored by National Aviation Hall of Fame for creating international competitions that further aerospace innovation

(Dayton, OH—May 13, 2008) The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is proud to announce the X PRIZE Foundation will be the recipient of its 2008 Milton Caniff “Spirit of Flight” Award.

Gregg Maryniak, Secretary and Executive Vice President of the X PRIZE Foundation, will accept the Milton Caniff “Spirit of Flight” Award on behalf of the organization at the NAHF President’s Reception and Dinner in Dayton on Friday, July 18, 2008. Presenting the award will be Doug King, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Louis Science Center.

The X PRIZE’s honor will also be recognized at the Hall of Fame’s annual black-tie gala on Saturday, July 19, as part of the formal induction ceremony for the NAHF enshrinee Class of 2008; Clarence “Bud” Anderson, Herbert Kelleher, William Moffett and Sean Tucker.

The X PRIZE was modeled after the $25,000 Ortieg prize, established in 1919 by Raymond Ortieg a wealthy hotelier, awarded to the first pilot to fly non-stop between New York and Paris. The prize finally claimed in 1927 by an unknown airmail pilot named Charles Lindbergh spawned a $300 billion aviation industry.

Today, the X PRIZE is a multi-million dollar award given to the first team to achieve a specific goal, set by the X PRIZE Foundation, which has the potential to benefit humanity. Rather than awarding money to honor past achievements or directly funding research, an X PRIZE incites innovation by tapping into our competitive and entrepreneurial spirits.

Founded by Dr. Peter Diamandis, who always dreamed one day he would travel to space, was inspired by Lindbergh’s book The Spirit of St. Louis. In 1995, Diamandis established the X PRIZE Foundation with help from Byron Lichtenberg, Colette Bevis and Gregg Maryniak.

On October 4, 2004, the $10 Million Ansari X PRIZE was awarded to the Mojave Aerospace Ventures team, headed by 1995 NAHF Enshrinee Burt Rutan, for the flight of SpaceShipOne.

Today there are several different X PRIZE competitions in areas of space, medicine, energy, automotive, education environmental and social arenas. The Archon Genomics X PRIZE for scientific research mapping the Human Genome to find new treatments and prevention for disease, the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE will be awarded for the first team to design, build and sell super efficient cars which will reduce oil consumption and emissions and result in a new generation of mainstream vehicles, and the Google Lunar X PRIZE will award $30 million to the first team to send a robot to the moon, travel 500 meters and transmit video, images and data back to earth.

For each of previous 46 years, the NAHF has recognized the individual contributions of American air and space pioneers through the enshrinement process and ceremony. The Milton Caniff “Spirit of Flight” Award was created in 1981 to additionally annually acknowledge significant contributions to aviation made by a group or organization. It is named in honor of noted artist and aviation enthusiast, the late Milton Caniff, a longtime NAHF supporter. Among previous recipients of the “Spirit of Flight” Award are the Civil Air Patrol, Doolittle Raiders, Mercury Seven Astronauts, and Tuskegee Airmen.

Founded in 1962 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964, the National Aviation Hall of Fame's mission is dedicated to honoring America's outstanding air and space pioneers. The NAHF Learning & Research Center is a 17,250 square-foot facility located adjacent to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Admission to the public is free.

Advance reservations to the 2007 NAHF President’s Reception and Dinner and/or the 47th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony (July 18 and 19, respectively) are available by calling (937) 256-0944 ext. 10. The enshrinement dinner and ceremony, often referred to as "The Oscar Night of Aviation," draws an audience of hundreds of aerospace, defense, government and industry leaders, celebrity pilots, as well as NAHF members and previous enshrinees. Seats are $150 per event, per person. The NAHF is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, thus a portion of each seat purchased is deductible as allowed by law.

For more information about the X PRIZE Foundation visit www.xprize.org. For more on the NAHF and the 2008 Enshrinement visit www.nationalaviation.org.

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CONTACT: Ron Kaplan, Executive Director

TEL: (937) 256-0944 x16

rkaplan@nationalaviation.org