The Iven C. Kincheloe Award recognizes outstanding professional accomplishment in the conduct of flight testing. It was established in 1958 by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and honors the memory of test pilot and Korean War ace Iven C. Kincheloe, United States Air Force, who died during flight testing.
The Kincheloe Trophy consists of four columns and a symbolic aerospace vehicle that points toward the shield of the society. The columns represent the foundation on which the society was created—courage, integrity, knowledge, and accomplishment. The vehicle reinforces the role played by the society in the development of aerospace systems. Plaques bearing the name of each honoree are mounted around the sides of the onyx base.
The Society lists three criteria for nominations to this award:
- The recipient must be a living member of the Society.
- The accomplishment, or significant portion of the accomplishment, must have occurred in the past year (From July 1)
- The accomplishment must involve actual flight testing conducted by the individual, while in a test pilot role, and represent an outstanding contribution to an aerospace program.
Recipients of this award, from 1958 to present, include:
1958
James R. Gannett, Boeing First Commercial Jet
Joseph John "Tym" Tymczyszyn, CAA First Commercial Jet
1959
Robert G. Ferry, Maj USAF, XV-3 convertiplane
1960
A. Scott Crossfield, North American X-15 Program
William M. Magruder, Douglas DC-8 Flight Test Program
1961
Joseph A. Walker, NASA X-15 Program
Robert M. White, Maj USAF
1962
Donald W. McCracken, McDonnell F-4 Mach Investigation
1963
Astronaut Team, NASA Mercury Program
Scott Carpenter, LCDR USN
Leroy G. Cooper, Maj USAF
John H. Glenn, Jr. Lt Col USMC
Virgil I. Grissom, Capt USAF
Walter M. Schirra, CDR USN
Alan B. Shepard, CDR USN
Donald K. Slayton, Maj USAF
1964
Pilots of YF12A (A-11) Lockheed Super-Secret Project
Louis W. Schalk
William C. Park
Robert J. Gilliland
James D. Eastham
1965
Alvin S. White, North American XB-70 Supersonic Flight
1966
Milton Orville Thompson, NASA M2/F2-Lifting Body Program
1967
Richard L. Johnson, for the General Dynamics F-111 test Program
1968
Drury W. Wood, Jr, Dornier Werke DO31 Test Program-VTOL Flight
1969
Jerauld R. Gentry, Maj USAF, NASA/FRC Lifting Body Program
James A. McDivitt, Col USAF/NASA Apollo IX Mission, test of LM maneuvering
1970
Darryl G. Greenamyer, Lockheed World speed record for piston engine airplane
Apollo XI Team Moon landing and return
Neil A. Armstrong NASA
Edwin E. Aldrin, Col USAF/NASA
Michael Collins, Col USAF/NASA
1971
Andre Turcat, Aerospatiale, Concorde joint test program
Brian Trubshaw, British Aircraft Corporation, Concorde joint test program
1972
Apollo XVI Crew Moon landing and return
John W. Young, CAPT USN, NASA
Thomas K. Mattingly CDR USN/NASA
Charles M. Duke, Lt Col USAF/NASA
Donald R. Segner, Lockheed-California For accomplishments in Company testing the Cheyenne helicopter
1973
Charles A. Sewell, Grumman Aerospace Spin Prevention Testing in a Grumman F-14A Tomcat.
1974
Irving L. Burrows, McDonnell Aircraft Outstanding professional Company contributions as a test pilot during F15A development program
1975
John E. Krings, McDonnell Aircraft As Project Pilot on F15A Company high angle of attack characteristics test program
1976
Charles C. Bock, Jr, Rockwell International For his outstanding accomplishments on the B-1 Program
1977
Fitzhugh L. Fulton, Jr, NASA/Dryden Flight 747/Space Shuttle Carrier Research Center
1978
James M. Patton Jr, NASA/Langley Research Stall/Spin Flight Research Center
Fred W. Haise, Jr, NASA/JSC Space Shuttle
Joe H. Engle, Col, USAF
Charles Fullerton, Lt Col USAF
Richard H. Truly, CDR USN
1979
Philip F. Oestricher, General Dynamics Corp. F-16 Flight Test Program
Robert C. Ettinger, Lt Col USAF
1980
Dorman A. Cannon, Bell Helicopter Textron Tilt Rotor XV-15
Ronald G. Erhart, Bell Helicopter Textron
1981
John W. Young, NASA Space Shuttle Columbia
Robert L. Crippen, CAPT USN
1982
Thomas McMurtry, NASA AD-1 Oblique Wing Program
1983
John M. Hoffman, Lt Col USAF For Outstanding contribution to the derivative F-15 fighter planes
1984
Donald L. Bloom, Bell Helicopter 0H-58C helicopter spin phenomena
Charles A. Sewell, Grumman Aerospace Low Altitude high angle Corporation of attack, asymmetric thrust flight test program on the F-14 Tomcat.
1985
William W. Lowe, McDonnell Douglas AV-8B High Angle of Attack Corporation Test Program
1986
David A. Kerzie, Lockheed Corp. U-2/TR-1 extremely high altitude investigative and exploratory flights to determine flutter characteristics.
1987
Guy Mitaux-Maurouard, Avions Marcel Dassault Rafale Flight Test Program
Dick Rutan, Voyager Aircraft, Inc. Successful around-the-world non-stop, non-refueled flight of the Voyager aircraft
Jeana Yeager, Voyager Aircraft, Inc.
1988
Channing S. Morse, McDonnell Douglas NOTAR Helicopter, Helicopter Company Development Program
1989
Addison S. Thompson, Rockwell International B-1B high alpha envelope
Randy Gaston, Lt Col USAF, expansion and flight control system development
William C. Park, Jr, Lockheed Aircraft Corp. Research and development
N. Kenneth Dyson, Lt Col USAF, flights of prototype
1990
Bruce J. Hinds, Jr. Northrop Corporation B-2 Flight Test Program
Richard S. Couch, Col USAF
1991
Paul Metz, Northrop Corporation YF-23 ATF Prototype
David L. Ferguson, Lockheed Corporation YF-22 ATF Prototype
1992
Daniel C. Brandenstein, CAPT USN Space Shuttle/Satellite Recovery
1993
Allan T. Reed, McDonnell Douglas T-45 High Angle of Attack and Corporation Flying Qualities & Spin Evaluation
1994
Christopher J. Yeo, British Aerospace Eurofighter 2000 Flight Test
Peter Weger, Deutsche Aerospace Program
1995
John E. Cashman, The Boeing Company 777 Flight Test Program
1996
Erwin Danuwinata, IPTN Expansion and flight tests leading to FAA/JAA certification
Ken Dyson & Richard G. Thomas, Tacit Blue Program (Retroactive 1982)
Jon S. Beesley, USAF F-117 Combined Test Force, Harold C. Farley Lockheed, David L. Ferguson Lockheed & Thomas A. Morgenfeld Lockheed (Retroactive 1983)
1997
Douglas B. Shane, Scaled Composites V-Jet II and Vision Aire Vantage
1998
Gary Freeman, Gulfstream Aerospace G-V Certification Test Program
1999
Mike Melvill, Scaled Composites Proteus high-altitude multimission aircraft
2000
Jeremy Tracy, GKN Westland Helicopters
2001
Wg Cdr Rajiv Kothiyal, Indian AF
2002
Herb Moran Bell Helicopter, envelope expansion and aircraft definition of the AH-1Z helicopter.
2003
Thomas L. Macdonald, Bell-Boeing High Rate of Descent (HROD) testing for the V-22 Osprey
2004
Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne Test Team
Mike Melvill
Brian Binnie
Peter Siebold
2005
Randy Neville, Boeing F-22
2006
Norman E. Howell, Boeing, C-17
2007
Jon S. Beesley, Lockheed Martin, F-35A and Bird of Prey Test Team (Retroactive from 1997)
Rudy Haug, Boeing
Doug Benjamin, Boeing
Joe Felock, Boeing
2008
Terry E. Tomeny, Calspan Corporation Eclipse
2009
Peter Siebold, Scaled Composites
2010
Michael Carriker, Boeing
2011
Kevin Bredenbeck, Sikorsky Aircraft, X2 Demonstrator
2012
Markus Scherdel, Solar Impulse, HB-SIA
2013
Mark "Forger" Stucky, Scaled Composites Test Pilot for SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo
2014
AgustaWestland AW609 Tiltrotor Test TeamPietro Venanzi
Dan Wells
Paul Edwards
2015
Prospero Uybarreta, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, C Series and CRJ Series
