Gordon Pratt and Ricardo
Price of Chelton Flight Systems will receive the EAA August Raspet Award
tonight for helping to make flying safer at a presentation at Theater in
the Woods.
Since 1960, the Raspet
Memorial Award has been presented yearly to a person who has made an
outstanding contribution to the advancement of light aircraft design. It
is named for the late Dr. August Raspet, a professor at Mississippi
State University and avid light aircraft enthusiast who was instrumental
in elevating the aeronautical engineering program at Mississippi A&M
College, as it was originally known, into one of the nation’s
pre-eminent aerophysics research centers.
Chelton Flight Systems
makes the world’s first certified synthetic vision EFIS (electronic
flight information system), which is now STC’d on more than 740
airplane and helicopter models. The EFIS enables pilots to see
three-dimensional forward-looking terrain, traffic, and towers and
features the world’s first certified "highway in the sky."
Pratt, a homebuilder and
pilot, has a degree from the University of Idaho. He worked in the
design and advertising fields before developing and marketing Panel
Planner, software enabling drag-and-drop design of panels for aircraft.
He and Price founded Sierra Flight System in 1997.
"I am pleased and
gratified that our contributions to safety in aviation have been
recognized," he said. "It is an honor to be included in this
small circle."
Pratt and his wife, Tami,
live in Boise, Idaho, with their two daughters where he flies the Aircam
he built with his father.
Price holds a bachelor’s
degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master’s
degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland, and a
doctorate from Vanderbilt University. He is a U.S. Navy veteran of the
Persian Gulf War where he served as an F/A-18 carrier pilot.
"This award is an
honor," he said. "With the advancements in sensors and
computing power, we were able to take a leap forward in display
symbology and safety, and EAA recognized that."
Price and his wife,
Janice, live in Boise and have two daughters and one granddaughter.
Chelton Flight Systems is
part of the Cobham Avionics and Surveillance Division, a subsidiary of
Cobham plc, an international company engaged in the development,
delivery, and support of advanced aerospace and defense systems in the
air, on land, at sea, and in space. The company has five technology
divisions and one service division that collectively specialize in the
provision of components, sub-system, and services to keep people safe,
improve communications, and enhance the performance of platforms.
