The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix, and aeronaut (balloon or dirigible). A fourth trophy, the "National Trophy", was awarded from 1926 through 1938 to the most outstanding aviator in each of the twenty-one member countries and again from 1946–1948 to honor Americans who contributed to aviation. The award was established in 1926 by Clifford B. Harmon, a wealthy balloonist and aviator.
The awards are described by the Clifford B. Harmon Trust as:
World War II and Harmon's death
Prior to World War II, the award was administered by the International League of Aviators (Ligue Internationale des Aviateurs), an organization founded by Harmon to serve as "an agent for Peace and National security." The League became defunct during the war and Harmon's death on June 25, 1945 in Cannes, France put the awards in turmoil. Harmon left $55,000 of his estate to continue funding the award in "perpetuity," but Harmon's relatives challenged the bequest. Ultimately, a trust fund of $48,431 was created in 1948.
During the period the awards were in litigation (1945–1948), the American Section of the League awarded the International Aviator Trophy to three U.S. leaders in aviation. However, since the awards were not approved by other League Sections, the awards are technically invalid. Also, these three awards were given without consideration to the "art of flying" and the awards did not recognize a superlative aviation achievement, rather recognized American aviation industry leaders. President Truman's staff questioned the award to Alexander de Seversky, Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Symington stating, "he [de Seversky] did absolutely nothing to deserve it." Truman also did not make time to present the 1948 award to Trans World Airlines CEO Ralph Damon or Brazilian aviation pioneer Francisco Pignatari The award to Pan American World Airways President Juan Trippe in 1946 was the only one presented without debate.
Since 1997 or 1998, the National Aeronautic Association has been responsible for awarding the trophies. With the exception of the Aeronaut trophy, all are inactive.
The trustees wrestled with how to treat space flight. Bound by the court to offer only three trophies, the trustees first agreed that "feats of piloting in both earth orbiting or outer space vehicles will be considered for the Harmon Awards provided the vehicles are controlled by their pilots rather than from the ground." The advisory committee directed the trustees to alternate awarding the aeronaut trophy between balloonists and astronauts, but the trustees decided to offer the aviator award to aviation and astronaut recipients. A fifth trophy was created in 1969 to honor achievements in space flight.
Some aviatrix awards from 1980–1990 were awarded by the Ninety-Nines based on research performed by Fay Gillis Wells. This work was not coordinated with the NAA or Smithsonian.
The original awards were 24-inch-tall bronze statues. The aviator trophy depicts World War I flying ace Raoul Lufbery launching a biplane set next to an eagle about to take wing. The statuette was created by sculptor Roussadana M'divani. The Smithsonian Institution acquired the aviator's trophy in 1950 from the Clifford B. Harmon Trust. The aviatrix trophy depicts a winged goddess cradling a falcon with outstretched wings. The aeronaut trophy was lost in Germany between May 1940 and October 1953 and was believed to have been sold as scrap. The three-foot-tall, 150-pound statue of five aviators holding the globe on their shoulders was found in a junk store and subsequently given to the Smithsonian after the presentation of the 1952 awards.
List of award winners The following is an incomplete list compiled from several sources. The Aeronaut, National and Astronaut categories have not been listed in a central location. The NAA and the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum worked to assemble a complete list to be published in conjunction with the NAA's hundredth anniversary in 2005, however this project was not completed and it appears that the source documents for a period of awards were destroyed.
Year AviatorAwards from 1926-1952 from Significant American and International Awards in Aviation, Bureau of Aeronautics, Department of the Navy, Revised February 1954 Aviatrix AeronautAeronaut awards from 1998 on provided by the National Aeronautic Association's Recent aeronaut list National (until 1949) see below for Astronaut since 1967 1926 Lt. Col. Georges Pelletier d'Oisy, France No award presented General Umberto Nobile, Italy Shirley J. Short, USA; Cdr. Hirosi Abe, Japan; Maj. Mario de Bernardi, Italy 1927Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, USA Lady Mary Bailey, UK Commander Charles E. Rosendahl, USA Joseph le Brix, Dieudonné Costas, France; Miguel García Granados, Guatemala; Francesco de Pinedo, Italy; Sidney Webster, UK; G. A. Koppen, Nederlands; José Manuel Sarmento, Portugal; Ribeiro Barros, Brazil 1928Col. Arturo Ferrarin, Italy Lady Mary Bailey, UK Dr. Hugo Eckener, Germany Carl Eielson;Carl "Ben" Eielson Biography, National Aviation Hall of Fame Charles Kingsford Smith AustraliaThe Harmon National Trophy for Australia, Airways Museum Virtual Tour 1929Lieut. Carl Ben Eielson, USA Miss Winifred Spooner, UK Dr. Hugo Eckener, Germany Maj. James H. Doolittle, USA; Hugh Grosvenor, Australia 1930 Maj. Dieudonne Costes, France Miss Amy Johnson Mollison, UK Dr. Hugo Eckener, Germany (dirigible); Ward T. Van Orman, USA (spherical balloon) Maj. Ramón Franco, Spain; Charles Kingsford-Smith, Australia 1931Air Marshal Italo Balbo, Italy Mrs. Maryse Bastié, France Dr. Hugo Eckener, Germany (dirigible); Prof. Auguste Piccard, Switzerland (spherical balloon) Clyde Pangborn, USA; Hugh Herndon, USA; Ruth Nichols, USA; Air Commodore; Charles Kingsford Smith Australia; Bert Hinkler, UK; Amy Johnson, UK; Peggy Salaman, UK; Flugkapitän von Gronau, Germany; Marga von Etzdorf, Germany 1932 Wolfgang von Gronau; Germany Mrs. Amelia Earhart Putnam, USA Prof. Auguste Piccard, Switzerland (spherical balloon); Capt. Ernst A. Lehmann, (dirigible) Roscoe Turner, USA; Warren D. Williams, USA (dirigible); Lt. Cdr. Charles E. C. Rosendahl, USA (dirigible); Lt. Thomas G. W. Settle, USA (spherical balloon); Lt.Carlos de Haya González, Spain 1933 Wiley Post, USAPost and Settle Win Flying Prizes; Gain Harmon International Trophies for 1933 for World and Stratosphere Flights. Mrs. Lindbergh Honored Takes Award as Leading U.S. Aviatrix Last Year -- Rosendahl and Eckener Also Named, The New York Times April 22, 1934 Maryse Hiltz, France Lt. Cdr. Thomas G. W. Settle, USA (Spherical Balloon); Dr. Hugo Eckener, Germany (dirigible) Mrs. Anne Morrow Lindbergh, USA; Lt. Cdr. Charles E. C. Rosendahl, USA (dirigible); Lt. Cdr. Thomas W. G. Settle, USA (spherical balloon); Francesco Agello, Italy; Mariano Barberan, Spain (posthumously); Herberts Cukurs, Latvia; Joaquin Collar, Spain (posthumously); Iwan W. Smirnoff, Netherlands 1934 C. W. A. Scott; UKHarmon Air Prize is Won by Scott; Briton Gets the International Award for Best Aviator -- Capt. Lehmann Honored, The New York Times March 11, 1935 Hélène Boucher, France (posthumously) Capt. Ernst A. Lehmann, Germany (dirigible); Mme. Jeannette Piccard, Switzerland (United States) (spherical balloon) Miss Laura Ingalls, USA; Dean C. Smith, USA; Lt. Cdr. H. V. Wiley, USA (dirigible); Maj. William E. Kepner, USA (spherical balloon); Edgardo Bonnet, Argentina; Maria Leloir de Udaondo, Argentina, Charles Kingsford-Smith, Australia, Teddy Franchomme, Belgium; E. Demuyter, Belgium, Mlle. S. Lippens, Belgium; Michael Hansen, Denmark; U. Makela, Finland; Jean Mermoz, France; Raymond Delmotte, France; Germain Bonnet, France; Heini Dittmar, Germany; Hans Kurt Fleming, Germany; Elly Beinhorn, Germany; K. D. Parmentier, Holland; Francesco Agello, Italy; Momosaburo Shinno, Japan; Choko Mabuchi, Japan; Kikuko Matsumoto, Japan; Capt. Jerzy Bajan, Poland; Franciszek Hynek, Poland; Humberto da Cruz, Portugal; Herman Baron, San Salvador; Luang Prung Prechakas, Siam; Ramon Torres, Spain; Walther Mittelholzer, Switzerland 1935Capt. Edwin Musick, USAWorld's Air Title is Won by Musick; Veteran Pilot of Pan American Clipper Ships Is Named to Get the Harmon Trophy, The New York Times, April 18, 1936 Jean Batten, UK