Since 1960, the Dr. August Raspet Memorial Award has been presented every year to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of light aircraft design.
The award is named for the late Dr. August "Gus" Raspet, a professor at Mississippi State University and avid light aircraft enthusiast. Raspet was instrumental in elevating the aeronautical engineering program at Mississippi A&M College, as it was originally known, into one of the nation's preeminent aerophysics research centers. The Raspet Flight Research Laboratory in Starkville, Miss. - a tribute to all of his efforts - was completed in 1962.
The first recipient of the award was John Thorp, Lockheed engineer on the Little Dipper and Big Dipper, and designer of the Thorp Aviation Sky Skooter. Since then the list of people honored reads like a Who's Who of aircraft design.
Past Dr. August Raspet Memorial Award winners:
| 1960 John Thorp |
| 1961 Steve Wittman |
| 1962 Ray Stits |
| 1963 Dr. Alexander Lippisch |
| 1964 Richard E. Schreder |
| 1965 None awarded |
| 1966 Edgar Lesher |
| 1967 None awarded |
| 1968 Peter Bowers |
| 1969 Curtiss Pitts |
| 1970 Ladislao Pazmany |
| 1971 Jim Bede |
| 1972 Bernard Pietenpol |
| 1973 Bob Bushby |
| 1974 Paul Poberezny |
| 1975 M. B. "Molt" Taylor |
| 1976 Burt Rutan |
| 1977 Lou Stolp |
| 1978 Chris Heintz |
| 1979 John Monnett |
| 1980 Dick VanGrunsven |
| 1981 Antonio "Tony" Bingelis |
| 1982 Dick Wagner |
| 1983 Mike Smith |
| 1984 B. J. Schramm |
| 1985 Tom Hamilton |
| 1986 Mark D. Brown, Star-Lite Aircraft |
| 1987 Lance Neibauer |
| 1988 Homer Kolb |
| 1989 Jim Griswold |
| 1990 John Roncz |
| 1991 Dan Denney |
| 1992 Alan and Dale Klapmeier |
| 1993 CAFE Foundation (Accepted by Brien Seeley) |
| 1994 Paul Fiduccia, Small Aircraft Manufacturers Association |
| 1995 Ivan Shaw, Europa Aircraft |
| 1996 Stoddard-Hamilton GlaStar Design Team |
| 1997 Jim Rahm/Al Joniec |
| 1998 Dan Wilson |
| 1999 RotorWay International |
| 2000 Rotary Air Force |
| 2001 Harry Riblett |
| 2002 Randy Schlitter |
| 2003 Pete Buck |
| 2004 Phil Lockwood |
| 2005 Chuck Bilbe and Jim Younkin |
| 2006 Gordon Pratt and Ricardo Price/Chelton Flight Systems |
| 2007 Greg Toman |
| 2008 Randall Fishman |
| 2009 Rodney Stiff |
| 2010 Ken Krueger |
| 2011 James Wiebe |
| 2012 Michael Coates |
| 2013 BRP Rotax Engines |
| 2014 Troy Woodland, co-founder of Just Aircraft LLC |
| 2015 John and Jeremy Monnett, Sonex |
