Alan Eustace to Receive 2015 Crystal Eagle Award

September 2, 2015 – Alan Eustace, who set the world record for the highest-altitude free fall jump, is the 2015 recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award presented by the Aero Club of Northern California (ACNC). Eustace enthralled AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 attendees with his firsthand account of the record-setting jump during a presentation at Theater in the Woods.

Eustace worked with Paragon Space Development Corporation for three years to create the self-contained pressure suit and life-support system he wore while setting the record. On October 24, 2014, he began his balloon-powered ascent from Roswell, New Mexico, reaching 135,889 feet, before his free fall to Earth, which lasted 15 minutes and reached a speed of more than 821 mph. Eustace, who recently retired as a vice president of Google, is a pilot and flies a Citation jet and an AirCam on floats.

The Crystal Eagle is awarded annually to “an individual(s) whose lifetime achievements have significantly contributed to the advancement of aviation or aerospace technology.” Eustace joins a list of aviation legends who’ve received the award, including Jimmy Doolittle, Chuck Yeager, Burt Rutan, and Steve Fossett.

“We had a number of nominations for the award, which reflects the strength and depth of contributions being made today by many people in the aviation and aerospace world,” said Max Trescott, president of the Aero Club of Northern California. “Alan’s innovative approach to setting his world record stood out, and we congratulate him on winning the award.”

The award will be formally presented at the annual Crystal Eagle Dinner on November 14 at the Hiller Aviation Museum at the San Carlos Airport in San Carlos, California. For ticket information or to view a complete list of previous recipients of the Crystal Eagle, please visit www.aeroclubnorcal.org.

The Aero Club of Northern California is a non-profit, membership organization devoted to recognizing and honoring people for outstanding contributions to the advancement of aviation and space flight. It also awards scholarships to students studying aviation in Northern California college programs, and it is actively seeking new endowments to grow that program. ACNC is a regional affiliate club of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), the oldest national aviation club in the United States, and the record-keeper for United States aviation.