On February 3, the Wichita Aero Club held its annual Trophy Gala at the B-29 DOC Hangar, Education, & Visitors Center at Eisenhower National Airport, with more than 300 people in attendance.
The Aero Club announced Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) as the recipient of the 2023 Wichita Aero Club Trophy. Molly McMillin, editor-in-chief of The Weekly of Business Aviation and Wichita Aero Club board member, honored two well-known Wichita journalists who passed away last year, AIN senior editor Jerry Siebenmark and Daniel McCoy, a Wichita Business Journal reporter who covered the local aviation beat.
Membership in the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, according to the Wichita Aero Club, “has positioned Sen. Moran to be the leader in aviation and an advocate for this critical industry through a multifaceted lens. He has hosted leaders in Kansas to see firsthand the critical work being done to advance our nation’s aviation, space, science, and defense capabilities. Sen. Moran has helped craft legislation to support NASA’s Artemis programs, train the next generation of aerospace engineers and scientists, and invest in research and development to make certain Kansas remains the air capital of the world.”
The Trophy Gala event raised about $50,000 this year for educational endeavors and Wichita Aero Club initiatives.