The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) established the Clifford Henderson Trophy in 1960 to pay homage to pilot who created the National Air Races and led them from 1928 to 1939. It honors “…a living individual, group of individuals, or an organization whose vision, leadership or skill made a significant and lasting contribution to the promotion and advancement of aviation and aerospace in the United States,” according to the NAA.
For 2022, the NAA will present the Henderson Trophy to the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA), the Worldwide LGBTQ Aviation Community, for its efforts to build, promote, and support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. Through its programs, it advances general aviation safety, as well as facilitating a network of LGBTQ professionals in the aerospace industry.
