Jim Lovell honoured by the Guild of Air Pilots (now incl photographs)
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Jim Lovell honoured by the Guild of Air Pilots (now incl photographs)
The Guild Award of Honour 2013
Awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding lifetime contribution to aviation.
Captain James Arthur Lovell USN
Captain Lovell will receive the Guild of Air Pilots' Award of Honour at the annual Trophies and Awards Banquet to be held in the Great Hall of London's medieval Guildhall on the 23rd October.
The Banquet will be attended by HRH Prince Andrew Duke of York, Grand Master of the Guild.
Official guests include leading figures in aviation from around the world.
Citation:
Forty four years ago pilot-explorers flew to the Moon in primitive spacecraft furnished with what is now the computing power of a child’s toy, and navigation tools that Captain Cook would have recognised. Their skill, ingenuity and courage will be remembered a thousand years from now, and in history their names will rank not only with the Wright Brothers but with Magellan and Christopher Columbus.
Captain James Arthur Lovell USN is the only man to have flown to the Moon twice, but not landed on it. His abilities as an astronaut on Apollo 8 helped pave the way for Neil Armstrong’s first step and, as Commander of Apollo 13; his coolness under pressure gave us an immortal phrase known the world over: “Houston, we have a problem.”
A US Navy night fighter pilot flying the McDonnell F2H Banshee, Captain Lovell graduated at the top of his Test Pilot course and was accepted as an astronaut for the Gemini programme. He flew as pilot on Gemini 7 when it accomplished the first-ever space rendezvous in 1965, and as Command Pilot on Gemini 12 he docked with another spacecraft manually after a rendezvous radar failed – a significant achievement in those pioneering times.
In 1968 Jim Lovell took off for the Moon in Apollo 8 with Frank Borman and Bill Anders, the first human beings to leave earth orbit. As navigator, Captain Lovell used a sextant to measure the spacecraft’s position and calculate mid- course corrections. Many indelibly remember the broadcast to the Earth from 60 miles above the Moon on Christmas Eve: “In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth...”
In the case of Apollo 13, the world remembers Jim Lovell for another flight entirely. The Apollo spacecraft lifted off on April 11th 1970 to land Captain Lovell and Fred Haise on the Moon, with Jack Swigert to pilot the service module. An oxygen tank explosion two days later crippled the spacecraft 200,000 miles away from Earth, threatening to maroon the three men in space, far beyond the help of any human agency.
Through the brilliance and courage of Jim Lovell and his crew, improvising under conditions of extreme hardship and pressure, an almost certain catastrophe was averted and Apollo 13 was brought home safely, with Captain Lovell adjusting course manually by firing the lunar module’s thrusters and engine, using his watch for timing.
The Banquet is open to all Guild members and their guests.
Closing date for applications to attend: This Friday 4th October
For more information and a downloadable Application Form click the Guild badge ...............
Tudor Owen
.
Note: The Guild became the Honourable Company of Air Pilots in February 2014
I shall look forward to hearing his talk.
For those of us not in the position of being a member and in relation to Captain Lovell's achievements, will there be a video recorded of his speech, so that others maybe inspired by his life story.
Last edited by air pig; 3rd Oct 2013 at 16:13.
I shall be there in person.....do I need to wear Kevlar?
I have also promised to get down to the Fleet Air Arm Museum this time over....been meaning to do that for years now. I might even try to sneak into the hangar and hug up on 509 too.
I have also promised to get down to the Fleet Air Arm Museum this time over....been meaning to do that for years now. I might even try to sneak into the hangar and hug up on 509 too.
Last edited by SASless; 3rd Oct 2013 at 17:45.
the winners of these awards don't get to give speeches; a citation is read out of their great deeds before they are presented with it. But you can rest assured he will be tapped for stories before and afterwards.
Met Jim Lovell in the sand pit along with the late Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, a massive privilege and all 3 were thoroughly entertaining even though I suspect they were answering questions that had been asked 1000's of times before. It certainly beat a UK CSE show as a break from the drudgery!
Congratulations - thoroughly well deserved
Congratulations - thoroughly well deserved
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skua
They don't normally but in this case it would be a wasted opportunity so, if the Master happens to invite one of the winners to be Guest of Honour ....... 
FL
the winners of these awards don't get to give speeches
FL
eastern..
May I respectfully ask what took so long?.
Great news.
Great news.
Enduring Gemini 7 for 14 days in itself would be worthy of the award...let alone his other three missions.
BTW has John Young been similarly honoured?
Last edited by wiggy; 7th Oct 2013 at 15:39.
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Astronaut Jim Lovell received the Guild of Air Pilots' Award of Honour at an Awards ceremony held at the City of London Guildhall on Wednesday evening.
The Guild's glittering Trophies & Awards Banquet was attended by aviators and guests from across the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the USA.
Judge Tudor Owen, Master, welcomes Sir Andrew Pulford Chief of the Air Staff
Left to Right: Mrs Marilyn Lovell, Air Marshal Cliff Spink (Immediate Past Master), Mrs Maria Evans, Captain Lovell,
Judge Tudor Owen (Master), the Duke of York (Grand Master), Mrs Lesley Agutter (Master Fletcher),
Mrs Dorothy Pooley (Master Elect), Col Murray Whiteside (Regimental Colonel AAC)
Honourable Company of Air Pilots Award of Honour
Silver salver and Certificate presented by the Grand Master HRH The Duke of York and
the Master, HH Judge Tudor Owen (better known to pilots as the Flying Lawyer
).
Captain Jim Lovell Honourable Company of Air Pilots
Honourable Company of Air Pilots Award of Honour
Link to Speeches
The Guild's glittering Trophies & Awards Banquet was attended by aviators and guests from across the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the USA.
Judge Tudor Owen, Master, welcomes Sir Andrew Pulford Chief of the Air Staff
Left to Right: Mrs Marilyn Lovell, Air Marshal Cliff Spink (Immediate Past Master), Mrs Maria Evans, Captain Lovell,
Judge Tudor Owen (Master), the Duke of York (Grand Master), Mrs Lesley Agutter (Master Fletcher),
Mrs Dorothy Pooley (Master Elect), Col Murray Whiteside (Regimental Colonel AAC)
Honourable Company of Air Pilots Award of Honour
Silver salver and Certificate presented by the Grand Master HRH The Duke of York and
the Master, HH Judge Tudor Owen (better known to pilots as the Flying Lawyer
).Captain Jim Lovell Honourable Company of Air Pilots
Honourable Company of Air Pilots Award of Honour
Link to Speeches
The Guild became the Honourable Company of Air Pilots in February 2014.
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Duke of York
Honourable Company of Air Pilots
The Duke of York was amongst the almost 700 people present who sat spellbound while Captain Lovell spoke about his lunar missions, during which he described how the astronauts were enthralled by their view of Earth from Apollo 8 (the famous 'Earthrise' photograph) and modestly related how they coped with the dire emergencies that beset Apollo 13.
Captain Jim Lovell , Judge Tudor Owen, Duke of York
Second standing ovation
The presence of Jim Lovell made the always magnificent Trophies and Awards Banquet even more special than usual.
It's a traditional formal occasion, but there was a wonderful happy atmosphere throughout the evening.
Judge Tudor Owen, the Duke of York and Mrs Lesley Agutter, Master Fletcher
Mrs Maria Evans and Captain Jim Lovell
Judge Tudor Owen and the Duke of York
Link to Speeches
Honourable Company of Air Pilots
The Duke of York was amongst the almost 700 people present who sat spellbound while Captain Lovell spoke about his lunar missions, during which he described how the astronauts were enthralled by their view of Earth from Apollo 8 (the famous 'Earthrise' photograph) and modestly related how they coped with the dire emergencies that beset Apollo 13.
Captain Jim Lovell , Judge Tudor Owen, Duke of York
Second standing ovation
The presence of Jim Lovell made the always magnificent Trophies and Awards Banquet even more special than usual.
It's a traditional formal occasion, but there was a wonderful happy atmosphere throughout the evening.
Judge Tudor Owen, the Duke of York and Mrs Lesley Agutter, Master Fletcher
Mrs Maria Evans and Captain Jim Lovell
Judge Tudor Owen and the Duke of York
Link to Speeches
The Guild became the Honourable Company of Air Pilots in February 2014.
Besides feeling like a Hog on Roller Skates...it was a very good evening!
Every time I looked like I was about to commit a great social blunder....Nick Lappos kept kicking me in the Shins.
I am very appeciative of the kindness shown to me by Flying Lawyer and mark this evening down as the second of two very memorable events in my life that he has made possible.
To be afforded the opportunity to meet so many leaders in Aviation from around the World....and in Lovell's case....out of this World....is an honour in itself.
Every time I looked like I was about to commit a great social blunder....Nick Lappos kept kicking me in the Shins.
I am very appeciative of the kindness shown to me by Flying Lawyer and mark this evening down as the second of two very memorable events in my life that he has made possible.
To be afforded the opportunity to meet so many leaders in Aviation from around the World....and in Lovell's case....out of this World....is an honour in itself.
Last edited by SASless; 28th Oct 2013 at 21:38.