NASA Names Winners of Personal Air Vehicle Challenge

Aug. 14, 2007

David E. Steitz/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1730/4997
david.steitz@xxxxxxxx, stephanie.schierholz@xxxxxxxx

Annie Seeley
CAFE Foundation, Santa Rosa, Calif.
707-526-3925
brien@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

RELEASE: 07-199

NASA NAMES WINNERS OF PERSONAL AIR VEHICLE CHALLENGE

WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded $250,000 to participants of the
Personal Air Vehicle competition, one of the seven NASA Centennial
Challenges. The competition promotes the use of self-operated,
personal aircraft for fast, safe, efficient, affordable,
environmentally-friendly, and comfortable on-demand transportation as
a future solution to America's mobility needs.

Four teams competed for overall best performance and prizes for noise
reduction, handling, efficiency, short takeoff, and top speed. The
contest took place Aug. 4-12 at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County
Airport in Sonoma, Calif. At no cost to NASA, the Comparative
Aircraft Flight Efficiency Foundation, known as the CAFE Foundation,
administers the challenge. The foundation is a nonprofit group of
flight test engineers in Santa Rosa, Calif.

The award recipients are:

- Vantage Prize, $100,000: Vance Turner of Rescue, Calif., owner of a
short-wing Pipistrel piloted by Michael Coates
- Noise Prize, $50,000: Dave and Diane Anders of Visalia, Calif.,
owners and pilots of a RV-4 aircraft
- Handling Qualities Prize, $25,000: John Rehn of Santa Rosa, Calif.,
owner of a Cessna 172, piloted by Jeff Stocks
- CAFE Efficiency Prize, $25,000: Vance Turner
- Short Runway Prize, $25,000: Vance Turner
- Top Speed, First Prize, $15,000: Dave and Diane Anders
- Top Speed, Second Prize, $10,000: Vance Turner
The challenge will continue annually for four more years. This year's
competition establishes baselines for more difficult standards next
year, when the total prize money will increase to $300,000. The total
prize money provided by NASA for all five years is $2 million.

Centennial Challenges is an element of NASA's Innovative Partnerships
Program. The challenges promote technical innovation through prize
competitions to support NASA's plan to return to the moon and journey
to Mars. For more information about the Innovative Partnerships
Program and Centennial Challenges, visit:

http://www.ipp.nasa.gov/cc

For more information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov


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