The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) has selected Mark Baker and Bruce Landsberg as co-recipients of the 2026 Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award. Baker, the retired president and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and Landsberg, the former NTSB Vice Chairman and longtime AOPA Air Safety Institute president, will be honored at the President’s Reception on September 23, 2026, during the 62nd Annual Enshrinement events in Washington, D.C.
The award recognizes exceptional aviation performance of national or international significance. In naming both leaders together, the NAHF acknowledged their combined impact on pilot safety, education, and advocacy — contributions that helped make general aviation safer than it has ever been.
What Is the Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award?
The Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award is one of the most prestigious honors in American aviation. It is named after Neil Armstrong — military aviator, test pilot, astronaut, educator, and 1979 NAHF Enshrinee — and has been presented by the National Aviation Hall of Fame at its annual ceremony since its creation.
The award criteria require exceptional aviation performance of national or international significance by a U.S. citizen or by a group in which the majority are U.S. citizens. Past recipients represent a cross-section of aviation’s most accomplished leaders.
Previous winners include Tyson Weihs, co-founder and CEO of ForeFlight (now a Boeing company), further underscoring the award’s focus on individuals whose work has materially advanced aviation practice and safety.
Who Is Mark Baker?
Mark R. Baker served as AOPA’s fifth president and CEO from 2013 until his retirement in late 2024, making him one of the longest-serving leaders in the organization’s 85-year history. Darren Pleasance succeeded him as president and CEO effective January 1, 2025.
Baker is a commercial pilot with single-engine land, multi-engine land, seaplane, and rotorcraft ratings. He has logged more than 10,000 hours of flight time across aircraft ranging from light seaplanes to turbines and helicopters. A native Minnesotan and University of Minnesota alumnus, he earned his private pilot certificate in his twenties and has been an active GA pilot for more than 35 years.
Before AOPA, Baker built a career in corporate leadership — serving as CEO of Orchard Supply Hardware Corporation and in senior executive roles at Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Gander Mountain Company, and The Home Depot. He brought that customer-service discipline to AOPA’s 400,000-member organization and applied it to pilot advocacy on a national scale.
During his tenure at AOPA, Baker led the association through some of the most consequential aviation policy debates in recent memory. He championed the EAGLE initiative to eliminate lead from aviation gasoline, expanded the You Can Fly program to attract new pilots, strengthened AOPA’s political action committee, and served as chairman of the International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associations (IAOPA), representing pilot interests across 73 countries.
NBAA President Ed Bolen captured Baker’s impact at the time of his retirement: “For more than 10 years in the left seat at AOPA and throughout his entire career, Mark has been a steadfast advocate for the entire GA community and a true friend to business aviation.”
Baker himself described the award as a reflection of collective effort. “General aviation is built on a shared commitment to safety, education, and opportunity, and I am proud to have contributed to that mission,” he said.
Who Is Bruce Landsberg?
Bruce Landsberg’s career reads like a guided tour of American aviation safety institutions. Over five decades, he has held leadership positions at Cessna Aircraft Company, Flying magazine, FlightSafety International, the AOPA Air Safety Institute, and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Landsberg joined AOPA in 1992 and spent more than two decades building the Air Safety Foundation (later renamed the Air Safety Institute) into the most recognized pilot safety education organization in general aviation. Under his leadership, the institute produced industry-leading training resources, conducted thousands of safety seminars, and published data-driven accident analyses that became required reading for safety-conscious pilots. His monthly column on aviation safety in AOPA Pilot magazine was a fixture of the publication for over 20 years.
He retired from AOPA in 2014. Four years later, President Trump nominated him to the National Transportation Safety Board. Landsberg was sworn in as NTSB Vice Chairman on August 7, 2018, becoming the only active pilot on the board. He served as Vice Chairman until his term concluded, participating in Go-Team investigations across aviation, rail, marine, and highway transportation.
Before AOPA, Landsberg worked at Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas, managing their Air Age Education Department. He then joined Flying magazine as an associate editor before moving to FlightSafety International, where he became their first product marketing manager and helped develop simulator-based training programs for airline pilot transition candidates.
Landsberg served in the U.S. Air Force as a Minuteman III ICBM missile launch officer in North Dakota — an experience he has credited with instilling a rigorous approach to safety procedures. He holds an airline transport pilot certificate and single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument flight instructor certificates. He has logged more than 7,500 hours of flight time and is a recipient of the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. He flies a Beechcraft Bonanza A36.
His recent book, Learning from Icarus, is a 500-page examination of aviation accidents spanning his entire career. Former AOPA President Mark Baker wrote in his endorsement: “As a long time follower of Bruce and lucky to have worked and flown with him for a number of years, I appreciate his ability to communicate in a manner that I believe saves lives.”
Landsberg was characteristically understated about the honor. “This award reflects the collective efforts of so many individuals dedicated to improving aviation safety,” he said. “It has been a privilege to serve a community that is committed to learning, improving, and making flight safer for everyone.”
Why Do These Two Recipients Matter Together?
The decision to name Baker and Landsberg as co-recipients is significant. They represent the two sides of general aviation’s most important mission: advocacy and safety.
Baker fought the political battles — protecting airport access, defending pilot rights, advancing unleaded avgas, expanding the pilot population, and ensuring GA had a seat at every regulatory table. Landsberg fought the safety battles — analyzing why pilots die, building the educational programs to prevent it, and carrying that work to the highest level of federal accident investigation.
Their careers overlapped directly. Baker led AOPA from 2013 onward. Landsberg led AOPA’s safety arm from 1992 to 2014. Together, they shaped the organization — and by extension, the GA community — during a period when the fatal accident rate dropped to historic lows.
NAHF Awards Committee Chair Pat Waddick put it simply: “Mark Baker and Bruce Landsberg embody the very best of aviation leadership through their lifelong dedication to advancing safety, education, and advocacy. Their contributions have strengthened the foundation of our aviation community and inspired generations of pilots.”
When and Where Is the Award Ceremony?
Baker and Landsberg will be honored at the NAHF President’s Reception on September 23, 2026, during the 62nd Annual Enshrinement events. The ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C. Details on tickets and attendance are available through the National Aviation Hall of Fame at nationalaviation.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award? The Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award is a prestigious honor presented by the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) in Dayton, Ohio. Named after astronaut and 1979 NAHF Enshrinee Neil Armstrong, the award recognizes exceptional aviation performance of national or international significance by U.S. citizens.
Who are the 2026 Neil Armstrong Award recipients? Mark Baker, retired president and CEO of AOPA, and Bruce Landsberg, former NTSB Vice Chairman and longtime president of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, were named co-recipients of the 2026 Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award by the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
When is the 2026 Neil Armstrong Award ceremony? Baker and Landsberg will be honored at the NAHF President’s Reception on September 23, 2026, during the 62nd Annual Enshrinement events in Washington, D.C.
What did Mark Baker do at AOPA? Mark Baker served as AOPA’s fifth president and CEO from 2013 to 2024. A commercial pilot with more than 10,000 flight hours, he led advocacy efforts on unleaded avgas, airport access, and pilot engagement, and served as chairman of the International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associations (IAOPA).
What did Bruce Landsberg do at AOPA and the NTSB? Bruce Landsberg led AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation and Air Safety Institute from 1992 to 2014, building it into general aviation’s leading safety education organization. He then served as NTSB Vice Chairman from 2018 until his term concluded. He holds an ATP certificate, more than 7,500 flight hours, and the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.
