Aviation Week Top 100 Stars of Aerospace Ballot Set to Launch in February

Program Sponsor IBM Designing Online Voting Site Covering More Than 700 Nominees Aviation Week's Top 100 Stars of Aerospace program, a first-ever initiative to identify the most important, most interesting and most influential people in the global aerospace community -- past and present -- will take off next month at www.AviationNow.com/Top100.

The Top 100 program, part of Aviation Week's The Next Century of Flight (NCF) education and outreach initiative, is being produced in partnership with the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) and its U.S. affiliate, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Aviation Week & Space Technology Assistant Managing Editor for Technology Stanley W. Kandebo is spearheading the effort.

The voting website, designed and hosted by Top 100 sponsor IBM, will feature more than 700 candidates in these 15 categories:

1. Pathfinders
2. Early Birds
3. Heroes
4. Captains of Industry
5. Empire Builders
6. Architects of Airpower
7. Warriors
8. Intrepid Aviators
9. Rocketeers
10. Engineers
11. Researchers and Engineering Scientists
12. Spacefarers
13. Advocates and Administrators
14. Project Managers and Enablers
15. Innovators and Dreamers

To ensure the credibility and professional caliber of the Top 100 results, the ballot will only be open to ICAS and AIAA affiliates and members, Aviation Week group subscribers and Next Century of Flight program partners.

The top three vote-getters in each category, as well as the 100 candidates receiving the most votes overall, will be announced in the June 16, 2003 "Paris Air Show" edition of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine. Candidates and those selected as the Top 100 Stars of Aerospace will be honored at a gala dinner on June 18 at the Salle Wagram in Paris.

About Aviation Week

With nearly 50 products and services and a core audience of some one million professionals and enthusiasts, Aviation Week, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the world's premier multimedia information and service provider to the aviation and aerospace market. The Next Century of Flight leverages all of the assets of the Aviation Week group to promote aviation education and aerospace careers around the world. The program is currently supported by these partners:

• Air Transport Association of America and participating ATA member airlines: Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Midwest Express Airlines
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Evolution of Flight
• Be A Pilot
• Bombardier Aerospace
• Centurion Press, Ltd.
• Civil Air Patrol
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Festival of Flight 2003, Fayetteville, NC
• GIFAS, the French Aerospace Industries Association
• McGraw-Hill Education
• National Business Aviation Association's AvKids program
• Parker Hannifin
• Society of British Aerospace Companies
• U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission
• Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
• Plus the ongoing collaboration of NASA

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 350 offices in 33 countries. Sales in 2001 were $4.6 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

About ICAS

The International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) is a non-government, non-profit making, scientific organization which was established in 1957 to encourage the free interchange of information on aeronautical subjects. 32 recognized National Associations of the world dedicated to the advancement of the science and engineering of aviation or of aviation and space are ICAS member societies. In addition, it is supported by aerospace companies, scientific and technical institutions acting as associates. The objective of ICAS is to organize on this international basis a worldwide forum and bi-annual Congress for the discussion and international interchange of aeronautical science and technology subjects and visions. For further details see: http://www.icas.org

About AIAA

AIAA is the world's largest aerospace professional/technical society, the leading information provider and the principal voice -- devoted to the progress of engineering and science in all aspects of aviation, space and defense -- on behalf of industry, academia and government.

Contact: Aviation Week Chris Meyer, 212/904-3255 chris_meyer@AviationNow.com

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