Sporty’s founders Hal and Sandy Shevers are known for their commitment to growing aviation. The late Richard L. Collins, longtime editor of Flying magazine, helped Sporty’s launch a digital version of the original Air Facts magazine that his father, Leighton Collins, began in 1938.

Now, Air Facts editor John Zimmerman will award the first Richard L. Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots, with a $2,500 stipend, to Emma Hutchinson, a midshipman studying English at the United States Naval Academy, on Wednesday at the 2019 Sun 'n' Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida.

Hutchinson’s article, titled “The Old Man in the Plane,” is a tribute to her grandfather, who instilled in her a love of flying and flew with her often, teaching her the fundamentals of flight. In it, she writes, “My grandpa told me the sky was his church, the place he felt the presence of a higher being, always present. He guided me to start my own journey in the old plane, this time with a new instructor.” 

Based on the success of this first year’s writing prize, plans are under way to continue this award next year. Details will be posted at Air Facts Journal later this year.