Living Legends of Aviation to honor Lauren Sánchez with Highest Award for Vertical Flight

December 06, 2023

Legends to recognize Lauren Sánchez with Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award.

Dec. 6, 2023 – The Living Legends of Aviation will honor fixed wing and helicopter pilot Lauren Sánchez in Beverly Hills on January 19, 2024. The award, which is the Living Legends most distinguished honor for vertical flight, will highlight Lauren’s accomplishments as a skilled helicopter pilot and aviation businesswoman.

Lauren founded Black Ops Aviation in 2016, one of the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production companies with a focus on television and film. Lauren is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and news anchor, who began her career working in local news while studying at the University of Southern California. Following a successful national television career, Lauren’s love of aviation truly took flight. Lauren’s father, a former commercial pilot, airplane mechanic and flight instructor, who still flies to this day, instilled in her a passion for aviation.

“Lauren is a role model and true inspiration for so many women in aviation. She actively engages in many facets of the vertical flight industry, from licensed pilot to businesswoman, and uses her platform to encourage young women and girls to find their place within the industry.” said Stacey Elsner, acting Executive Director of the Living Legends of Aviation.

The Living Legends of Aviation Awards are Hollywood’s biggest night in aviation. As Living Legend and actor Morgan Freeman said, “this is the Academy Awards of Aviation”. Held in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton, the red carpet is sure to shine this year.

The “Living Legends of Aviation” was founded on December 17, 2003, exactly 100 years after Orville and Wilbur Wright took the first powered flight. With the purpose of celebrating aviation’s second hundred years, the “Living Legends of Aviation” are 100 remarkable men and women of extraordinary accomplishment in aviation and aerospace. They include entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, astronauts, record breakers, pilots who have become celebrities and celebrities who have become pilots.

Some notable Legends include Elon Musk, Kenn Ricci, Harrison Ford, Buzz Aldrin, Jared Isaacman, Captain Jim Lovell, and Fatih and Eren Ozmen.

The Living Legends of Aviation Annual Awards Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. John Travolta is the official Host and a founder of the event. Other notable awards will be presented to Mark Burns, President of Gulfstream Aerospace, Kyle Clark of Beta Technologies, Linden Blue, and Lance Toland. New inductees into the Living Legends of Aviation will include Marc Parent, Steve Hinton, and aviation writer Fred George.