# Michael A. Dornheim Award

The Michael A. Dornheim Award is presented in honor of the late Michael Dornheim, a longtime reporter and editor at Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine.
The award is presented annually as part of the National Press Club's journalism awards, which recognizes and honors professional journalists for their outstanding work for the public, either independently or as employees of editorially-independent news and media entities. The recipient must be a working journalist writing about aerospace, defense, the airline industry, or aerospace science and engineering. Entrants may enter up to 6 examples of work, and the winner receives a $1,000 prize.

## Winners

Michael A. Dornheim Award Winners, 2008 to present :
| Year of Award | Author | Publication | Details |
| 2024 | Emily Steele, Sydney Ember, & Mike Baker | The New York Times | For their insider look at issues facing air traffic controllers in their investigative piece, “Flight Risks.” |
| 2023 | Craig Whitlock & Nate Jones | Washington Post | For the three part series, “Foreign Servants: Retired U.S. Generals, Admirals Take Top Jobs With Saudi Crown Prince” that revealed more than 500 retired U.S. military personnel — including scores of generals and admirals — have taken lucrative jobs since 2015 working for foreign governments, mostly in countries known for human rights abuses and political repression. |
| 2022 | Christopher Freeze | Air Line Pilot magazine | For his 8-part series, "ALPA at 90," which highlighted aviation safety technologies or topics that the labor union championed. |
| 2021 | Kiera Feldman | Los Angeles Times | For a year-long investigation revealing how mechanical problems on airplanes can cause heated jet engine oil to leak into the air supply — a phenomenon known as “fume events” — which could sicken passengers and crew members. |
| 2020 | Valerie Insinna | Defense News | For the in-depth feature series, “The Hidden Troubles of the F-35.” |
| 2019 | Mark Harris | freelance | For research, investigative reporting and writing of the aerospace industry, particularly in the satellite sector. |
| 2018 | John Donnelly | CQ Roll Call | For stories on F-35 ejections and military accidents that exemplify solid and uncompromised investigative journalism. |
| 2017 | Elan Head | Vertical magazine | For stories that raised significant safety concerns about helicopters. |
| 2016 | W.J. Hennigan | Los Angeles Times | For a variety of strong stories on defense topics - from pilots flying drones to flying in a U-2 spy plane. |
| 2015 | Thomas Frank | USA Today | For “Unfit for Flight,” a five-part series that revealed the hidden dangers of private aviation. |
| 2014 | Sara Sorcher | National Journal | For stories that explored defense procurement, civil applications of unmanned aerial vehicles, federal budgeting and congressional oversight. |
| 2013 | Bart Jansen | USA Today | For his stories on air travel |
| 2012 | Nathan Hodge | Wall Street Journal | For coverage of U.S. defense policy. |
| 2011 | Christopher Castelli | "Inside The Pentagon" | For his reporting on the Defense Department's failure to put required cockpit voice recorders on V-22 Ospreys. |
| 2010 | Andy Pasztor & Susan Carey | Wall Street Journal | For their coverage of the crash of a Colgan Air turboprop near Buffalo, New York. |
| 2009 | Sally Adee | IEEE Spectrum magazine | For the story "The Hunt for the Kill Switch" |
| 2008 | William J. McGee | multiple | For his combined works in Consumer Reports; Condé Nast Traveler; Money Magazine; USA Today |

## Namesake

Michael A. Dornheim (1954–2006) was a journalist at Aviation Week for more than two decades. After a dinner with friends on June 3, 2006, he drove away from the restaurant, suggesting he would take "the back way." Nine days later, law enforcement officials found Dornheim's car had run off the road and descended 350 feet. Landing inverted, Dornheim was found deceased at the scene.
Dornheim was awarded two more writing awards posthumously.