The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has presented its prestigious Silk Scarf Award to Gulfstream Aerospace Staff Scientist and Technical Fellow Charles Etter, in recognition of his longtime commitment to aviation’s environmental footprint. Etter announced his retirement from the company at the end of last year.
“Charles has been a tireless, effective advocate for promoting innovations that not only enhance business aviation sustainability, but improve operations overall,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We are pleased to present Charles with NBAA’s Silk Scarf Award.”
An engineer and environmental expert, Etter’s work helped Gulfstream become among the earliest and most ardent voices on the need for an industry focus on environmental stewardship, helping to galvanize the sector around pioneering the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change. First presented in 2009 and updated in 2021, the document provides a framework for the industry to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Etter, who joined Gulfstream in 1996, has worked with renewable fuel experts from around the world on initiatives to foster the availability and use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). He was part of the Gulfstream team that completed the world’s first trans-Atlantic flight on 100% SAF, conducted by a G600 aircraft on Nov. 19, 2023.
He was a leading contributor to resources to educate industry stakeholders about SAF, including the Business Aviation Guide to the Use of Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuels, introduced in 2018, and its 2020 successor, Fueling the Future.
He has served as a technical advisor to the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industry Association and the International Business Aviation Council on environmental topics.
In 2022, Etter was recognized by Corporate Jet Investor as one of that year’s most influential people in sustainable business aviation.
