Hamburg duty-free entrepreneurs Claus and Gunnar Heinemann were awarded the Legends Wings of Help Award on Saturday, July 20.
The award was presented during the Living Legends of Aviation by Scalaria event at the Scalaria Event Resort at Wolfgangsee, Austria. The award recognizes the global social commitment of the cousins, whose company Gebr. Heinemann is also active in humanitarian aid both at home and abroad. For many years it has provided the charity Wings of Help with financial assistance and donations in kind. Wings of Help cares for children following natural and man-made disasters.
Frank Franke, president and managing director of Wings of Help, said, “Heinemann sees the success attained from close cooperation with the aviation industry as an obligation to give something back to society and, above all, to open up prospects for future generations. We are particularly pleased with their commitment to the education of young people, for example by setting up computer classes in schools across needy regions. We all know that education creates a future and computers are the window into this future.”
Living Legends of Aviation was founded 16 years ago in the USA by Jerry Lips, then-editor of Airport Journal, with the aim of educating children about aviation and encouraging their interest in the industry. The organization also honors outstanding personalities for their services to the aerospace industry. Award-winners include Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Jeff Bezos.