Established in 1971, this award provides for an annual lecture dealing with a broad phase of civil air transportation considered of current interest and major importance. The objective is to advance air transport engineering and to recognize those who make personal contributions to the field.
The award perpetuates the memory of William Littlewood, the only person ever to be president of both SAE (1954) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He was renowned for his contributions to the design of, and operational requirements for, civil transport aircraft.
| Year | Name | Employer |
| 2018 | George N. Bullen | Northrop Grumman Corp. |
| 2017 | Raj Nanjia | Aeronautical Engineering Consultant |
| 2016 | Gareth Williams | Airbus |
| 2015 | Charla Wise | Lockheed Martin |
| 2014 | Axel Krein | Airbus UK |
| 2013 | Kenneth J Hylander | Delta Air Lines Inc |
| 2012 | Dr John-Paul B Clarke | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| 2011 | Prof Mark Drela | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 2010 | Dr-Ing Albert Moussa | Blazetech Corp |
| 2009 | Dr Ramesh K Agarwal | Washington Univ St Louis |
| 2008 | Earll M Murman | |
| 2007 | Preston Henne | Gulfstream Aerospace Corp |
| 2006 | Dr Klaus Nittinger | Lufthansa German Airlines |
| 2005 | Robert E Doll | Volant |
| 2004 | Dr John H McMasters | Boeing Co |
| 2003 | Bruce R Aubin | |
| 2001 | Louis J Mancini | United Airlines Inc |
| 1999 | John Cashman | |
| 1998 | Ronald A Ostrowski | Boeing Co |
| 1997 | Dr Richard W Taylor | Boeing Commercial Airplanes |
| 1996 | Dale S Warren | |
| 1995 | Robert A Davis | Boeing Co |
| 1994 | Dixon Speas | |
| 1993 | James E Worsham | GPA Pacific Aviation Group |
| 1992 | C Julian May | Tech/Ops International |
| 1991 | Bernard L Koff | |
| 1990 | David Knowlen | Boeing Commercial Airplanes |
| Joseph F Sutter | Boeing Commercial Airplanes | |
| 1989 | Ernst Simon | |
| 1988 | Donald Hetterman | |
| 1987 | Scott Flower | |
| 1986 | John McDonald | Boeing Co |
| 1985 | Paul Johnstone | Lockheed Martin Global Inc |
| 1984 | Robert W Rummel | Robert W Rummel Associates Inc |
| 1983 | John Brizendine | |
| 1982 | Paul Besson | |
| 1980 | Norman R Parmet | |
| 1979 | Dr Willis M Hawkins | Lockheed Martin Corp |
| 1977 | Raymond Kelly | Federal Aviation Administration |
| Franklin W Kolk | ||
| 1975 | Gerhard Neumann | |
| 1974 | Edward W Wells | Lockheed Martin Corp |
| 1973 | Richard Jackson | |
| 1972 | John G Borger | |
| 1971 | Sir Peter G Masefield |
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