NBAA Bestows Its Highest Honor to Aviation Trailblazer Steuart Walton

Aviator, entrepreneur and business leader Steuart Walton received the Meritorious Service to Aviation Award at the 2025 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, NV.

Walton is the co-founder and chairman of Game Aerospace, which builds the FAA-certified GB1 GameBird, a clean-sheet, composite aerobatic aircraft, in Bentonville, AR. The company is also developing the GB2 StormBird, a purpose-built aerial firefighting aircraft that will help the world respond to wildfires and highlight the critical humanitarian capabilities of general aviation.

A prominent leader in fostering the development of advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft and infrastructure, Walton established Bentonville as one of the host cities for the UP.Summit. Founded in 2017, the annual event gathers aerospace leaders, entrepreneurs, technologists and investors dedicated to advancing human mobility.

A passionate aviator, Walton has also restored and flown a variety of vintage aircraft, including the North American P-51 Mustang, Goodyear F2G-1 Super Corsair, F8F Bearcat and a British Supermarine Spitfire. His collection of more than 70 restored World War II-era warbirds and vehicles are accessible to the public and reflect the aviation community’s reverence for its history.

Walton serves on the board of directors for Walmart, a company with a history inextricably connected to business aviation. Walmart’s founder, Sam Walton, flew his single-engine Ercoupe 415-C to ensure quality standards at early stores, and to scout future locations. Today, Walmart operates a significant fleet of business aircraft from the company’s Bentonville base, helping the company be more efficient, productive and successful in today’s highly competitive business marketplace.

First presented in 1950, NBAA’s Meritorious Service to Aviation Award celebrates extraordinary lifelong professional contributions to aviation. Past recipients include Jimmy Doolittle, Donald Douglas, Kelly Johnson, Gene Cernan, Bob Hoover, the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs).
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