Massimiliano “Max” Pinucci Receives AIAA Lifetime Achievement Award for Transformative Work in Airship Design and Aviation Culture

Max Pinucci, a friend to AirshipAdvocate.com as well as fellow member, group expert and a moderator of the Airship Advocates group on Facebook, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Lighter-Than-Air Systems Technical Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)—the world’s largest aerospace organization, with over 30,000 members across 90 countries. It is a moment of well-deserved recognition for a man whose vision, artistry, and passion have greatly influenced the way many people understand and imagine airships.

The official award ceremony took place on July 22 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, where professionals from across the aerospace sector gathered to celebrate achievements that have shaped the industry. For Max, this honor reflects a lifetime dedicated not only to innovation, but to storytelling, education, and the cultural preservation of lighter-than-air flight.

A designer since 1987, Max Pinucci has spent his career exploring the expressive power of form, image, and motion. As CEO of MBVision, co-founder of OceanSky Cruises, and a founding member of the Center for Future Mobility (CMOB), he has contributed to the design of sport aircraft, seaplanes, and airships with a focus on human-centered design, sustainability, and aesthetic excellence.

But Max’s influence doesn’t stop at the drafting table. He is also a pilot, a professor of digital design and communication, and the author of widely respected works such as Airships | Designed for Greatness: The Illustrated History, which earned special recognition in the Italian Air Force’s “G. Douhet” literary prize in 2016. His illustrated aircraft profiles—especially of World War I planes and historic seaplanes—have educated and inspired enthusiasts around the world since 1997.

Max’s creative studio, MBVision, has led exhibitions and participated in conferences across Europe, including AeroKunst at Aero Friedrichshafen, the “Festival del Viaggio” in Florence, and commemorative events such as the 90th anniversary of the Norge polar flight. MBVision has also published Max’s books and games filled with his beautiful design depictions that bring historical aircraft to life. These activities have combined technical insight with immersive storytelling, helping to reintroduce airships to both the aerospace industry and the general public as objects of wonder and innovation.

His fascination with airships began almost by accident but quickly grew into one of his life’s defining passions. Inspired by conversations with historians and experts like Gregory Alegi, Andreas Horn, and Dan Grossman, Max began imagining a broader vision: a modern renaissance of the golden age of airships—not as nostalgia, but as a foundation for future flight.

The AIAA Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates all of this: a career marked by creative direction, academic rigor, historical expertise, and above all, a deep love for flight. We at Airship Advocate are honored to count Max Pinucci as both a contributor and a friend, and we offer our warmest congratulations on this richly deserved recognition.

His journey proves that flight is not only a matter of altitude—but of vision.