Press release from Pipistrel:

The Pipistrel Taurus G4, world's first four-seat electric aircraft, was nominated for the prestigious Collier Trophy.

The Collier Trophy, the 'Greatest Award in Aviation,' has been the benchmark of aviation and aerospace achievement for over 100 years. Awarded annually for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, it has been bestowed upon some of the most important projects, programs, individuals, and accomplishments in our nation's history.

Past winners include the crews of Apollo 11 and Apollo 8, the Mercury 7, Scott Crossfield, Elmer Sperry and Howard Hughes. Projects and programs which have been the recipient of the Collier include the B-52, the Polaris Missile, the Surveyor Moon Landing Program, the Boeing 747, the Cessna Citation, the Gulfstream V, the F-22, and the International Space Station.

Four nominees were named last week by the National Aeronautic Association for the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy, which honors the 'greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.' The nominees are: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy, the Gamera human-powered helicopter, and Pipistrel's Taurus G4 electric-powered airplane.

'We are very proud of the nominations we received for the 2011 Collier Trophy,' said NAA Chairman Walter J. Boyne. 'Each of them -- in their own way -- mark significant progress in the advancement of aviation and aerospace on the planet, and we certainly welcome them to the Collier selection process.'

The twin-fuselage Taurus G4 won NASA's $1.35 million prize last year in the Green Flight Challenge as the world's first four-seat electric aircraft. The G4 flew 250 mls (402 km) with the average speed higher than 100 mph (161 kmh) and the fuel consumption of less than 1 gal (3.79 l) per passenger.