Slovenian aircraft designer and entrepreneur Ivo Boscarol, the founder of the ultralight aircraft producer Pipistrel, has been declared a Living Legend of Aviation by the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, joining the likes of astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Holywood stars Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford.

The accolade from the Colorado-based non-profit organisation dedicated to introducing, educating and sparking children's interest in aviation comes after Boscarol received its Eren Ozmen Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2018.

He joined the list of the Living Legends of Aviation Awards Europe at the Scalaria Event Resort on Lake Wolfgang in Austria on 31 August, his company Boscarol announced on 2 September.

The Living Legends meet yearly at The Beverly Hilton in California and in Europe every other year at the Scalaria Event Resort. Inductees and awards are selected by the Living Legends of Aviation organisations and its committees.

The award is given to remarkable people of extraordinary accomplishment in aviation and aerospace, including entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, engineers, astronauts, record breakers, internationally recognised pilots and celebrity pilots.

Awarded since 2003, it has been conferred to famous people such as astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Hollywood stars Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Morgan Freeman, entrepreneurs Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, and Prince Harry.

"The award, the title and being placed alongside other legends of aviation means recognition and proof that the aviation world appreciates my contribution to the development of aviation," Boscarol said on the occasion.

"By getting an electric aircraft certified, I proved that it is as safe for commercial use as one powered by an internal combustion engine or a jet engine, and in this way laid the foundations for emission-free, clean and silent aviation."

The two-seat trainer aircraft Velis Electro, the world's first certified electric aircraft, received certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in 2020.

It also received a light-sport aircraft airworthiness exemption from the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2024, and is to be displayed next year at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, US.

The Ajdovščina-based aircraft developer Pipistrel was founded by Boscarol in 1989 and sold to the US aviation company Textron in 2022, as Boscarol decided to pursue other business ventures.