Whirly-Girls Scholarship Winners

[Guest Jeremy Law]

Congratulations to this year's Whirly-Girls scholarship winners! From the press release:

 

Orlando, Florida: Whirly-Girls International presented their 2011 scholarships to eight women last evening at the annual Whirly-Girls Awards Banquet. Together, the scholarships are worth more than $50,000 of helicopter flight and ground training. Some scholarships were donated by training facilities and helicopter manufacturers while $12,000 in scholarships were funded directly by the Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund.

 

The scholarships and winners are as follows:

 

American Eurocopter Flight Training Scholarship, awarded to Michelle Bostick, WG#1394, of Lithia, FL. The American Eurocopter scholarship gives a Whirly-Girl in good standing the opportunity to attend the AS350 Turbine Helicopter Transition course at the American Eurocopter factory school in Grand Prairie, TX. Bostick will use her scholarship to add a turbine transition in the American Eurocopter AStar to her license, opening opportunities for a full-time professional flight position.

 

Robinson Helicopter Safety Course Scholarship, awarded to Tara Sturm, WG#1639, of Seattle, WA. Donated by Robinson Helicopter Company, this scholarship allows a Whirly-Girl in good standing to attend the Robinson R22/R44 Safety Course. Conducted at the Robinson factory in Torrance, CA, the course is a 3 ½ day class that includes 2 ½ days of classroom instruction and one day devoted to maintenance, pre-flight inspections, and performing advanced flight maneuvers.

 

Whirly-Girls Helicopter Flight Training Scholarship, awarded to Tracy Ellen Zedeck of Kensington, CA. The Helicopter Flight Training Scholarship provides $6,000 for a currently licensed female pilot to obtain her helicopter add-on rating. Zedeck has had some amazing opportunities including towing gliders into the mountain wave of the Rockies, landing a ski-plane on glaciers beneath North Americas tallest peak – Mt. McKinley, exploring the southeast Alaskan terrain as a scheduled Part 135 pilot, and tidbits of instructing, flying skydivers, and banner towing. Her goal is to be a HEMS Pilot.

 

Whirly-Girls Memorial Flight Training Scholarship, awarded to Deborah Moseley, WG# 1556, of Homer, AK. Funded by the Whirly-Girls, Inc. this scholarship is given in memory of our founder Jean Ross Howard Phelan and her husband Jim, along with the memory of Doris Mullen who lost her life in a fixed wing accident in 1968. It provides $6,000 to a Whirly-Girl in good standing toward an advanced helicopter rating. Moseley will use the scholarship to receive her helicopter CFI. She holds a commercial helicopter certificate in addition to fixed wing ratings.

 

Advanced Mountain Flight Training Scholarship, awarded to Jennifer Bartley, WG#1523, of Salt Lake City, UT, is provided in memory of Keiko Minakata, WG#1339, who lost her life in August 2007, during a commercial flight in the mountains. This scholarship gives a deserving Whirly-Girl the skills to cope with turbulence, rugged terrain, and landing zone selection in mountainous and canyon areas. This three day course emphasizes decision making skills, and includes five hours of mountain flight time at Western Helicopters Inc. in Rialto, CA. Bartley holds commercial, instrument, CFI and CFII ratings in helicopters. She will use the scholarship to further develop her opportunities towards her goals as a professional pilot.

 

Flight Safety International Scholarship, awarded to Laura McIlrath, WG#1562, of N. Andover, MA. This highly regarded training program uses advanced instructional technology to provide instument proficiency training, instrument recurrent training, and inadvertent IMC training using the world’s first Bell 206 FAA Level 7 qualified Flight Training device. McIlrath is currently a flight instructor north of Boston, MA. Her goal is to fly scenic tours in a turbine helicopter.

 

Judy Short Memorial Scholarship, awarded to Rochelle Lee Arias, WG#1600, of Oceanside, CA. This scholarship, sponsored by Whirly Girl Nancy Graham, WG#62, provides a Whirly-Girl with a Helicopter Flight Instructor rating, $5,000 towards an instrument or CFII. Arias is a CFI and is currently working on her CFII.

 

Survival Systems Scholarship, awarded to Buffy Stevenson, WG#1566, of Las Vegas, NV. The Survival Systems scholarship gives a Whirly-Girl in good standing the opportunity to attend an Aircraft Ditching course at the Survival Systems Facility in Groton, CT. Stevenson is currently a CFI. Her career goals include HEMS, ENG, tours or Part 135 operations.

 

Whirly-Girls International is a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in helicopter aviation. Special projects include providing scholarships to help women helicopter pilots achieve their aviation goals.

 

Formed in 1955 by Jean Ross Howard Phelan, today the association numbers more than 1683 members from 41 countries. The organization is dedicated to advancing professionalism in helicopters, while providing women helicopter pilots a forum for the exchange of information and opportunities.

 

 

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