Thirteen new scholarships have been added to the roster to be awarded at the 22nd Annual Women in Aviation International Conference, held next year in Reno, Nevada, on February 24-26, 2011. Just these new scholarships are valued at $92,250.
Dozens of scholarship opportunities for 2011 are now posted on the organization's website at www.wai.org. New for this year are AirTran Airways Maintenance Scholarship; American Airlines Veteran's Initiative Scholarship; Changing the World; Delta Air Lines Airbus A 320 type rating (two separate scholarships); DTC Duat Travel Award scholarship; PilotMall.com CFI Scholarship; SAFE Scholarship; WAI Initial Helicopter Scholarship; and WAI Oshkosh Chapter Spirit of Flight Scholarship."Our scholarships reflect the diversity of our membership. We have scholarships for members of all ages and stages of their aviation lives - from professional crewmembers to people who are flying simply for fun," said WAI President Dr. Peggy Chabrian. "We have academic scholarships, flight training scholarships and scholarships that are focused on a particular career within aviation such as dispatchers and aeronautical engineers. Since the inception of our scholarship program, $6.5 million has been disbursed."
In addition to these other new scholarships, Jim Campbell, president of Aero-News Network, is sponsoring two $1000 scholarships in memory of U.S. Aerobatic Team Pilot and IAC President Vicki Cruise. These scholarships will provide flight training for a private pilot to undertake basic aerobatic or unusual attitude flight training or for further training for skills already undertaken in that flight training regimen.
Campbell says, "Vicki's first aerobatic experiences opened up a whole new world of aviation to her and allowed her to seek extraordinary adventures and achievements that culminated in her becoming one of the most respected and accomplished pilots in the sport aviation community."
Also new this year, Able Flight will offer a $2500 flight training scholarship for a WAI member with physical disabilities. Able Flight helps prospective pilots who are physically challenged to achieve their dreams of becoming a pilot. Of the five Able Flight scholarships already awarded, two candidates are active pilots, one is in training, one has yet to begin and one will resume training once a medical condition allows.
"We'd like to grow the number of scholarships significantly by working with Women in Aviation to increase awareness of this avenue for women with disabilities to become pilots," said Charles H. Stites, Executive Director of Able Flight. "I applaud Women in Aviation, International on its success in securing funding for scholarships for women to enter aviation; WAI's track record is nothing short of amazing, especially in such difficult times."
Qualifications for all scholarships are available on line at www.wai.org. Scholarships are open to both women and men, and the only universal requirement is that the scholarship applicant must be a WAI member. Scholarship applications may be downloaded on line, and all applications must be postmarked by November 15, 2010.
Women in Aviation, International is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) organization dedicated to providing networking, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for women and men who are striving for challenging and fulfilling careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. For more information, contact WAI at 3647 State Route 503 South, West Alexandria, OH 45381, Phone (937) 839-4647; Fax (937) 839-4645 or through www.wai.org.
