Sarah Tamar, CFI, Chosen for Educational Assistance

Sarah Tamar, a Caravan seaplane pilot for Tailwind Air in New York City, is the 6th annual recipient of the WAI / Martha King Scholarship for Female Flight Instructors. 

Prior to winning this year’s Women in Aviation assistance, she worked at an advertising job in an office by New York’s East River, watching float planes come and go. She felt a calling then, saying “I didn’t know I was meant to fly, I didn’t know I had the potential to become a pilot. I didn’t know flying seaplanes for a living would become my life’s purpose.” All it took to spark the interest was a ride-along in a Cessna 172, and the passion for flight was sparked. 

Saving up for her private certificate, she ended her job in advertising and joined New York seaplane service Tailwind. With less than 100 hours when she first flew a seaplane, she quickly accumulated the needful until she found herself flying the same Cessna Caravans she had watched pass by. As the local EAA chapter’s VP, she has begun building her own small seaplane and sharing that love of aviation as an educator herself.

After a Women in Aviation “Girls Can Fly” event, she got her instructor certificate to pass along her expertise to the next generation.

The scholarship includes a $5,000 stipend and lifetime, unlimited access to all King Schools courses, including FIRCs for life, valued at over $18,000. 

Tamar is excited. “When Martha King told me I was the recipient of the scholarship, I was almost speechless. And then ecstatic, and above all filled with gratitude. I have been exceedingly blessed by people who have helped me along the way, and I want to pay it forward. I want to be able to give back to this beautiful industry in every way I can,” she said. 

FMI: www.KingSchools.com