Aviation Students Receive Funds To Aid Their Training

The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame awarded $1,500 in scholarships to two aviation students, David Hoffmann and Tony Colin at a ceremony held recently in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Hoffmann (above) received the $500 Thiessen Field Scholarship. Hoffmann is enrolled in the Pilot Training Program at Fox Valley Technical College in Oshkosh. He became interested in flying airplanes and becoming a pilot at the age of ten, after attending EAA AirVenture. His goal is to become a professional pilot for a major airline. The Thiessen Field Scholarship is named after Baraboo-area airstrip builder and pilot Jerry Thiessen.

Tony Colin is the recipient of the $1,000 Carl Guell Memorial Scholarship, given annually to a student enrolled in an aviation program at one of Wisconsin's technical colleges. Colin is enrolled in the Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) program at Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, Wisconsin. He chose this field of study because of his lifelong involvement and interest in aviation. He and his father have restored several aircraft as family projects. He is a member of the 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee. Colin's ultimate goal is to start his own full-blown restoration operation, from "propeller spinner to the farthest rear bow of the rudder."

The scholarships were presented to Hoffmann and Colin (below) at the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame's annual investiture ceremony and banquet, held at the EAA AirVenture Museum on October 22.

The mission statement of the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame is to collect and preserve the history of aviation in Wisconsin, recognize those who made that history, inform others of it, and promote aviation education to future generations. The organization was founded in 1985. To date, over 70 men and women have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

FMI: www.aviationhalloffamewisconsin.com/