Twenty-Three Scholarships Awarded Totalling Over $135,000

Whirly-Girls International, a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in the helicopter aviation industry, has announced the recipients of the 2020 Whirly-Girls Scholarship Awards.

The scholarships were awarded January 26, 2020 at the Whirly-Girls Annual Awards Banquet during HAI HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, California. Thanks to the support of aviation leaders, 23 scholarships were bestowed upon deserving female aviators, with a total value of over $135,000. This is the largest scholarship program in the helicopter industry.

“This is an exciting group of women who are going to become agents of change and innovation in the helicopter industry. With women holding fewer than 6% of pilot certificates, there is a massive missed opportunity of talent and diversity of thought,” said Alison Martin, Whirly-Girls President. “Thanks to our generous sponsors, we have the means to help advance the industry through the mentorship and empowerment of female aviators. We are excited to support our recipients throughout their careers and stand alongside them as they forge new paths in the years to come.”

Recipients of the 2020 Whirly-Girls scholarships are:

• Advanced Mountain Flight Training Scholarship: Melissa Shantz WG #1877
• Airbus Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IIMC) Training Scholarship: Michelle Hovey WG #1355, Taylor Hughes WG #2116
• CHC Safety & Quality Summit Scholarship: Joanna Forrester WG #1869
• Edward. M. Thurn Memorial Scholarship: Catriona Adam WG #2020
• Erickson & Volo Mission Vertical Reference/External Load Scholarship: Samantha Challburg WG #1921
• FlightSafety International Bell 206/Bell 407 Scholarship: Allison Leinen WG #1967
• Garmin GTN & G500/600 Training Scholarships: Sara Standord WG #2112, Ivana Doverspike WG #2060
• Night Flight Concepts Night Vision Goggles Initial Pilot Qualification Scholarship: Rebecca Pelassini WG #1829
• Oregon Aero CRM/AMRM Instructor Training Scholarships: Vera Aitzinger WG #2105, Paolo Sissconetto WG #2088
• Robinson Helicopter R22/R44 Safety Course Scholarship: Margret Bunge WG #2048
• Robinson Helicopter R66 Safety Course Scholarship: Bond Burham WG #1940
• Rotorcraft Pro Magazine/HeliSuccess Career Development Seminar Scholarship: Rebekah Taylor WG #2073, Amber Forest WG #2042
• Southern Utah University (SUU) Fueling the Future Scholarship for Initial Flight Training: Cydney Rallo, Elissa Munguia
• Survival Systems USA Aircraft Ditching Course Scholarship: Rebecca Torres WG #2078, Melody Steel WG #1908
• Whirly-Girls Helicopter Add-on Flight Training Scholarship: Summer Papple
• Whirly-Girls Jean Tinsley Memorial HELI-EXPO Scholarship: Alexandra Ambros WG #2053
• Whirly-Girls Memorial Flight Training Scholarship: Bailey Spraggs WG #2118

The Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund, Inc. ("WGSF") was incorporated to oversee and administer the scholarship funds raised by the Whirly-Girls and their Associates. Initiated in 1968, the scholarship program has grown from a single $500 scholarship to a wide range of training and development scholarships valued today in excess of $135,000.

(Source: Whirly-Girls news release)

FMI: www.whirlygirls.org