The time has arrived - when we read the final essays of the Girls With
Wings Spring Scholarship Winners and anxiously await the announcement of
the Summer Scholarship Winners (August 1st).
The Girls With Wings Scholarship Program provides funds for flight training to selected individuals with a willingness to be superlative GWW role models. Winners show potential to continue her interaction with the GWW organization, via the website and events, so she can assist GWW in encouraging more young girls to have an interest in aviation. Part of the obligation for being awarded the scholarship is to submit at least one picture and an associated journal entry once a month for three months to the Girls With Wings blog to share with others her training, as well as email a final essay summarizing how the scholarship helped her, what she learned and her intent to continue her work as a role model and volunteer for the Girls With Wings, Inc., organization.
This is Gabby's final essay:
The Girls With Wings Scholarship Program provides funds for flight training to selected individuals with a willingness to be superlative GWW role models. Winners show potential to continue her interaction with the GWW organization, via the website and events, so she can assist GWW in encouraging more young girls to have an interest in aviation. Part of the obligation for being awarded the scholarship is to submit at least one picture and an associated journal entry once a month for three months to the Girls With Wings blog to share with others her training, as well as email a final essay summarizing how the scholarship helped her, what she learned and her intent to continue her work as a role model and volunteer for the Girls With Wings, Inc., organization.
This is Gabby's final essay:
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| Outline about ATIS & ATC |
If someone asked me, Which is easier to operate: a
car or a plane? I would say a plane but not because it's easier, but because
its better! Flying a plane is very fun! I like to experience new things
and being in the air is definitely one of them. In fact, that is why I enjoy
flying so much. Being in the air is a new thing for me, and the flight is
different every time so it makes it that much more exciting! I anticipate
it every time I schedule a flight lesson with my flight instructor. I scheduled
a lesson for July 30th and of course it was different. My CFI let me speak to
the ATC, or air traffic control, for the first time. It was intimidating, but I
learned how to do it with his help. I learned how to write down the ATIS which
includes wind speed and direction, temperature/dew point, visibility, sky
condition, altimeter, and runway(s) in use. I also learned how to tune in to
the different frequencies for the airport and to ask for clearance before
taxing on the runway and before takeoff.
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| Smiling after preforming slow flight |
After that, the lesson for that day was to
practice 90 degree turns and slow flight. The 90 degree turns were pretty easy
to do. It gave me more practice with maintaining altitude and keeping the
vertical stabilizer at zero! The slow flight was simple and easy to do as well
for me. It is just the point of remembering that in slow flight, pitch controls
speed and power controls altitude which basically means the way to maintain
steady flight changes. We stayed in slow flight until my CFI and I decided to go
to a different airport to land. We went to Pine Mountain and landed at their
short field airport. It was very small and it did not have a tower, but was
nice to land at a different airport for a change. The wind was beginning to
pick up, so when we were ready to depart, takeoff was difficult. We really
had to focus and I had to know how to handle the situation.We managed to make
it back to Columbus airport okay, but when we got there, we realized the wind
was picking up there too! So, landing and taxing was difficult as well. The
ailerons had to be used during taxing to compensate for the wind to keep the
plane from blowing over. While my CFI was pushing the plane back into place, I
took the tach and hobbes time and logged it down. Then, we discussed the flight,
and I left to go home and study!
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Pictures after postflight!
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My
scholarship reward is now used up. Will this be the end of my flight forever?
Of course not! I will keep flying and I will stay with the aviation program
as long as possible. I will keep my affiliation with the Girls With Wings
Organization and I always blog my progress! I feel very privileged to have
been chosen to receive this scholarship from Girls With Wings. Without it, I
would have never been able to progress in my dream of flying. It helped me to
go to the flight school of my choice and to get one of the best CFI's. I'm
almost sure I'll be able to get my private pilot license very soon before I
go to college at Embry-Riddle. I learned so much as well. I learned how to do
almost all the things pilots do such as safely takeoff and land, speak to the
ATC, and to work hard. I have every intention of continuing to be a role
model to other girls and a volunteer for Girls With Wings. As mentioned
before, I will continue to blog and share my stories and experiences with
others. I want to say a special thank you to Lynda Meeks for being a great
model for young girls and myself as well! Also, thanks to Alaina and Natalie,
who are the other scholarship winners, for sharing your stories which I
read and will remember as a great example for me! Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Gabby Howell
[p.s. Awesome T-shirt, Gabby! - Lynda]
