Gabby's Second Scholarship 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. 

Stay tuned for more essays from our other scholarship winners AND an announcement of winners for our Summer Scholarship Program, too. 

My parents have always told the truth whenever they told me I still have a lot to learn. The reason is because I do! I have a lot left to learn about being a pilot, but I have learned much already. 

I believe I have advanced pretty far since my first lesson on Monday, June 4th. I had a total of 5 lessons so far! I couldn't settle with just knowing how to takeoff and land, so I enrolled in ground school as well. Then I purchased a private pilot kit and now I have books to study out of and to use as references. This helps me to get to know the plane inside and out, know more about the weather and how it affects the plane and to pass the private pilot exam. 

Gabby holding the ATC lightgun

My flight instructor and I developed a pattern where I go in every Monday and we do ground school twice in row and then we fly the next time. In fact, this Monday we were supposed to go up, but the ceilings were too low for VFR flight. Instead, though, we took a tour of the Air Traffic Control Tower. Although, this wasn't my first time going up to visit the ATC, every time I go up there I learn something new! 

This time I learned how they do the Automatic Terminal Information Service ATIS. They have to change letters every time they do one and they do one every 3 hours except, of course, when the weather is extreme. The ATC also has to keep in touch with all approaching aircraft in order to keep them from crashing into each other. For example, if a plane loses its radios, ATC has to guide it in with a spotlight, or lightgun, that lights up different colors such as red, green, and white. 

I experienced something new in the Tower and I hope to keep experiencing new and exciting things I never knew about as I continue my flight training. I know I have a lot to learn and thanks to Girls With Wings, learning just got a lot easier!