Alaina, 2012 GWW Scholarship Winner, West Point Cadet and more!

We wanted to give you this update on one of Girls With Wings 2012 Scholarship Winners. On Alaina's essay submitted to apply for the Private Pilot Scholarship, she wrote:

On an application form, I am known as a 17-year-old junior from the quiet suburbs of Kings Mills, Ohio. These words are true to a tee, but then again, do not describe me at all. To people, I am known as a wild adventurer, always ready to try atypical activities and explore unusual hobbies. Although young, I have developed two life philosophies: live life to the fullest, and make a difference in the world. I never pass up unique opportunities (which have led to some eyebrow-raising stories for sure!), so when offered an opportunity to take a ride in a tiny Aeronca Champion, I jumped at the chance—and I’ve been hooked ever since. My first official lesson was on October 17th, 2010, and the rest is history.

When you read the following, I think you can agree that we saw right through her and knew she was destined to a lifetime of accomplishments! Here she is updating us on her progress:

Hi ladies and gentlemen! I was one of the Girls With Wings scholarship recipients a few years ago, and I just wanted to show you the incredible opportunities this organization gives to others. When I was in high school, I earned my sport license, and then with the help of GWW, I went on to earn my private license. I currently attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, and because I love aviation, I tried out for the flying team. There were a LOT of people interested in joining the team; however, because I was already a private pilot and had so many hours, I scored an interview and an opportunity to fly. This past weekend I went up, demonstrated what I knew, and earned a slot to compete in the regional competition this October.

First off, a huge thank you is in order for the Girls With Wings Foundation. If it weren’t for their generosity, I probably wouldn’t have been given a second look without my private certificate. Instead, I qualified for a team that will help me develop my flying skills further in preparation for a career in Army aviation. Secondly, I want to stress the importance of aviation and encourage people to check it out, learn about it, practice it, support it, anything like that. Being able to fly gives you a unique skill that makes you stand apart from others; it also gives you a confidence boost to know you have a special skill set that not many others are able to say they have mastered. Flying also links you to a special community of fellow aviators that you instantly share a bond with. Regardless if you have ever met before, you know that you have something in common with each other: a love for the skies and everything that goes with it. If you have been considering taking a peek at aviation, or know anyone who would be interested in flying, GO FOR IT. Encourage your friend/mom/uncle/kids/neighbor’s cat to go pursue their passion. I promise it will be worth it. 

Again, I want to say thank you to Lynda Meeks and Girls with Wings; they are a wonderful organization I am blessed to be part of. I will let you all know how regionals goes in about a month! 

Congratulations to you, Alaina, we all are rooting for you and know that you will do amazing. We look forward to hearing all about it.

Read all of Alaina's essays here.

Susan's Post as a Girls With Wings Scholarship Winner!

Susan's post as a Girls With Wings Additional Scholarship Winner: Susan's lessons have been funded in part by the generous donations that people have made to Girls With Wings. Additional Awards were designated to four individuals that showed great promise and dedication. We therefore offered them $250 to help in funding at least a small portion of their flight training. Read more about our scholarship program. 

I cannot even begin to quantify the joy I felt when I received the news of winning the scholarship. It was definitely an uplifting moment. Since applying for the scholarship, it has been a rollercoaster ride in terms of emotions and truthfully, my body being pushed to the limit. I thank God because I got a part time job as a cashier, I had been desperately looking for any job because my savings were running low and a miracle happened there. 

Joining university during summer, working part time and still trying to log hours was definitely a challenge. At some point I almost broke down because I felt I had such a heavy load, the weather was really not in my favor at all so I wasn’t flying as frequently as I would have liked to, in order to meet my goal of getting my certificate by the beginning of the fall semester, money was running low and assignments were constantly due, but I snapped out of it in good time thanks to my support system, that is my family and church. I have truly learnt how to be patient during this period and accepting the situations as they come. The fact that I didn’t get my license by the time I wanted to should not put me down. I realized it should not overshadow all the good things I had achieved and been blessed with thus far. I decided to focus on the positives. The first one was getting the news of receiving the scholarship. 
 
I have since done practice cross countries with my instructor and passed my written test (That was another highlight for me). During one of the cross countries, I got to land at Amelia Earhart’s little airport in Atchison, Kansas (K59). The joy!! I cannot forget that day because I had always wanted to fly myself there and visit the museum. Well I didn’t get to go to the museum because of time in between the hops, but the experience of being there alone was enough for me to go home smiling. 

I’ve now resumed for the fall semester and time is actually my biggest concern because of the fact that I wasn’t able to transfer my required credits to start flying at the university (the pre-requisite was the Private Pilot Certificate), I now have to juggle two schools. Paying for the hours as well is not easy. Meaning I fly during any free time I get when I have the funds, which is now limited to almost once a week with me juggling school work and a job. I am now constantly reminded of a saying from back home that goes like ‘Haba na haba hujaza kibaba’ which in simple terms means, in small installments you will end up filling the container, which in my case is coming to ring true. It has slowly come to be a motivational quote. I have decided to work with what is thrown my way. My goal has not changed, just the time frame and that’s how I decided to look at it. I may be limited to how often I fly, but the fact is I’m still doing it, it’s still adding up. The fact that I’m actively in pursuit of my dream makes me forget and not notice the workload. Looking at my logbook, I’m so proud of how far I’ve come and only have more faith in where I intend to reach. My eyes are still on the prize, usually gazing skywards. 

Susan, most of us know exactly where you're coming from - and we are all pulling for you! In the US we have a saying I use often,  "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." You can do it!!

Lauren's Post as a Girls With Wings Scholarship Winner!

Lauren's post as a Girls With Wings Additional Scholarship Winner: Lauren's lessons have been funded in part by the generous donations that people have made to Girls With Wings. Additional Awards were designated to four individuals that showed great promise and dedication. We therefore offered them $250 to help in funding at least a small portion of their flight training. Read more about our scholarship program.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Girls With Wings for the incredible opportunity to continue flight training through the help of the summer additional scholarship. Since I received the scholarship, I have been able to fly several times in the Piper Cherokee 180. I love that plane and everything about flying it feels right. I am finally able to see my progress in flight training – just a year ago I hadn’t been in a small plane before, but now I’m comfortable at the controls and feel at home in the sky. I haven’t been able to fly as much as I’d like because of a busy school schedule, but as the year progresses I should have more flight time. 

Here in Fort Worth, Texas, the last few weeks have been extremely hot and I received the opportunity to fly at 1 P.M. on a Saturday. I knew it would be unbearable but I also knew it was worth it—I hadn’t flown for weeks. I drove out to a country airport where the plane was, untied her, and did the preflight. Before I knew it I was in the air, practicing banks, stalls, slow flight, and following headings. It was 108 degrees outside and we kept catching thermals, so it was really turbulent. My CFI was ahead of the game and brought a portable air conditioner which saved both of us. I really enjoyed that lesson, because not only did I get to fly, but I also learned how to operate in conditions I wasn’t used to. It’s all a learning process, and I always look forward to the new experiences I’ll have each time. 

In addition to training, I have started an aviation club at my high school and in just a month, two students have begun ground school. I’m excited to see where aviation takes not only me, but also others I’m encouraging into the air. Hopefully I’ll be able to fly more regularly in the coming weeks. 

I’m thankful for what Girls With Wings has done for me -- I am able to follow my dreams, and this is just the beginning. I am looking forward to serving as a role model for GWW. I am determined and confident that I can make a difference and that I will go on to achieve my dreams of being a fighter pilot. 

Having done my CFI training in Texas, Lauren, I know the feeling! We are so proud of you - please keep us posted on your progress.- Lynda 

The final essay of a 2013 Spring Scholarship Program: Najla Dorsey!

In our better-late-than-never and don't-ever-give-up category, we present the final essay of a 2013 Spring Scholarship Program: Najla Dorsey! Due to some family and personal issues she's had to take  a bit of a break from flying but we hope to see her up in the air again soon. Read her application and first essay. and then read more about our scholarship program.

[The Girls With Wings Dreams Take Flight Scholarship is designed to introduce the world of aviation to someone who would benefit from experiencing the joy of flight. The award of this scholarship is intended to fund introductory flight training to encourage achievement of a stated goal, whether in aviation or in another field of study. There is no prerequisite flight training required for this scholarship, just enthusiasm and the desire to learn. The Dreams Take Flight Scholarship is an award in the amount of $500.00.]

I have learned a lot during my flight training and have made tremendous progress since the spring. I want to show my gratitude to Girls With Wings for exposing aviation to young girls, supporting aviation dreams, and recruiting aviatrixes, like myself, to become role models. As I mentioned previously, I have been faced with some challenges in the air such as landing the plane, radio communications, and crosswind correction. However, these challenges have allowed me to see strengths within myself I never knew I had. These strengths have assured me that I can gain proficiency in various flight maneuvers with consistency and dedication. To this day, I still face challenges. Acting as pilot-in-command is a big responsibility and an aspect that I still need to gain confidence in. The Dream Takes Flight Scholarship not only provides financial help for continuous flight lessons but the organization, as a whole, offers the support of women who have gone through similar difficulties while learning within the field of aviation. I can only hope that the flying experiences I share with Girls With Wings can be that inspirational strength for another young lady entering aeronautics.

Yeni's First Post as the Girls With Wings Dreams Take Flight Scholarship Winner!

Yeni's First Post as the Girls With Wings Dreams Take Flight Scholarship Winner! Yeni's lessons have been funded in part by the generous donations that people have made to Girls With Wings. The Dreams Take Flight Dreams Take Flight Scholarship is designed to introduce the world of aviation to someone who would benefit from experiencing the joy of flight. The award of this scholarship is intended to fund introductory flight training to encourage achievement of a stated goal, whether in aviation or in another field of study. There is no prerequisite flight training required for this scholarship, just enthusiasm and the desire to learn. The Dreams Take Flight Scholarship is an award in the amount of $500.00. Read more about our scholarship program.

I’m delighted to be awarded with the Dreams Take Flight Scholarship. Thank you for the opportunity to pursue my passion for flying. It has been an amazing experience so far and because of the scholarship I have even more motivation to continue my ultimate goal to become a pilot. 

I have been spending ten hours a week preparing for the written exam. I am very confident with the progress I am making, and I plan on taking the exam early in October. I have been taking advantage of the fact that I work for an aviation training company by using my co-workers knowledge and experience as a resource. I ask many questions and my co-workers are very impressed with my enthusiasm and desire to learn more about the world of aviation. 

I really enjoy learning about aerodynamics, flight rules, and especially about the weather. 

My plan for August was to fly ten hours and possibly do my first solo. However, due to unforeseeable obligations I was unable to accomplish this objective much to my disappointment. I have been using the time, as I mentioned, to insure that I score the highest possible written test results. 

Even though I haven’t flown as much as I wanted to, my instructor Len and I have been able to perform the preflight walk-around several times. I have also been spending time studying all of the checklist procedures for the Cessna 172. I feel confident at this point that I can do my preflight procedures without the aid of my instructor. I am looking forward to flying again, and I have several lessons scheduled in the next couple of weeks. 

( Preflight walk-around in the Cessna 172) 

I feel that I am moving the right direction and once again grateful for the opportunity that The Girls with Wings have afforded me. I am committed to justifying your confidence in me because I have learned that the sky is not my limit.

Thank you so much, 
Yeni 

 We hope you get back in the air soon, Yeni - keep us posted!

Diana's First Post as the Girls With Wings Dreams Take Flight Scholarship Winner!

Congratulations to Diana, who has since soloed! Her flying lessons have been funded in part by the generous donations that people have made to Girls With Wings. The Dreams Take Flight Dreams Take Flight Scholarship is designed to introduce the world of aviation to someone who would benefit from experiencing the joy of flight. The award of this scholarship is intended to fund introductory flight training to encourage achievement of a stated goal, whether in aviation or in another field of study.  There is no prerequisite flight training required for this scholarship, just enthusiasm and the desire to learn. The Dreams Take Flight Scholarship is an award in the amount of $500.00. Read more about our scholarship program.

Diana and Instructor Joe

Diana LeSueur Journal Entry September 2013

My flight training has been an amazing experience so far! I have learned so much. But, with all that learning, I have realized how much more there is to learn! Some people think I am crazy learning to fly during the summer in Arizona, and I probably am a little. As a teacher, the summer was the time that would work best for my schedule, so I made the best of it by flying as early in the morning as possible. 

My first milestone was passing the written exam. That was quite an experience. I had just begun my flight training. I needed to pass the written exam to apply for a particular scholarship and I only had a few weeks to accomplish this by the due date. I studied my on-line ground school course intensely for those few weeks, determined to achieve this goal. When it came time to take the test, I was so nervous. I would have given myself a little more time to prepare if I did not have the deadline to meet, but I did feel confident that I could pass the test. I took my time to go through each question carefully and look for information on one question that might help me on another. I did get very nervous half way through the test because it seemed as though the materials that I knew very well, there were very few, if any, questions on those topics. Example: I learned my E6B so well that I felt I could answer any question that required me to use it. Can you believe, my test did not ask one question that I needed to use it!! And of course, there were more questions than I expected on one of the topics that I was not as confident about! I did pass the test and boy was I relieved!! I completely forgot to take a picture of this day!! Darn it! 

My solo day was awesome! July 22, 2013. Now leading up to that day was getting somewhat frustrating. It was taking me longer than I had hoped for but it all worked out and the day I actually soloed was a perfect day. I knew that it was going to be any day that my instructor was going to have me solo. I was getting very anxious and my landings started to show it, then the weather was not cooperating and one morning it was just too crazy busy at the airport. But finally, on the morning we went up, my instructor said, “Don’t expect to solo today”. He was trying to get me to not think about it. The practices were going great! The landings felt really good. He then had me taxi back to our ramp and said, “Unfortunately I can’t just jump out and say ‘It’s all yours!’ because I need to have you get out and open the door for me!” His door was not working from the inside, so I had to go open his door from the outside! I was nervous but feeling confident and excited. The tower was really testing me that day. Although I had told them that I was a student solo pilot, they had me switching runways for each landing! My second landing was a go-around, but all others went very well. I celebrated by going to lunch with my friend/colleague, her little boy, one of my Air National Guard friends and his son. 

I’m working on my cross country flights. I should be ready for that solo very soon. I really like the cross country flights. You get to climb to a higher altitude where the weather is cooler. Right now in Arizona, that’s huge! 

I’m soaking it all in and enjoying every lesson, even if it is taking more hours than I thought! I am looking forward to the day that I earn my private pilot certificate! 

Congratulations, Diana! We look forward to hearing about your future accomplishments.

Caitlin's First Post as the Girls With Wings Dreams Take Flight Scholarship Winner!

Congratulations to Caitlin, who has progressed in her flying lessons thanks in part to the generous donations that people have made to Girls With Wings. The Dreams Take Flight Dreams Take Flight Scholarship is designed to introduce the world of aviation to someone who would benefit from experiencing the joy of flight. The award of this scholarship is intended to fund introductory flight training to encourage achievement of a stated goal, whether in aviation or in another field of study.  There is no prerequisite flight training required for this scholarship, just enthusiasm and the desire to learn. The Dreams Take Flight Scholarship is an award in the amount of $500.00. Read more about our scholarship program.

My training has progressed exponentially since winning the Dreams Take Flight scholarship! It’s such an amazing feeling and winning gave me that extra confidence boost I needed. 

From submitting my application to winning, I actually changed flight schools and got paired up with my first male instructor. While it was amazing to have had two inspiring female instructors, they just weren’t the right fit for my learning needs. I was very proud of having female instructors, but in the end, I had to do what was right for my training. It was an important lesson for me to learn. It was difficult to change from my previous instructor because we got along great and I had no personal issues with her, but I felt stuck and having the same lesson over and over with little or no progress. 

Within a few lessons with my new instructor I soloed! It was obviously a big day for me. I had struggled a lot up to that point. My previous instructor kept telling me I was close to soloing since the end of April, but schedules, weather, and my improvement wasn’t enough to get me to solo with her. I was beginning to doubt my ability. When I finally went for my progress check with another instructor, it went horribly wrong. I lost all my confidence and thinking about flying a plane solo made me feel sick to my stomach afterwards. I was ready to quit. I switched schools to give it one last try, and it was the best decision I ever made. I gained my confidence back and on August 12th my instructor said the next landing would be a full stop and he would be getting out, I wasn’t nervous at all! I knew I could do it because my last five landings were the best I’d ever done. My problem: my seat was too low; we raised the seat that lesson and it all clicked. I heard people saying that would may be the case, but I just didn’t believe it. I wasn’t expecting to solo and I think that made it so much better. It was a day I was beginning to think would never come. 

I love going up solo now, something that I thought I would avoid at the start of my training. I thought I would do my time required to get my license and then most likely always have another person with me in the plane. My mom would prefer I always have another pilot with me, but that’s not going to happen (sorry, Mom!). I now look at soloing as almost relaxing. I get my ultimate alone time. I know going into solo cross countries and check ride prep that solo time will be less relaxing and more work, but I think I’ll always enjoy it. 

I went straight into cross country planning after my solo. I’m very lucky to have my boyfriend doing my ground school, so we stayed up later than I should have planning my first cross country to Poughkeepsie therefore I could just focus on the flying part of the cross country the next day. It was great to get out of the pattern; I have felt stuck in it for MONTHS! 

My CFI and I also accomplished my dual long cross country which was great because most of the first leg was flying along the northern coast of Long Island. It’s amazing how different the landscape looks further east. There are fields and lots of green, compared to the congestion I’m use to seeing. There was a few clouds below us, starting to form a layer. I got the chance to fly above the clouds, which felt like I was much higher than the 3500ft actual altitude I was. It also gave my instructor to explain to me if I was on my own what I should do. It was still VFR on either side, so it might have been better to fly across the Long Island Sound and follow the coast of Connecticut instead. We were in luck when the clouds parted and by our first stop, KGON, it was clear skies by the airport. The next two legs did involve dodging some towering cumulus clouds in the way of my planned flight path. After landing, while waiting for my train home I got a call from my boyfriend asking if I was on the ground at KFRG. I said yes and was a bit confused. Apparently, at Newark, there was a torrential downpour that cancelled his flights. I never got rain on, even on the way home! It’s funny how different the weather can be in such a close proximity, and a reminder to double check the weather at your destinations, in case you run into something like that! 
 
I felt like I was breezing through training now. I worked on more complex landings/take offs on days when the weather didn’t let us leave the pattern. I also used foggles for the first time on my first cross country and used them for almost an hour another lesson. I started feeling a bit weird at the end so had to take it off before the Hobbs got to one hour. I’m now working on building up my solo time, to hopefully take my first solo cross country after my next lesson! It keeps being delayed due to weather or the plane has a broken attitude indicator. I’ll be taking my written very shortly as well. Things are moving along quite quickly, who knows where I’ll be by the next blog entry! 

We're looking forward to hearing from you about it, too, Caitlin. Congratulations on your solo and for taking charge of your training.

Devin's First Post as the Girls With WIngs Private Pilot Scholarship Winner!

Congratulations to Devin, who has resumed her flying lessons thanks in part to the generous donations that people have made to Girls With Wings. The Private Pilot Scholarship is to help defray the cost of flight training lessons in pursuit of a private pilot certificate. This scholarship, an award in the amount of $1000.00, targets those individuals who have soloed but have not completed the Private Pilot Course. Read more about our scholarship program.

When I received the notice that I won the amazing private pilot scholarship, I ran around my whole house to tell my parents and sister. I’m so honored to have been selected for this scholarship and will work my hardest to get achieve my private pilot license as soon as possible so I can tell you all about it. 

Unfortunately I was unable to get my private pilot license a before school started, but I have already scheduled September full of flights, including my cross country. In July, I mostly was studying my Jeppesen Private Pilot Manual and Jeppesen Private Pilot Maneuvers Manual. I discovered I won the award in early August, and since then have been working with my instructor to schedule flights and set checkpoints. 

Even though I haven’t flown all that much these past months, I have had some very important flights. I was able to fly my grandmother, visiting from California, around. She was really happy that I would be able to get a private pilot’s license soon, especially since her mother and father had pilot’s licenses. I was also able to take my mother flying, and it was probably one of the only times she’d ever been up in a small plane before. I’ve had a couple of training flights in addition to these where I had to knock some rust off from not flying for a while before the summer started, but I think now I’m completely up to speed and excited for the more intensive flight schedule to come. In my last flight lesson, I practiced a lot of slow flight and landings with flaps, which I am not very experienced using. On Monday I’m going flying again and can’t wait to see what new things I learn and how I’ll improve. Here are some pictures of my training flight on August 23rd. I’m doing preflight check and pushing out the plane. My instructor is in the blue shirt helping me tow out the plane.

Caylee's First Post as the Girls With WIngs Private Pilot Scholarship Winner!

Congratulations to Caylee who has resumed her flying lessons thanks in part to the generous donations that people have made to Girls With Wings. The Private Pilot Scholarship is to help defray the cost of flight training lessons in pursuit of a private pilot certificate. This scholarship, an award in the amount of $1000.00, targets those individuals who have soloed but have not completed the Private Pilot Course. Read more about our scholarship program.

Caylee's Essay:

On August 22 it had been 1 year, 2 months and 19 days since my last flight on June 3, 2012. But who was counting? 

I was scheduled to fly at 5:30 so I sat at work anxious and nervous all day. 

But I’d already had 32 hours of flight experience, why was I so nervous? I’d soloed twice, talked on the radio plenty of times, performed cross wind landings and overcome motion sickness. 

I reminded myself of this all day long, recounting my favorite flights and the feeling I got when I had a great landing. The nerves continued as I repeated positive affirmations in my mind. “Why be nervous when you can be excited.” “You’re only nervous because you care so much.” “You’ve done this plenty of times before and you will be fine.” In the back of my mind I knew I would do fine. I am good at staying calm and doing what I need to do despite being nervous but the “what ifs” kept creeping into my mind. What if I wouldn’t be good at flying any more, what if I wasn’t going to get along with my new instructor, what if I got motion sickness again, what if I just didn’t love it after being away for over a year. 

I walked into CT Flight Academy like I had done dozens of times before and waited for instructions. I knew some things had changes since I last flew so I was told to grab the weight and balance and P.A.V.E. checklists. With a quick refresher the weight and balance was out of the way. The P.A.V.E. (Pilot, Aircraft, EnVironment, and External Pressures) checklist was something I’d never seen before. It gave me the opportunity to review my previous experience and I realized that I have done 120 take-offs and landings and I have 32 hours of flight time. It eased my doubts and I was glad that my new instructor was letting me take my time. Part of me thought that because I have flown before that my instructor would just throw me in the plane and send me off. I know that is irrational but when you’re nervous everything comes to mind. 

The pre-flight was a little rushed for my taste but soon enough I was back on the radios and we were taking off. I was glad that most of my skills came right back. They may not have been totally refined but they were there and I didn’t forget everything. We performed straight and level flight, slow flight, and turns all while I reveled in the view of the city of Hartford and the surrounding towns from above. There were a few low clouds that we flew through quickly, something I’d never done before either. It gave me a small sense for what instrument training will be like. We’ll deal with that when I get there. We made our way to Meriden-Markham airport which is un-towered. I called out my positions on the radio and landed. I was proud of my landing after having not done it for a year and I felt that having done over 100 landings I had the muscle memory. 

As we taxied back to runway 18 a small fox ran beside us on the grass next to the runway. At that moment I had an epiphany. Flying is supposed to be fun! Obviously I always knew that, but my first time around flying I put a lot of pressure on myself. I didn’t want to disappoint my dad, a helicopter pilot, or any of my fellow 99’s who were all rooting for me. Over the past year I’ve been able to reflect and I know I have to fly for myself and do the best I can. My fellow aviators will be supportive no matter what. 

I performed a short field take off and we headed back to Hartford-Brainard. After contacting ATC I performed another landing to be proud of and the flight was over. 

Overall, I had nothing to worry about! My instructor, Guillermo, and I got along great and I can’t wait to continue flying with him. My skills came back pretty quickly so I should be able to move along with training pretty quickly. 

Aside from actually flying I have been enrolled in ground school as well. I’ve been working hard to study and plan to take my written in mid-September. I can read sectionals and plan a cross-country but I need to work on memorizing airspace, weather and differentiating between the different weather charts. 

I’m very excited for what this coming semester will bring. I will be back in graduate school full time, finishing my thesis and flying. The combination of studying is sure to be strenuous but I’m excited for the challenge. 

On another note! I’m running the CT Chapter 99’s booth at the upcoming

Simsbury Fly-In on September 15 from 8am-3pm. If anyone is in the area come stop by and say hello! 

Read Caylee's scholarship application.