Amber's Final Essay as the Girls With Wings Private Pilot Scholarship Winner!

Amber was the recipient of our Spring Scholarship - we've given away fourteen thus far! And we will be awarding more for the summer. Stay tuned to this blog for the announcements, coming soon.

“A Lot Can Happen in a Month I Tell Ya!” 
Flat tires, The American Flag, and Wonderful People 

Ah, my final journal entry for the GWW 2013 Spring Scholarship, but definitely not my last. Since I started writing these small informative essays of myself, learning something a lot of have gone through already and some that have not, I’ve realized I’m thankful for doing so. Not only am I going to remind myself of the odd, but fun things that happened in training but others can also see how training may or may not go. 

Since the last essay, so much has happened and needless to say I wasn’t prepared for the majority of it or the fact I really wanted to be out on the lake with friends instead of studying in a basement where it’s cool and doesn’t remind me of the outdoors which I’d much rather be in. But a determined mindset and headstrong approach I’m nearing the end of certainly a new beginning. 

A few weeks ago I was able to steal the plane after work on short notice. I had also scheduled (on accident) the next morning to fly before work. Apparently 4-6pm one day wasn’t enough so I scheduled 4-6 AM the following day!! Goodness… and someone had already blocked the plane out for after work so I had to stick to my accidental, but thankful, scheduling in the morning…. The afternoon temperatures of 95 degrees made a morning flight more appealing anyways. 

July 1, 2013 
Since I hadn’t flown for nearly a month straight, I’d thought I’d see if my instructor was available. He was, we flew for a bit, I did great, like it didn’t seem a month ago since I was in the air last. 

As we were taxiing back to the hangar on the South end of the airport from the North end we were joking how hot it was and maybe we’d lose a pound or two with this heat and no air-conditioning in the 172. Everything was grand and I was excited to fly the next morning early in prep for my Second Solo Cross Country in the following week. 

As we were crossing the highly warn out painted compass at our airport (I’ll get to that later) I felt a loss in turning the plane right…. No movement with full breaking on the right rudder. I honestly thought my instructor was testing me by holding his foot on it. He wasn’t…. Then, that flat tire feeling, like thump thumpity thump…. He said his tire was fine on his side, as was mine on the pilot’s side…. Dang you front landing gear….It’s hot out, not this!! It was almost 7 p.m. and we had both worked all day already. 

We jumped out to assess the damage. Thank goodness it didn’t happen on the many touch and goes earlier. My instructor pushed the horizontal down as I checked the front tire. No apparent holes, gouges, obvious pin holes at all. Weird. So next step, we had to get her back to the hangar. 

Pushing the plane back with a flat seemed an interesting challenge but it wasn’t going to stop us. There was no one around to help and we certainly didn’t want to bug anyone around 7 at night, as most are relaxing and enjoying dinner around then. 

We slowly but surely got the plane back after learning what worked and didn’t work with a stubborn flat. We pulled an air compressor out and aired the tire up….tried to air the tire up, and just as soon as air went in, it came right back out again. Well fine.. Into the hangar you go Lu. (part of her tail numbers, so we call her LU) 

Guess I wasn’t flying the next morning…… early. I was okay with it as that experience was definitely a work out to say the least. The plane was fixed in about 2 days and ready to go again. 

July 4th, 2013 
Family was in town and friends had BBQ’s going all weekend. I had 4 days off and was determined to get solo flying accomplished in the mornings and spend social time in the afternoons while doing bookwork in between. 

I decided to stay in town over the Fourth and practice maneuvers and touch and goes while the parade was going on in our cute little town. Later, I had friends ask if that was me up in the sky, and I replied with a “you betcha!” I also decided to take a little American flag up with me to be thankful for all the men and women who have served to protect our freedoms such as myself doing exactly what I wanted…. Flying with the birds. 

July 5th, 2013

Second Solo Cross Country to Grand Coulee Dam (Electric City), WA 250 Nautical Miles Round Trip 

My instructor said I should check out the Grand Coulee Dam….from the air. I had just gone there for the first time a few weeks earlier on a quick road trip to Seattle and back to Idaho. He said it’s on the water and before he finished I said I’m going! 

I had to head North and get fuel, since it was cheaper and why not spend less to fly more?! I got in after preflight and planning and turned my master and avionics on. Now to check weather…….weather not working. I knew which runway to fly out on because traffic was using the bumpy/drafty, in the air, runway 19. I was more concerned with coming back as Sandpoint tends to be a bit gusty and I would like to know this info. 

I was at the end of the taxi way doing my run ups and a Quest KODIAK pulled up behind me to depart as well. I work at Quest Aircraft. I doubt the owner of that plane knew that I worked on it previously and I was bit jealous he was taking off in a plane I had previously loaded my dirt bike in for a Plane and Pilot Magazine article. But I carried on and departed north after daydreaming for a second. 

I landed and pumped my fuel. Should have used the ladder available but instead tried to be graceful getting on the strut and fueling that way. Next time, ladder will be my friend. 

As I departed West, I was feeling a little iffy going over the Selkirk mountains but as soon as I flew over the Roman Nose Lakes I started to calm down a bit. I had been there, on land, but I knew where I was at. I kept heading west singing to myself since there wasn’t radio to tune into. 

I started to go over stuff so I was prepared for this new airport/area. I had done so in planning but time to do it again. . . . Right hand traffic pattern. But I’m used to left hand…. Now it’s easy to say just do a right hand pattern for 21 runway, but to actually have to engage, your brain wants to lock up on something so simple but yet so different than routine. I could have done a left hand into runway 3 but wanted to try another direction since winds were clearly calm and no other traffic, so why not?! It wasn’t hard to accomplish but a mini brain workout if you will. 

After landing on this peninsula like, chunk of land, I thought this is great! Should have brought my swimsuit and joined the boaters teasing me going by on the Lake Roosevelt Recreation area. I stopped for a few minutes just enough to realize no one around, probably because they were out on the lake instead of a warm airport. So I decided to head back to the much cooler mountains of Idaho. 

Later on into July 

Earlier when I had mentioned the faded painted compass at our local airport during my flat tire, it got me thinking of an organization I’m apart of, The 99’s- International Organization of Women Pilots. I’ve wanted to attend meetings but really am focusing on finishing up and getting my Private Pilot License as soon as possible. I would love to help repaint the compass eventually but I don’t want to overdo things and let goals slide but I can still focus on the 99’s when I’m finished. I get newsletters and am apart of their blog, both nationally and kind of locally. I live far from events that go on so internet is my best approach to reaching others right now. I also can’t wait to help show my neighborhood what Girls with Wings is and what an outstanding group of women aviators they are as well as great role models for young ones. 

The other day I received an email which soon was followed by a phone call later by an elderly woman in Sandpoint that is a local 99 member. I looked her up when I found out her name and learned she received her private pilot license at 79…..!!!! That is wonderful. I gave her a call back and we spoke for a bit. We were instant friends and talked as if we knew each other for years. I can not wait to learn things from her…. (She wants us to go up in her Cherokee and go on cross country together). She’s excited to teach me the ropes on her low wing Piper and I can not honestly wait. She understands that I want to finish up and get done soon and said give her a call when I’m ready. 

The people you meet in this field are few and far between. The instant friendships that are evolved from an engaging interest absolutely amaze me. I cannot wait until I can offer assistance to any of these organizations from the experience and the thoughtful, encouraging words from so many that have helped pushed me more than I could ever imagine. 

Today, (July 22, 2013) 

I passed my written test. 

I studied and studied while friends eagerly and teasingly invited me out on the lake as I had to sit inside to get ready for a test that I had to take the day off work to accomplish. I even kicked my boyfriend out this past weekend (not that he minded) so he could enjoy this awesome weather with friends. I had to pass for many reasons. But getting a better score than my many, and I mean many, practice tests showed working all weekend for this just puts me that much closer to finishing.

Congratulations, Amber! You have made all of us Girls With Wings very proud. And if we had an award for best essay writer/picture submitter ever, you would certainly clinch that prize as well! Thank you for showing such enthusiasm for your training and being a GWW role model by sharing your experiences with us.  Please keep us posted!!  - Lynda

Kathi gives us all an update on her flight training!

Kathi is our special Spring Scholarship award winner. Members of the scholarship committee were so inspired by her application that we awarded a sum to her in addition to our normal funding. Her application essay, which I will not admit to reading about a dozen times - I am still moved by it. I am happy to say she's taken to flying like a fish to water:


Dear Girls With Wings, 

My journey to becoming a pilot thus far has been incredibly blessed. Through helpful advice and freely given information, I was able to find a local instructor that would teach me out of my home airport (Shenandoah, Iowa). On top of that, there just so happened to be a Cessna 150 available to rent sitting in a hangar there! The charge? $80 an hour. An absolute bargain! I couldn't believe my luck! 

And so on May 19, I had my very first official flying lesson. My instructor, Dwight, is kind and patient. A jack of all trades, his main passion is flying. I recall not being nervous, but rather, excited! It was a beautiful flight! There is a high in "slipping the surly bonds of earth" and I rode it the rest of that day. On May 26 I had my second lesson. It's recorded that we worked on changes in airspeed, stalled (which I found thrilling!), did some radio work, and Dwight let me take us off from the runway. By the third lesson on June 2, I was getting a feel for the plane. It's responses were beginning to feel predictable and familiar. We did more stalls that day, slow flight, tracked roads, and worked some with the traffic pattern. 

Then came a stall of a different kind. Due to weather, sickness, and work, I didn't get to fly for four straight weeks. How I hated that! I wondered during that time if Dwight questioned my enthusiasm and seriousness. But finally, on July 7, the opportunity presented itself again and I had my fourth lesson. I thought that maybe I'd be a bit rusty after the month-long hiatus, but that wasn't the case at all. That day we flew S-curves back and forth over a road (more difficult than it sounds due to correcting for wind drift) and flew symmetric circles around a ground target while maintaining altitude and distance. And when, once, while making a left turn at 1500 feet, I looked down to see the shadow of an airplane on the ground below me, I experienced the high again. 

So far this experience is teaching me patience. It's teaching me to counter easily-felt discouragement with action and ambition. I have only begun this adventure, and who can say where it will lead? I thank everyone who has and is helping me find that out. I especially want to thank Girls With Wings, not only for the financial help, but for helping me to believe in myself and my capabilities and encouraging me to not get discouraged about the pace I'm going. To anyone who is having trouble getting started, or who has started but is experiencing "increased drag", so to speak, just keep going. Take the opportunities you get and make the most of them. What is meant to be will work itself out. 

Again, thank you all for everything! -Kathi Lehman 

Kathi, thank you for putting into such eloquent words your passion for aviation. We hope that you will stay in touch with us and definitely let us know how your training is progressing. Especially, of course, when you solo and pass your checkride.

You make all of us "Girls With Wings" so very proud! 

Stay tuned for the announcement of the Summer Scholarship Program winners - August 1st.

Another GWW Scholarship Alumnus provides an update!

We welcome guest posts on almost any relevant subject, just email us if you'd like a try. We especially like to keep posted from our scholarship winners beyond their obligatory essay submissions that are required of them for their award. We are so proud of all of our applicants! Stay tuned for the 2013 Summer Scholarship Winners to be announced August 1st.

And now, we hear from Alyssa Mae:

"Hello! You may know me as a past GWW scholarship winner last summer. Presently, I am 17 years old and working on my private pilot's license. I reside in CT and will be a senior in the fall. In 2012, I received an internship through EAA to live and work at the Air Academy there in Oshkosh, WI for the entire summer. This summer EAA has so generously given me this opportunity again and I am having an amazing time here!

 Most of my days are spent working as a camp counselor for the Air Academy campers ages 12-19. I facilitate a whole bunch of aviation themed hands on activities: wooden wing ribs, air compressed rockets, composite airfoils, and sheet metal projects - just to name a few. To do this, I had to learn how to do each of these projects and then be able to explain them to a group as well! Here at the Air Academy we also have a "high elements" (ropes challenge course) which I became certified to operate. I have an awesome time doing team building activities with the campers and belaying them as they climb up the 45 foot structures! While I am afraid of heights, (the irony...) I did climb to the top and go off the zip line!

Another extremely exciting aspect is the fact that my internship includes 10 hours of flight instruction! I fly the Cessna 162 SkyCatcher! By the end of summer, I hope to be close to soloing when I get back to CT! Finally, right now I am most excited for AirVenture! The Air Academy lodge, where I live and work, is about a 10 minute walk to the grounds! It's honestly the best week of my life! During AirVenture I will be mainly exploring the grounds with campers. I can not wait for the not 1, but 2(!) night air shows! I will also be working at a special EAA event called the "Gathering of Eagles" which is an auction dinner type thing. At the moment I am off to Kermit Weeks hangar at KOSH with the campers to wash planes! EAA's B-17 is there as well as "Dusty" from Disney's movie "Planes". Everyday here is amazing and it's truly my favorite place on Earth. I highly, highly recommend applying to the Air Academy as a camper or as staff. I was first a camper in 2011 and being on staff has greatly impacted my life. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Air Academy or anything else aviation! I am on Facebook (AlyssaMaeAviatrix) or Twitter (@AMAviatrix)! Blue skies!"

Amber's Second Essay as the GWW Private Pilot Scholarship Award Winner!

Amber is a recipient of a Girls With Wings Spring Scholarship Award.  Girls With Wings offers a Private Pilot Scholarship to help defray the cost of flight training lessons in pursuit of a private pilot certificate. This scholarship is targeting those individuals who have soloed but have not completed the Private Pilot Course.  The Private Pilot Scholarship is an award in the amount of $1000.00. We are acccepting applications for the Summer 2013 Program until June 30th. The funds are raised through contributions from the general public. Please visit our website for more information.

Don’t Forget to Clean Your Windshield!!
First Solo Cross Country - 167 NM
Friday June 7, 2013

I was a bit nervous for this trip. Confident, but respectfully nervous. I still can’t compare my solo cross country to that of the first solo ever. It’s a different experience but not entirely. You have other worries when you take off for a long distance flight. And I say long distance, since I left the actual area I’m learning how to fly in. Just adding more challenges.

The night before, I ate dinner and planned to head to bed early. I’m a huge advocate of getting more sleep than most the night before something big whether it be testing, working, going on a long hike, driving cross country and flying cross country, especially my FIRST cross country flight. If you’re not well rested it will add stress that you do not need. I tried to not think about anything bad for my mini new journey. I checked weather again to see if anything changed. Its thunderstorm time around here and the unstable air has been happening more towards the afternoons so my plan was a morning flight.

I got up the next morning well rested and with a good attitude. Breakfast was over and it was time to head in. Then I started to get nervous, thinking maybe I shouldn’t have drank the two cups of coffee before I headed in to meet my instructor at a coffee place to go over my plans.

My original plans were to take the same route I did for my dual cross country…. But we decided to switch it up a bit. Similar route, but I would head to an airport I haven’t been to yet and by myself…. Oh goodness….. But I had this.

Pushed the plane out and preflighted. Jumped in the plane and went over my checklists again and in the middle of that my instructor took a picture while he was standing outside. I couldn’t believe I was actually going and at the same time felt relieved because I finally was.

I make my taxi call and head out of Sandpoint, Idaho. I work at the airport I’m getting lessons at and had a feeling a few coworkers would be standing outside watching me ….of course they were. I had taken that Friday off for other plans but they fell through and figured the guys would hear me on the radio anyways. So there was no getting away from the audience. So I had to have a great departure.

It was a great takeoff because I remembered to use more right rudder than I normally do. When your instructor isn’t with you it’s as if you think more clearly because you’re not worried what the instructor is thinking about. You’re by yourself!! After taking off and heading East I started to calm down a bit. Except I forgot one thing.

I brought my allergy pills and a bottle of water. I had planned on that for sure because this time of the year my head feels as if it’s about to explode. Not fun when you are flying. But the one thing I forgot…. Didn’t wash the dang windshield!!! I even mentioned the day before to my instructor, I need to do that. It literally bugged me …..

I would have had some great pictures but the huge bug splatters weren’t too appealing in the middle of some of them. But that wasn’t going to stop me from taking them when I could. Half of my flight was extremely bumpy so I was careful in doing so.

On my way to the first stop in Thompson Falls, Montana, I was thinking this isn’t that bad since I’ve been there already. I checked winds and wanted to do a flyby of the runway to be certain the low winds registered were actually low winds. No one was in the sky with me that I could hear or see, so I figured why not? I was on schedule and having fun!

I landed and took off towards my next stop. Plains, Montana. I have never been there before on land or in the air so this time I was getting a little nervous but knew it wasn’t going to be a problem. Flying through the rocky mountainous valley was amazing. It is an entirely different view being next to cliffs you would have to actually rock climb. There was no road to see what I was viewing. My own personal site seeing adventure conducted by me. Excitement wouldn’t even describe it. Plains, Montana was not very far from Thompson Falls. I literally went up and had to start planning on landing soon.

It took me a couple minutes to spot it. Things look a tad different in person than just looking at a map. Once again no one was is the air with me. I was shocked since it was such a lovely morning but enjoyed the open skies all to myself.

I landed and decided to take a small break. I pulled off the runway. Everything was going great and I sent a picture to my boyfriend and let my instructor know I was heading back soon. I was ecstatic!! And then it started to get warm on the ground. It was time to go.

On the way back I couldn’t realize how easy the trip was. I felt confident enough and was glad I went. As I was coming around a small mountain entering the lake I heard another female in the sky inbound for landing too. It was very encouraging to hear even though she had no idea how I felt about it. She didn't know I was on my first solo cross country. She didn't know I just came from an airport I landed at and had never been to before. She had no idea she helped me in my home stretch towards Sandpoint. So I continued making calls to area traffic. It's encouraging to hear another woman doing what some say we "shouldn't" do. That doesn’t matter. What matters is I’m doing what I love.

I can’t wait to do my next solo cross country. My instructor was right, I would have fun. As I came into my landing I noticed my fellow coworkers again outside watching. Luckily I was on the end that was a bit more difficult to see from the shop. It was a bit rough and winds were picking up. I was glad to be back. Once I got back to the planes’ hangar I realized by body was still in flight mode. All the bumps and jumps in the plane were still happening to me. I made it home!!

It’s really good to be nervous about new things. Just don’t let that scare you from finishing up what you started. Fly on!

Najla's First Essay as the Dreams take Flight Scholarship Award Winner!

Najla is the recipient of our 2013 Spring Scholarship Program Dreams Take Flight Award. Please see her application essay here and read about the Summer Scholarship Program. We will be accepting applications until June 30th, 2013. Our scholarships are funded by direct contributions from people like you!

"My experience as a student pilot has been an adventure. Learning to fly presents many frustrating challenges as well as enthusiastic accomplishments. My flight lesson on May 18th captured those two aspects as I landed the plane for the 1st time after numerous unsuccessful attempts.

5/18/2013 Before my lesson began today, my flight instructor told me we would be staying in the traffic pattern to work on landings….AGAIN. I have been working on landings for the past three weeks now. It has been a trying task to complete but I am determined to see it through. I had done well in the basic maneuvers, such as climbs, stalls, turns, etc., so now I just needed to land the aircraft proficiently in order to solo. We took off on runway 33 and the winds were light and variable. As we flew upwind, I had complete control of the plane while my instructor observed with a careful eye. I turned onto downwind, leveled off at traffic pattern altitude, and requested the option from ATC. They cleared me for the option and I began my descent with 10° of flaps extended. I then turned onto base and put in 20° of flaps while still maintaining sole control of the aircraft.

Now onto the final leg; my 30° of flaps were in and I’m just atop the runway. My instructor tells me to level off but it was too late. My nose wheel hit the ground with a thud and bounced. My instructor quickly recovered before we went into a porpoise affect. The 2nd & 3rd attempts at landing resulted in me leveling off too soon and almost taking off instead of landing due to ground effect. I guess the 4th time was a charm because I landed perfectly with no help from my CFI. As I was right over the tarmac on final approach, I looked straight down the runway, had the desired site picture in view and leveled off. I glanced in and out of the cockpit between the airspeed indicator and the end of the runway. The airspeed began to bleed off and the stall warning horn sounded. The main wheels landed softly on the runway just before the nose wheel. I gave out a quiet ‘Yes” to myself and then remembered to breathe. I had finally landed the plane after many hours of practice, practice, practice. This was definitely one of the greatest moments in my flight training and most exciting achievement of a lifetime.

Currently, my landings are continuously improving and I have my solo stage check evaluation next week." 

It's a small, small world with BIG, BIG news.

By now many of you have probably noticed that I, the founder and Executive Director of Girls With Wings, also known as Lynda Meeks, am posting, tweeting and making other such updates via social media with a strange location tag. That of Hong Kong.

It is true that I have moved to the other side of the planet, but I have no intention whatsoever of not continuing with Girls With Wings. In fact, we are right now in the process of accepting applications for our Summer Scholarship and are posting blog entries from our Spring Scholarship Program winners. Our website is still going strong (we will even begin a transition to our new one soon).

We are also proud to announce that we have a new membership chair, Lori, who has been working diligently to improve our member program. She has been able to find other organizations willing to offer our members discounts with their programs - to be announced soon (let us know if you'd be interested in doing the same). As I have mentioned before, our Pilot Shop was just not financially feasible as it was and we needed to rethink our products and how we offer them. Lori has been getting in touch with current and future members to keep them on board by finding out what is important to them. If you are not a member, visit the sign up page here. You'll start receiving our newsletter so we can keep you posted.

The biggest downside to my relocation is that I will be limited on the events that I can attend. I sadly did not make Sun n Fun and will not make the AOPA Summit or Oshkosh - but I understand the Ninety Nines - an organization of Women Pilots - will be taking over the booth space that we've had for the past few years. This should help continue to promote the mission! We also were not able to do our Aviation Inspiration Day over Memorial Day Weekend near Minneapolis, MN. Next year we will resume all of this and more!


I do fully intend to not only maintain Girls With Wings but also to grow it. Currently we are seeking grant funding for a mentorship program - we will need your help to make this a success! We will of course continue with our scholarships, website, and other outreach activities.

As far as what I'm doing over here in Hong Kong, I am in training to be an Airbus Simulator Instructor for a major airline.  [For those of you who know your cockpits - this is actually the 747 sim used for the interview.] I'm pretty excited about the prospect of teaching people to fly an airplane I've never flown myself. Learning The Fly by Wire technology in the Airbus is quite daunting but the candidates going through their training are truly impressive. They are very hardworking and can usually quote chapter and verse in the series of manuals they need to know to get into the right seat with the airline.

It is because of all of this technology I hope my stay in Hong Kong will be somewhat invisible to the supporters of Girls With Wings. Other than a 12 hour time difference with my home state of Ohio, I should be able to continue making dreams take flight!

Amber's First Essay as the Private Pilot Scholarship Award Winner!

Amber is the recipient of our 2013 Spring Scholarship Program Private Pilot Award. Please see her application essay here and read about the Summer Scholarship Program. We will be accepting applications until June 30th, 2013. Our scholarships are funded by direct contributions from people like you!



The Sky Awaits the Soul

April 17, 2013

It was a crisp morning. The past few weeks have been rainy and muggy out. The season’s are changing and my eagerness to get back in the air awaits me. Absolutely nothing compares to my first solo or my second but planning for my dual cross country means the solo cross country is soon to follow and the first time soloing will soon have the first cross country solo added to the log.

I head into work amazed at the beauty of what North Idaho has to offer even after living here for over 12 years now. The previous Arizonan desert is nothing like these tree covered mountain terrains, 140 plus acre Lake Pend Oreille playground and rivers stretching out like branches on a willow tree. It’s hard not to be in awe in every moment. I love the desert but this area is a completely different animal.

I walk into the hangar ready for the workday, the big doors cracked and a small spring breeze sneaking in, the smell of fresh dew ready to burn off for the day. My flying gear waiting patiently in my car, kneeboard, headsets, flight log, sectional mapped out with checkpoints in towns I’ve been to and ones I’ve always wanted to travel to…. Not realizing at that time, I would actually be flying to them in the future.

I felt like I heard every click of that second hand on the clock as if it was teasing me…but all I wanted to do was clock out and radio, “Niner-Lima-Uniform, taxiing from the South hangars (we don’t have many hangars in Sandpoint, Idaho) to runway 1 for departure to the South.” My mind kept repeating it all while I was installing fuel lines on a plane I plan to fully fly one day. The Quest KODIAK. One step at a time.

Sometimes we hear discouragement from people close to us, weather it be family, friends, or co-workers. 95% of the time people are absolutely thrilled you are learning how to fly, at least from my perspective. Guess what you worry about the most easily… The 5% who have to put there negative opinions in whether they realize it or not.

What I’ve learned in all of this, is if I want to accomplish what I passionately want to do, then I’m going to truck along and do whatever I can to finish. People will say things because they are not actually willing to do it which is absolutely fine or they give excuses to make themselves feel better. Can you imagine if every single person was in the sky? It’s good if everyone doesn’t have the passion but if you do and are willing there are ways to accomplish that! Don’t let others discourage. If you plan, now I know life gets in the way, but if you truly plan, like skip a few things that you “think” you need…My other addiction is dirt biking. I usually ride every weekend like clock work. Since I started flying, I’ve dwindled my riding down to almost none, at least the traveling part which is diesel prices and of course we have to pay more money on a product that has less work done to it. But planes and riding run through my system so much, I can’t control it. But…. putting aside things you think you need for something you passionately want will pay off in the end, or the beginning of your new future as I like to say.

Ooh shiny…. Ok, Now back to the dual cross country.

3:30 arrives, the end of my work day. My instructor and I check weather and adjust flight plan accordingly. We head out to the plane and I start to preflight. She’s a bit old for a Skyhawk but works just fine for me.

I call on the radio and head south towards a town I’ve been to driving. I recognize things close to Sandpoint but as I get further away, with distractions from my instructor asking simple questions that I somehow think I forgot the answers to, I notice things are a little more different in the air. You plan for this but to actually realize it in the process is another thing. I was hitting my checkpoints as planned, but also thinking about my solo cross country. How can one not?

I see the airport I want to land on. Thank goodness. One down and one new one to go to….after some mountain ranges of course. I wanted to ask questions, but I also wanted to do everything on my own. I was curious to ask if everything was going good as we naturally assume as humans, negative thoughts. But everything was going great. I’m flying a plane, in the mountains, by myself…..(even though my instructor was next to me). After we took off from Saint Maries, we headed northeast to the town of Thompson Falls.

The mountains were intimidating. No where to safely land on flat ground for a few minutes. So I kept climbing to a more comfortable height. By the time I got up high enough it was time to descend again. Easy peezy…but still respected every part of it. I’m extremely glad I choose the route that I did. The last leg was the part I was excited about.

After leaving Thompson Falls, we headed northwest to Sandpoint along the Clark Fork river. The sun was setting and the small amount of clouds over the mountains along the river was breathtaking as the sun glimmered through. You can not truly capture the amount of beauty through a camera but I tried anyways. Idaho and Montana will not disappoint for lack of scenery.

I start hitting the next few checkpoints on time but didn’t want to land even though I had to work the next day and somehow had to wind down for the night. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that but it was already time to call into Sandpoint traffic already.

We landed and all that was on my mind was the solo cross country…. I almost forgot to stop at the fuel pumps to refill the plane. I taxied the plane back the hangar where “LU” lives and called it a night. On my way home I had daydreamed how my solo cross country would be accomplished. Did I want the same route? Or go on a different adventure? Same time of day or morning?


All I know is nothing motivates me more than the pure beauty that the earth has to offer. And if you passionately follow your dreams, you’d be surprised to find how many are willing to help you get there…. Until next time, the sky awaits my next adventure no matter how excited I am to get there.

Kathi, Winner of a Special Girls With Wings Scholarship!

We are so happy to announce an additional recipient of Girls With Wings funds for the 2013 Spring Scholarship Program: Kathi Lehman!

Although we usually provide two awards twice a year, one for a Private Pilot Scholarship, one for a Dreams Take Flight Scholarship, we on the board of Girls With Wings know that we cannot possibly provide funds for every deserving applicant that is struggling to pay for flight training. What we're looking for to make someone stand out is her ability to be a superlative GWW role model by showing potential to motivate others to see themselves as having a future in aviation.

We believe we've found such a person in Kathi.

Dear Girls With Wings,

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to read through my application. I am a big supporter of all that you do to encourage and aid women in achieving their aviation dreams. My name is Kathi. I am 25 years old and the single mother of two children (ages 2 and 3). I live in a small farm town in Iowa and have been dreaming of flying for a long time. Aviation is my passion. I am enrolling in the aviation program at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the fall of this year (2013). It is my understanding that the course ultimately is completed with the student having earned their private pilot certificate and instrument rating. I have heard good things about the program and am beyond excited and anxious to begin. I cannot say enough how much the financial help that you are offering would mean to me.

The essay I have included tells how my passion for aviation came about. It also tells how I hope to use it and what I hope it will mean for me and my family in the future. It explains too how I believe I can be a role model and inspiration for the Girls With Wings organization. I would appreciate it if you would take the time to read it. I tried to keep it thorough but short.

Thank you so much for offering this scholarship. It is a wonderful oppurtunity and will be very helpful to whomever wins it. Again, I appreciate what Girls With Wings is striving to do and I hope that it can continue to do it. Thank you for the encouragement and the support!

Sincerely,
Kathi Lehman

Even better is Kathi's essay. I found myself a little watery eyed, because I don't know how she feels. I mean, I love to fly, don't get me wrong, but Kathi loves it with every fiber of her being and it really comes through:

I have sat down to ask myself this question, and for the first time, really try to answer it. Why do I want to fly? The answer comes easily. I want to fly simply because something inside me will never be satisfied if I don't. I want to fly because, throughout my life, it's been the one thing that's never changed, the one constant, the one phase I have yet to grow out of.

I don't know where my passion for flight and aviation comes from. Nobody in my family was a pilot or flew a plane. Growing up I never even knew anyone who did.

Maybe it began when my family moved to a new house outside of Shenandoah, Iowa when I was twelve, and there was a small airport not far away. Maybe it was when I'd lie in the grass with my hands behind my head, or on the tin roof of our garage, and stare at the sky. Where ever it came from, it was why I started writing in a notebook every plane I saw, the day, the description, the direction it was headed (even giving names to some of them). And why, when I attended my first airshow at that same small airport, I couldn't take my eyes off the stunt planes performing magic in the air, despite the crick in my neck.

It was why when I had my first flight, in a yellow Piper Cub at an airshow in Red Oak, Iowa (a nearby town), that as soon as our wheels left the ground and we were officially defying gravity, tears came to my eyes, unbidden, and I was glad the pilot couldn't see me.

It was why when I heard that a grandson of Charles Lindbergh was going to be at the Strategic Air Command Museum close to where I lived, talking about re-creating his grandfather's flight, I begged my dad to take me. The memory of that day is one of the best of my life, because I got to spend it with my dad, and also because Erik Lindbergh signed my pamphlet and even wrote FOR KATHI on it.

This passion is also why I started collecting 1:72 scale diecast model aircraft, and my parents bought

me a display cabinet one Christmas to put them in. (That collection now consists of 40+ 1:72 scale models, ranging from the Wright Flyer to the F-35, a few 1:48 scale models, a piece of outer skin from a V-2 rocket taken from a German bunker...and an Erik Lindbergh autograph.)

The passion is why when a friend of a friend offered to take me up in his plane, I jumped at the opportunity. He was an older pilot and his name was Gene. I remember he kindly compared me to Patty Wagstaff (I think it was because of my hair, certainly not because of anything else). He came to the Shenandoah airport in his Piper Arrow to meet me and when we were in the air, he surprised me by handing over the controls. He didn't seem worried at all, like he trusted my ability, (even though I'd never flown before!), and sat calmly in the left seat messing with his GPS. Looking back, I don't know how I didn't stall that plane, because I was turning and banking with full abandon, but somehow I didn't. I told him we had to fly over my parent's house, and they told me later that every time they heard a plane they ran outside and waved in case it was me. When Gene and I landed, he let me help him re-fuel and then we sat around a table inside, drinking coffee, while I listened with rapt attention to the old pilots conversing and swapping stories. I may have looked like I didn't belong at that table, but in all honesty, I've never felt like I belonged anywhere more. I went flying with Gene a few more times after that, and he gave me books and videos to help with my learning. I hope that today he knows how much that all meant to me.

I'm only mentioning these things because I want whomever is reading this to know that this is not a passing whim. My desire to fly and to live and breath aviation is real and I am determined, somehow, to do it.

Between the days of flying with Gene and now, (roughly a 5-year span) life briefly took me a different direction. I met a guy, had two kids, and long story short, am now a single mother. But I feel like now is finally the time to realize my dream, and to do what I feel I was born to do. To be the role model and the inspiration that my children need, and hopefully, to be those same things to my peers and other women.

I suppose in a way, I might be seen as an underdog, Firstly because of my lack of growing up around aviation, and also because I'll be the first to admit that my days in school (public and home-schooled) could have been better spent. Looking back, I wish I'd taken a more serious approach to math, instead of lying around outside dreamily staring at the clouds. But I happen to believe that if a person is really determined, they can learn and become good at anything. They can overcome any obstacles in their way. I feel that with a little work (or a lot) my math skills can be sufficient. I am currently refreshing my knowledge with what I've forgotten and working on learning what I never did. It's actually this "underdog status" that I believe could make me a good role model for the Girls With Wings organization. I hope to be able to someday say, "If I can do it, anyone can do it", and it'll be true.

My goals at this moment are to get my private pilot certificate and be instrument-rated. I also would like to take Aircraft Maintenance courses at some point (because I refuse to operate something I don't understand and have a working knowledge of). Right now, I'm not really sure what's beyond that. Yes I want to make a career of aviation, but I'm hoping that opportunities will present themselves and I will have a choice to make in the future.

I am working right now in a factory (I've been there for six months) to support myself and my children. Because of the demanding hours (10 hour days and I am constantly tired), I've come to the conclusion that I cannot continue working there and take flight training at the same time. I am more than willing to work a part-time job though. Of course, I would prefer to be able to focus my attention entirely on learning to fly, but in all honesty I'll do whatever it takes.

I cannot say enough how much I appreciate the opportunity to get help with funding this great endeavor, and also how much I support and appreciate what Girls With Wings is doing. Knowing that there is support and encouragement somewhere is more empowering than you know. I know that you will probably receive many submissions for this scholarship, and that it will be a hard choice, but I thank you for taking the time to hear my story and consider me. This help would be so much appreciated but even if I am not chosen to receive it, I wish the woman who is the best of luck, and maybe I will get the chance to meet her when we have both joined the elite "six percent".

Thank you immensely!
-Kathi Lehman

We wish Kathi all the best in her flight training. We agree that everyone needs to "overcome any obstacles in their way." So we look forward to hearing about her flights!

See the details of the Summer Scholarship Program. Applications accepted until June 30th, 2013.

Please note that the scholarships are funded by donations - so we need contributions from people like YOU to keep our program running. We always have way more deserving applicants than funds. Visit our donation page to help.

Najla, The Winner of the Dreams Take Flight Scholarship, Spring 2013!

We are so happy to announce the first winner for the 2013 Spring Scholarship Program: Najla Dorsey!

[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.]


This is the way Najla introduced herself to us:

"Flying for the airlines is a dream of mine and taking the necessary steps in making it a reality has been a blast. Fulfilling a dream requires visualization, feeling as if you have already accomplished that dream and following it through until it becomes a success. My inspiration for flight comes from having worked in the ground operations department for an airline. I took the advantage of networking with airline pilots daily. They informed me of the resources and organizations that would help me achieve my goal. In every aviation organization I have joined, I always learn new ways to support, educate, and expose aviation to others. My volunteer work is concentrated towards young ladies who are less likely to be introduced to the various career options in aeronautics. I know that they will contribute to aviation’s advancements and that is why it is so important for me to invest in that future. As I became more involved with flying, I made Aviation Engineering my major in college. I also took the initiative to document my flight training progress with the mission to inspire girls that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. Many times the hard work involved in achieving your dreams comes with financial sacrifices. Obtaining this scholarship would not only add value to my flight training but to the impending advancements in aviation as well."

Here's Najla's essay:

"It’s 5:15am and a 737 sits quietly at the airport gate before starting its day. I open the fuselage door and walk toward the cockpit. I then climb into the left seat and place my hands on the yoke. My eyes slowly shut and through the power of imagination, the plane automatically comes alive. I am now visualizing myself as pilot-in-command, flying 35,000ft in blue skies. Excitement and adrenaline rush through my veins, knowing that all of my hard work in becoming an airline pilot has finally paid off.

I would perform this scenario every morning, before starting my shift as a baggage handler at the airport. On my first scheduled day off from work, I took an introductory flight lesson in a Cessna 172. From takeoff to landing, I was blown away and knew I had to make flying my career. The spectacular view, the precise skills needed to fly and the science behind it all had ignited my passion for flight and continues to fuel that passion to this day. In five years, I see myself working as an airline pilot while serving as a mentor to future aviators. I have established an aviation outreach blog http://2013flightjourney.wordpress.com/ , which shares my experiences in becoming a pilot. It is geared specifically for girls who are interested in flying or who may have never experienced flight at all. As a pilot, I plan to continue my outreach efforts by giving intro flights and being an active role model for young women who envision themselves flying high, just as I did.

Shortly after completing my introductory flight, I sought out to enhance my aviation knowledge and connect with others already involved in the industry. I joined the Civil Air Patrol and am currently a decorated Lieutenant and the Aerospace Officer of my squadron. I also volunteer at WIA and AOPA conferences, when they are held within my area, and as an Aerospace Educator at local schools. I recently submitted my biography and contact information to Girls With Wings, WIA, and Ninety Nines to aid as a mentor for their members. I am working on my Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation and have maintained a 3.69 GPA. And because of that, my university selected me for their Dean’s list in 2012. My most recent flight training accomplishment has been passing my Private Pilot written examination.

Finances are extremely tight for me right now. While working at the airport, I took on a second job as a freelance Notary Signing Agent. Once a network of companies began using my signing agent services on a consistent base, I resigned from my job as a baggage handler. This allowed my income to remain the same while giving me more time to pursue my piloting career. When funds are left over from my living expenses, they go directly towards my flight training. I take advantage of any free flight programs or clinics offered by the organizations I am a part of. I am presently working on my private pilot certification and in the pre-solo stage of the curriculum. This scholarship would be used towards the remaining cost of my training at Hortman Aviation in Philadelphia, PA. Earning my private license would bring me one step closer to my dreams. My dreams of being an airline pilot who devotes herself to her career, aviation’s future, and to all who have helped those dreams become a reality."

We wish Najla great success in the pursuit of her dreams! We look forward to hearing about her training.

See the details of the Summer Scholarship Program. Applications accepted until June 30th, 2013.

Please note that the scholarships are funded by donations - so we need contributions from people like YOU to keep our program running. We always have way more deserving applicants than funds. Visit our donation page to help.