The General Aviation Manufacturers Association and Aircraft Electronics Association announced the winners of 26 aviation scholarships in May, including a pilot and students pursuing a career in the general aviation maintenance and aircraft electronics industries.
AEA announced the names of 24 recipients of scholarships totaling more than $125,000 for the 2015-2016 academic year. GAMA named a pilot and certified aviation maintenance technician in training as the winners of two $2,000 scholarships.
Takoda Benedict of Tri-Village High School in New Madison, Ohio, a graduating senior who will pursue aviation studies at Liberty University in Virginia, was named the winner of GAMA’s Edward W. Stimpson “Aviation Excellence” Award. Benedict also is taking classes to become a certified aviation maintenance technician. Kelly Abplanalp, captain of the Wisconsin Flying Team at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, was named the winner of the Dr. Harold S. Wood Award for Excellence. Abplanalp, an instrument-rated private pilot, also is president of the Badger Aviators and received an award in 2015 for earning the highest total score of any female contestant during the 2014 Regional Safety and Flight Evaluation Conferences (Safecons).
The AEA Educational Foundation awards scholarships to promising students pursuing a career in general aviation maintenance and aircraft electronics. Scholarships range from $1,000 to more than $40,000 and include the inaugural Marshall Temple Memorial Scholarship, given to Rand Mills of Henefer, Utah.
Other winners of AEA scholarships include Christopher Almanza of Forest Hill, Texas, who won the Leon Harris/Les Nichols Memorial Scholarship to Spartan College of Aeronautics & Technology; Zach Evans of Genoa City, Wisconsin, who won the Tom Taylor Memorial Scholarship to Spartan College of Aeronautics & Technology; and Justin Hughes of Marshall, Michigan, who won the Gogo Business Aviation Scholarship. The L-3 Aviation Products scholarship went to Allison Donaghy of Wasilla, Alaska; Benjamin Sieloff of Trenton, Michigan, won the Lee Tarbox Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by Pacific Southwest Instruments; and the Field Aviation Scholarship went to Jack Daley of Callander, Ontario, Ryan Daley of Callander, Ontario, and Ming Chen of London, Ontario.
The Duncan Aviation Scholarship went to Dakota Holbrooks of Gilbert, Arizona; the Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics Scholarship went to Jonathan James of Duncanville, Texas; the Garmin Scholarship went to Bryan Behm of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania; and the Garmin - Jerry Smith Memorial Scholarship went to Christian Salata of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ed Kolb of Riverside, California, won the Universal Avionics Systems Corp. Scholarship; Bryan Miller of Fort Worth, Texas, won the Stone Foundation Scholarship; and Coryn Porter of Mount Kisco, New York, won the David Arver Memorial Scholarship.
The Dutch & Ginger Arver Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Jarah Gordon of Jasper, Indiana; the Johnny Davis Memorial Scholarship went to Phat Tran of Houston, Texas; and the Gene Baker Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Michal Brauhn of Ottumwa, Iowa. Madison Huntoon of Deland, Florida, won the Jim Cook Honorary Scholarship; Nikolai Travis of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, won the Chuck Peacock Memorial Scholarship; Sean Schafer of Fruita, Colorado and Donald Ballew of Denton, Texas, won the Chuck Freeland Memorial Scholarship; and Curtis Abrahamson of Grantville, Georgia, won the Monte Mitchell Memorial Scholarship.
Applicants for AEA scholarships may request complete scholarship packages for the 2016-2017 academic year after Oct. 1 online. Information on GAMA scholarships is available here.
Looking for more information on scholarships? AOPA administers a scholarship program for student pilots of all ages; applications for the 2015 AOPA Flight Training Scholarship Program are now open. Teen members of AOPA AV8RS, the association’s free youth membership, may also apply for scholarships.
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