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News & Media Phillips 66 Aerostars help promote scholarships for women

Phillips 66 Aerostars help promote scholarships for women

Next I Hart Flying Foundation scholarship for women launches August 2

August 2, 2021 By David Tulis

The Phillips 66 Aerostars airshow team and the I Hart Flying Foundation teamed up to offer flight training scholarships to women to help grow the pilot population, the two groups jointly announced with an aerobatic flight during EAA AirVenture.

  • Corporate jet pilot Kim Kissh experiences an aerobatic flight with the Phillips 66 Aerostars airshow team to help promote I Hart Flying Foundation flight training scholarships for women. Kissh enjoyed the experience so much that she vowed to begin aerobatic training as soon as possible. Photo courtesy of Phillips 66 Aerostars.
  • I Hart Flying Foundation founder Rachelle Spector reacts during an aerobatic loop with the Phillips 66 Aerostars during EAA AirVenture July 28. Spector's foundation has awarded more than $100,000 in flight training scholarships to women. Photo courtesy of Phillips 66 Aerostars.
  • Student pilot Lyndse Costabile joins the Phillips 66 Aerostars airshow team for a flight to help promote scholarships for women. Photo courtesy of Phillips 66 Aerostars.
  • The Phillips 66 Aerostars and the I Hart Flying Foundation teamed up to announce the "Fueling Flight Through Harts of Might" scholarship campaign, which begins August 2. Photo courtesy of Phillips 66 Aerostars.
  • Type-rated jet pilot Rachelle Spector, founder of I Hart Flying, enjoys an aerobatic flight with scholarship partners the Phillips 66 Aerostars airshow team. Photo courtesy of Phillips 66 Aerostars.
  • I Hart Flying Foundation founder Rachelle Spector straps into a parachute with help from Phillips 66 Aerostars aerobatic pilot Paul "Rocket" Hornick. The type-rated jet pilot's foundation has awarded women more than $100,000 in flight training scholarships. Photo by David Tulis.
  • Phillips 66 Aerostars pilot Harvey "Boss" Meek briefs corporate pilot Kim Kissh during an aerobatic flight to help promote I Hart Flying flight training scholarships and to highlight aviation opportunities for women. Kissh encourages young people to pursue some of the many aviation scholarship opportunities available to them. Photo by David Tulis.
  • Corporate jet pilot Kim Kissh, I Hart Flying Foundation founder Rachelle Spector, and student pilot Lyndse Costabile participate in an aerobatic flight with the Phillips 66 Aerostars to help kick off the "Fueling Flight Through Harts of Might" flight training scholarships for women that begin August 2. Photo by David Tulis.
  • Phillips 66 Aerostars airshow pilots Harvey "Boss" Meek, Gerry "Fossil" Molidor, and Paul "Rocket" Hornick pose for photos after an aerobatic flight with corporate pilot Kim Kissh, I Hart Flying Foundation founder Rachelle Spector, and student pilot Lyndse Costabile. Photo by David Tulis.

The aerobatic demonstration team strapped I Hart Flying Foundation founder Rachelle Spector, corporate pilot Kim Kissh, and student pilot Lyndse Costabile into their Extra 300L aerobatic aircraft to celebrate during a flight departing from Wisconsin’s Appleton International Airport, a few miles north of “The World’s Greatest Airshow” in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 28.

The flight coincided with what would normally be an EAA WomenVenture group photo opportunity before coronavirus crowd-size restrictions scratched it.

Spector, a type-rated jet pilot, has given away more than $100,000 in flight raining scholarships through the I Hart Flying Foundation since its 2017 inception. She said the foundation has experienced four years of “unparalleled success” with themed scholarships and announced the next theme as “Fueling Flight Through Harts of Might,” which begins August 2.

Phillips 66 Aerostars pilots Harvey “Boss” Meek, Gerry “Fossil” Molidor, and Paul “Rocket” Hornick said they were happy to be participating on the airshow circuit again after a coronavirus pandemic-induced year away from airshow audiences. The team uses aerobatic performances to build excitement for the next generation of aviators and to highlight inclusion.

The female pilots experienced high-adrenaline aerobatics including a loop, an aileron roll, and a head-snapping 360-degrees-per-second point roll that caught at least one of the trio off-guard. Kissh vowed to begin aerobatic training on the spot after Meek handed her control of the Extra for the loop.

“There’s no greater feeling than giving back, when two forces of the industry come together to drive deeper impact for the growth of aviation,” said Lindsey Grant, with Phillips 66.

David Tulis
David Tulis
Senior Photographer
Senior Photographer David Tulis joined AOPA in 2015 and is a private pilot with single-engine land and sea ratings and a tailwheel endorsement. He is also a certificated remote pilot and co-host of the award-wining AOPA Hangar Talk podcast. David enjoys vintage aircraft and photography.
Go to David Tulis's Profile
Topics: EAA AirVenture, Scholarship

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