Aviation Scholarship Winners Announced - Twin County EAA Chapter 1426

Bob Steele, Chapter 1426 President, Nancy Beasley, Scholarship Selection Committee Member, Tyler Ward, the Winner, Becky and Edwin Ward, Parents
2008 Aviation Challenge Scholarship Winner!
By Brad Nester and Shirley Steele (Recopied from the June Newsletter published by Sharyl Walker)

Tyler Ward, from Galax, VA is our 2008 EAA Aviation Challenge Scholarship Winner. He is 16 years old and will be in the 11th grade this year. He has "been fascinated by airplanes .....ever since (he) was a little kid." Earlier this year, he finished ground school under the tutelage of our own Bob Steele. Our esteemed Mr. Steele deemed Tyler "a very impressive young man." Certainly, the positive impression that Tyler made during the course of the class helped solidify his strong application.

Tyler is an excellent student who is on the honor roll at Galax High School and a member of the National Honor Society. He is a Boy Scout, volunteers with the Wayne Henderson Music Festival, and plays tennis and golf.

He will attend the Aviation Challenge Mach III program from June 27-July 4. As of a June 6 email, Tyler had completed all paperwork and was ready and excited to go. He also reiterated his willingness to come speak with the EAA chapter about his experiences so the entire chapter can meet this fine young man of our local community.

In his application, Tyler wrote:

"Ever since I was a little kid I have been fascinated by airplanes. I have been on a few flights and it has grabbed my interest. I am currently a member of the Young Eagles organization. This spring I completed and passed ground school. Later on in life I plan to go into the field of aviation, either to enlist with the Air Force or become a helicopter pilot for the police.

There is nothing that I would rather do than fly. The mechanics of how an airplane flies is interesting, it seems impossible to get a thousand pounds of steel off of the ground, but we do it every day. If I could attend the aviation summer camp, it would be a great learning experience. I think it would help me further understand the material for the FAA exam and give me a better chance of passing it.”

Jessica Webb is the runner up and gets a free flying lesson from Scott Thomas. Jessica is from Independence, VA. She is on the AB Honor Roll and is in the high school marching band as well as in her church band. She is also active in the Y-Street anti-tobacco club.

Congratulations to Tyler and Jessica!

Editor’s Note: Chapter 1426 is able to encourage these fine young people through our Emily Gile Scholarship Fund. To all of you who have sold pedal plane tickets, helped with pancake breakfasts, cooked chili, sold hotdogs, dropped something in the donations bucket, sat in the heat on First Saturday, or participated in any of our other events, this is your reward! Thank You!

Aviation Space Camp Scholarship Winners Announced for 2007

Micrometrics, of Meadows of Dan, Virginia and the Twin County Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1426 of Hillsville, Virginia have chosen two “Young Eagles” to attend the Aviation Challenge in Huntsville, Ala. These two organizations will jointly sponsor the two deserving students to experience an incredible week of exposure to aviation. These two youngsters flew for the very first time at the Young Eagles Rally held last October at Micrometrics. Janet Tate coordinated this Rally and it was made possible by the generosity of the owner of Micrometrics.

Nick Johnson, 13, is in the seventh grade at Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School. His parents are Teresa and Randy Johnson. The family lives in Bassett, VA. Nick attended the Young Eagles Rally at Micrometrics last fall and took numerous pictures as he flew with pilot Jody Early. He included those pictures in a screen show on a DVD that he presented with his application. He has taken the aviation class at 4H for two years and at the CATCE camp. Nick has received several awards in school and is active in church and the community. Here is what he had to say about his flying at the Young Eagles Rally at Meadows of Dan: “I was blown away! I’ve never flown before. I thought that I was going to be scared, but I wasn’t. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and when the plane landed, I told my mom and dad that is what my job is going to be in my future.” He wants to design a special plane that will help people with medical problems so they can get to places they need to go to get help. He also wants to be able to fly that plane. His recommendations from his guidance counselor and teachers are impeccable and very impressive. Dr. Brad Nester, Scholarship Committee Chairperson, describes him as follows: “Nick breaks into a big ol’ grin each time you mention him going to Alabama.” He will attend the Mach II program at Aviation Challenge from June 10-15 and will be in the same squadron as Landon Nester, son of Dr. Brad Nester and Rhonda Nester of Hillsville. Landon is already a veteran as he has attended this camp for the past two years.

Amy Alderman, 15, is in the tenth grade at Patrick County High School. Her dad is Randy Alderman and they live in Vesta, VA. She has stated on her application that her goal is to be a helicopter pilot. She is certified in CPR, is active in sports, church and community events. Amy stated that her ride at the Young Eagles Rally last October at Micrometrics sparked her interest in flying. This was her very first airplane flight. She hopes to combine the careers of nursing and flying. She received impeccable and glowing recommendations from her guidance counselor and teachers. Amy was especially thrilled at the EAA Chapter 1426 Twin County Airport Rally on May 12 as she flew with EAA member Bill Bryant in his helicopter. She will attend the Mach III program at Aviation challenge from June 3 – 8 and is ready to go!

Both Nick and Amy are very deserving of this scholarship and could not otherwise accomplish this experience without assistance. Bountiful thanks go to Micrometrics for helping with this scholarship and to the persons in EAA Chapter 1426 who have worked so hard to make this dream for these children come true. EAA Chapter 1426 has been able to do this under the auspices of the Emily Gile Foundation that was set up in 2005 in honor of Emily for her service as a WWII WASP. All donations to this fund are greatly appreciated. The chairman of the Scholarship Committee is Dr. Brad Nester of Hillsville, who has done a tremendous job of coordinating all of the necessary transactions from beginning to end! Janet Tate of Laurel Fork has been the awesome coordinator of the Young Eagles Rallies and worked with Micrometrics to obtain assistance with these scholarships.

winners

Nick Johnson, Aviation Space Camp Scholarship Winner, Bob Steele, Twin County Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1426 President, Amy Alderman, Aviation Space Camp Scholarship Winner, and Dr. Brad Nester, Chairman of EAA Chapter 1426 Scholarship Committee.

Amy Alderman Attends Aviation Challenge

Here are two pictures that Amy sent the EAA Chapter showing some of her experiences at Aviation Challenge at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. She really appreciated the opprotunity and said she had a wonderful time. The camp intensified her interest in aviation and she is thinking of joining the Air Force.

Nick Johnson Attends Aviation Challenge

Nick sent EAA a video of his experience at Aviation Challenge, which is on file in the EAA office. He has now joined the Civil Air Patrol and is enjoying that very much.