News
Whirly-Girls International unveils 2023 scholarship recipients
February 1, 2023 By Helicopters Staff
Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund Inc., a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in the helicopter aviation industry, announced the recipients of the 2023 Whirly-Girls Scholarship Awards. The scholarships will be awarded March 5, 2023, at the Whirly-Girls Annual Awards Banquet during HAI Heli-Expo in Atlanta, Georgia.
“The 2023 Scholarship offering has been record-breaking, and we are immensely grateful to our sponsors for their generosity and support,” said Joanna Forrester, Whirly-Girls International Scholarship Director. “The cost of flight training can be prohibitive for any pilot, and with the continued help and involvement of our sponsors, we are able to provide crucial training opportunities and mentorship to a new generation of female helicopter pilots.
“Only six per cent of helicopter pilots are women,” Forrester continued, “and by raising awareness in the community and providing a strong scholarship program, one of our goals is to help widen the talent pool and bring a broader range of experience, skills and background to the aviation industry.”
The organization has awarded 32 scholarships upon deserving female aviators, including:
Advanced Mountain Flight Training
Grace Wagner – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Airbus Inadvertent IIMC Training
Maria Loken-Kim – Kona, Hawaii
Bristow Group Initial Helicopter Flight Training
Katherine Cowley – Squamish, BC, Canada
Erickson & Volo Mission Vertical Reference/External Load Training
Jessica Meiris – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Flight Safety International Bell 206/Bell 407 Flight Training
Munanie Mbatha – Ormond Beach, Florida
Garmin GTN & Flight Display Pilot Training Course
Allison Abellaneda- Lakeville, Minnesota
Bridget Colby- Camden, NSW, Australia
Amory Harris – Truckee, California
Garmin Aviation Online Training Course
Michelle Lambert – Bend, Oregon
Elizabeth Leidenheimer – Jackson, New Jersey
Leading Edge Flight Academy & Central Oregon Community College Helicopter Instrument Rating
Kellye Evans – Phoenix, Arizona
Leonardo Helicopters AW139 Flight Training Course
Adele Dobler – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Elizabeth Vavashe – Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Leonardo Helicopters AW139 Flight Training Course
Jenetta Rutherford – Calgary, Alberta, Canada
MD Helicopters MD500 Flight Training
Michelle Benke – Maricopa, Arizona
Oregon Aero CRM/AMRM Instructor Training
Allison Abellaneda – Lakeville, Minnesota
Adele Dobler – Amory Harris – Truckee, California
Heidi McBride – Siloam Springs, Arkansas
Leah Murphy – Salisbury, Maryland
Palm Beach Helicopters CFI/CFII Rating
Amy Ehn – Kona, Hawaii
PHI Aviation Bell 407 Scholarship
Michelle Astergard – Kungsbacka, Sweden
Sage O’Loughlin – Yamhill, Oregon
Robinson Helicopters R22/R44 Safety Course
Maria Romero Abella – Okotoks, Alberta, Canada
Robinson Helicopters R66 Safety Course
Leah Murphy – Salisbury, Maryland
Southern Utah University (SUU) Career Flight Training
Isabella Blair – Grenada, Mississippi
Survival Systems USA Aviation Survival & Egress Training
Diana Arias – League City, Texas
Samantha Hansen – Hilo, Hawaii
Edward M Thurn Memorial Flight Training
Haley Follman – Creede, Colorado
Lora Trout Memorial Flight Training
Leah Seitz – Larkspur, California
Whirly-Girls Jean Tinsley Memorial Heli-Expo
Vanessa Mendoza – Boise, Idaho
Whirly-Girls Initial/Add-on Flight Training
Genie Mulari – Corona, California
The Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund was incorporated to oversee and administer the scholarship funds raised by the Whirly-Girls and their Associates. Initiated in 1968, the scholarship program has grown from a single $500 scholarship to a wide range of training and development scholarships valued today at more than $500,000.
