NextGen Spotlight
By Regan Tunstall
Updates from Scholarship Winners
It’s been a busy year for our scholarship winners! We are always overjoyed to hear about their accomplishments as they make their way into the aviation industry. If you or someone you know has won an Alaska Airmen’s Association scholarship before, we’d love for you to reach out and tell us where you are on your journey! You can contact info@alaskaairmen.org with a story you want to share.
Update from Hailey Driver:
I wanted to update you on my use of the funds that I was privileged enough to receive this last September. My goal was to use the scholarship to attend Baker’s School of Aeronautics in Tennessee to obtain my A&P certification, and I did it! Baker’s is a very well oiled machine of a school, so when I received the scholarship and called to enroll, I wasn’t surprised that they were booked 7 months out. However, May 13th was finally my turn. In two jam-packed weeks of classes and studying I accomplished the goal that I’ve been working towards for the last 3 years, one that I absolutely couldn’t have done without your help! The entire experience was very intense. Sleepless nights, endless amounts of coffee, and an aching brain all the while..but so rewarding! I never thought I was going to get this far. As we all know, life happens and sometimes the expensive goals unfortunately fall to the wayside, but with your help I got the chance to fulfill a dream and become more proud of myself than I believe I have ever felt before. I truly can’t thank you folks enough.
-Hailey, (One of Anchorage’s newest A&P Mechanics!)
Update from Gabriel Simmons, who recently passed his Part 107 exam:
Now that I have my license I am flying for Hilltop Ski Area as their drone pilot. I have had the opportunity to fly for a advertisement shoot that we did with Kendall Toyota. In the future I would like to expand the services I offer into drone work for real estate as well as search and rescue. Eventually I would also like to start my own company producing long endurance drones for search and rescue teams.
Thank you again,
Gabriel Simmons
4th Annual Youth Aviation Day
The 4th annual Youth Aviation Day was nothing short of a wild success! We were so pleased to have around 90 kids sign up for the event this year. Held at the UAA Aviation Technology building, the kids split up into 3 groups to visit each activity station. The day was packed full of fun with redbird flight simulators, building laser cut riveted keychains, designing and flying a wing, preflight inspection, an aviation gameshow with prizes and more. Thanks to the EAA Young Eagles Program, around 37 kids were able to go on a short discovery flight too! We couldn’t have done it without the help of our volunteers, CAP cadets, parents and of course the UAA team. We hope to see everyone again next year!
