Whirly-Girl Scholarship Sponsors

The Whirly-Girls are grateful to our generous sponsors for providing scholarships for our 2011 winners:

American Eurocopter Flight Training Scholarship

American Eurocopter (www.eurocopterusa.com) manufactures, markets, sells, assembles, supports and provides training solutions for Eurocopter rotary-wing aircraft in the United States.  Since beginning operations in 1969, it has become a leading provider of helicopters for U.S. civilian, law enforcement, military, homeland defense and other markets. In the U.S. today, over 1,800 American Eurocopter rotary-wing aircraft are flown by approximately 600 operators, including corporate and business customers, hospitals and emergency medical services, tourism operators, law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Patrol, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

American Eurocopter provides a scholarship which gives a Whirly-Girl the opportunity to attend an AS350 Turbine Transition Course at the American Eurocopter Factory School in Grand Prairie, Texas, USA.

Robinson Helicopter R22/R44Safety Course and R44 Scholarship

Founded in 1973 by Frank Robinson, Robinson Helicopter (www.robinsonheli.com) is currently the world's leading manufacturer of civil helicopters. Based in Torrence, California, Robinson Helicopter employs approximately 1000 employees, and its R22, R44, and R66 helicopters are used for a multitude of operations world-wide. In 2010, Robinson added 133,000 square feet of manufacturing space to their operation, bringing the company's total manufacturing space to 617,000 square feet.

The Robinson Helicopter scholarship provides a Whirly-Girl currently flying Robinsons the opportunity to attend their extremely popular monthly Safety Course and build R44 time. (Please note the safety course is also available for the R22.) Robinson provides this 3-1/2 day course in Torrance, CA, USA, including 5 hours of R44 flight time. The course includes 2-1/2 days of classroom instruction, awareness training, SFAR 73, in the R22 and R44 helicopter systems. One day is devoted to maintenance, pre-flight inspections, and flying with an experienced RHC pilot. This course is required by most insurance companies and serves as a CFI refresher.

FlightSafety International Bell 206 Initial Pilot Scholarship

FlightSafety International (www.flightsafety.com) is famous for its comprehensive safety training, delivering more than a million hours of professional instruction each year and training more pilots than any other company. Thousands of pilots train to proficiency at 40 Learning Centers in the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom. Training locations include their newest comprehensive center at historic Farnborough Airport just outside London, and their recently opened rotorcraft Learning Center in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The FlightSafety International Bell 206 Initial Pilot Scholarship includes initial type training, recurrent training, and inadvertent IMC training using the world’s first Bell 206 FAA Level 7 qualified Flight Training Device. This five-day course consists of academic training and six hours in the FTD. 

Advanced Mountain Flight Training Scholarship

Founded in 1964, Western Helicopters (www.westernhelicopters.com) provides flight training to primary and advanced helicopter pilots, including over 35 law enforcement agencies and the public. Their courses include Day and Night Touchdown Autorotation Training, Mountain Flying, Turbine Transition Training, Vertical Reference External Load Training, and Primary Flight Training.

The Advanced Mountain Flight Training Scholarship is provided in memory of Keiko Minakata, WG# 1339.  This scholarship gives a deserving Whirly Girl the skills to cope with turbulence, rugged terrain, landing zone selection, in mountainous and canyon areas, with special emphasis placed on decision making.  It also provides the skill needed to fly all sorts of private and commercial helicopter missions that require off-airport landings anywhere in the country, regardless of altitude or terrain.

Aviation Specialties Unlimited Scholarship

Aviation Specialties Unlimited (www.asu-nvg.com) is known as the leader in night vision technology. Their personnel have four collective decades of experience in the night vision field, having accumulated more than 10,000 night vision goggle flight hours incident- and accident-free.

The night vision goggle (NVG) scholarship, sponsored by Aviation Specialties Unlimited, will be awarded to a career minded Whirly-Girl who needs an initial or a recurrent Night Vision Goggle (NVG) endorsement for a flight position, such as airborne law enforcement and airborne EMS to a variety of government agencies. The value of this scholarship opportunity is $7,000. Training will be conducted at Gowen Field Airport, Boise, Idaho, USA.

Aircraft Ditching Course Scholarship

Survival Systems USA, Inc. (www.survivalsystemsinc.com) is an employee-owned company dedicated to safety and survival education, specializing in underwater egress training and sea survival techniques. With more than three decades of research and innovation behind them, their purpose is explicit: to enhance and preserve workers' lives through safety education, training technologies and applied research and development.

The Aircraft Ditching Course Scholarship provides a deserving Whirly-Girl the knowledge and skills necessary to react to an aircraft-ditching emergency, care for herself in a sea survival situation, and to participate to the maximum extent in her rescue.

New for 2011: Judy Short Memorial Flight Training Scholarship

This scholarship is sponsored by Nancy Graham, WG #62, and provides up to $5,000 for a Whirly Girl who is already an FAA Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) in helicopters to obtain her add-on Instrument or Instrument Instructor (CFII) rating.

The Whirly-Girls also provide two scholarships:

Whirly-Girls Memorial Flight Training Scholarship

This new scholarship is provided by the WGSF, Inc., and now combines the Phelan International and Doris Mullen Flight Training Scholarships. This scholarship provides $6,000 and is given in memory of our founder, Jean, and her husband Jim Phelan, along with the memory of Doris Mullen who lost her life in a fixed wing accident in 1968. This scholarship provides ANY Whirly-Girl a chance to UPGRADE her current rating. (It is typically applied toward Commercial, Instrument, Instructor, ATP, Long Line or Turbine Transition Training.)

Whirly-Girls Helicopter Add-on Fight Training Scholarship

FOR FEMALE PILOTS RATED IN AIRCRAFT OTHER THAN HELICOPTERS. This scholarship, funded by the WGSF, is provided this year in memory of Bob Vetter, WG Auxiliary member and husband of Bev WG#459.  It provides $6,000 to assist a certificated female pilot, does not currently have a helicopter rating, in earning her add-on  helicopter rating. Applicant will be evaluated for evidence of intent to work in the helicopter industry.