By Chris Nugent
January was a busy month for the Scholarship Committee. Thanks to your support we were able to award a total of 13 of scholarships for the 2023 academic year – a record for our program. We’ve been busy working with the colleges and flight schools our recipients are attending to ensure their scholarship funding is in place for their spring semester and flight training. Although it’s a little bit of work, it’s rewarding to see our scholarship program at work.
I’m also excited to share the news that one of our newsletter sponsors, Aerial Engagement, has provided two simulator facility memberships to APA to use as scholarships for students. Aerial Engagement, located adjacent to the Scottsdale airport, is a flight simulator venue that provides simulators for aviation discovery and flight training. They offer both steam gauge and glass cockpit simulators which allow students and CFI’s to conduct training and log hours for both primary and instrument training, as examples.
In this month’s Scholarship Corner, we’ll introduce some of our 2023 scholarship recipients and get into a little more detail on the Aerial Engagement scholarships.
2023 Scholarship Recipients
Xitlali Vazquez – Arizona Flight Training Center
Growing up I was always fascinated by aviation from visiting local aviation museums to attending airshows, I knew I wanted to become a pilot. As I grew older, I became more involved with aviation and began to work with the Civil Air Patrol to continue learning about aerospace. As I continue to further my education, I aspire to attend the United States Air Force and serve as a military aviator. Additionally, I hope to work in the aviation business sector and further diversify the aviation industry. This scholarship will not only give me the opportunity to continue my training and expose myself to the aviation industry but also inspire others to work toward their goals. Being the first in my family to go on to pursue a career in aviation is challenging, but it is opportunities like these that continue to motivate me to aim high. Thank you to all the members, the Board of Directors, and the scholarship committee at the Arizona Pilots Association for this scholarship opportunity!
Aevyn Peirce – West-MEC Glendale
Currently, I am in the aviation maintenance program at West-MEC, working toward my A&P license. I have always been fascinated with aircraft and the aerodynamics of them since I can remember going on my first orientation flight. I continued to pursue an aviation career when I joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). I am the Cadet Commander and Leadership Officer for the 388th squadron based in Glendale. The experience has been incredibly rewarding. I have learned a lot from retired and active duty members of the Air Force, aviators, and have worked alongside others sharing the same passion.
My dreams of one day flying and becoming a pilot is becoming more of a reality for me as I continue my education in aviation. I'm currently training to become a mission scanner for CAP and will attend ground school in the next coming weeks. Following ground school, as my preferred flight school, I am looking forward to flying with Fly Eagle Sport and obtaining my PPL through them.
Upon graduation from West-Mec, I intend to work for a private company so I can gain more experience and do what I love, which is being around and working on aircraft. Ultimately, I would like to continue working for Discount Tire Co. and transition into their aviation department in Scottsdale, as an IA. Having the opportunity to receive the 2023 APA scholarship is both an honor and a privilege, and I am truly excited to the possibilities that lie ahead in the future. Having received this scholarship, it has helped me immensely towards the tuition of my next semester and has allowed me to pursue my goals as a mechanic and pilot without having to worry about financial burdens. I want to thank all the donors who have supported me and the future generations going into the aviation industry, it means a lot!
Nick Vatis - Chandler-Gilbert Community College/University of North Dakota
Hello, my name is Nick Vatis, currently a commercial flight student with the University of North Dakota. I am extremely grateful to have been selected to receive this generous scholarship, and for the Arizona Pilots Association’s unwavering support to this community. After graduating from the East Valley Institute of Technology as the 2022 Student of the Year, I have continued my flight training with the University of North Dakota.
In 2018, I began my flight training career flying gliders when I was 14 years old. On my 16th and 17th birthdays, I earned my private pilot certificate for gliders and airplanes, respectively. When I flew in a glider for the very first time, I immediately knew that I wanted to become a professional pilot. Since then, I have been working towards my goal of becoming a professional airline pilot by the age of 21. During my time at EVIT, I was able to expand my own knowledge, as well as mentor peers around me. Going through EVIT’s program allowed me to not only develop my aviation knowledge, but it also has helped me lead in the classroom. Being around people with a common interest in aviation has really motivated me to lead others in this industry.
I have met many amazing individuals in this community and am excited to meet many more as I continue my journey. I am tremendously grateful for the support from the EVIT Program, UND Faculty, my parents, and the Arizona Pilots Association for helping me along my journey.
Aerial Engagement Simulator Scholarships
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, we were very fortunate to receive two “Unlimited Flight Club” from Aerial Engagement to use as APA scholarships. These will allow a student unlimited use of their facility and simulators until they pass their checkride. This a really great benefit for student pilots and will allow them to log hours toward their ratings without the expense of renting an airplane. Students pursuing a PPL can log up to 2.5 hours and those seeking an Instrument rating can log up to 20 hours of dual instruction using a certified simulator.
We selected two of our highly ranked applicants that did not receive full scholarships for the Aerial Engagement memberships – Luke Ference and Roque Pimental.
Luke is currently completing his instrument rating at Red Rock flight school at Falcon Field and will move right into his commercial rating after passing his instrument checkride. Roque Pimental is an EVIT student that is currently taking flight training at Falcon Aviation Services for his PPL. Both Roque and Luke have airline career objectives.
We had the opportunity to meet with the Aerial Engagement team to get Luke and Roque set up for their memberships. They have a great facility and Frank Lopez, Aerial Engagement Director of Flight Operations, gave us a great tour and took the opportunity to put Roque and Luke through their paces on one of their Cessna 172 simulators. Frank is an experienced CFI, including gliders, and gave them an instrument departure with engine failure (remember he’s a glider instructor) to test them a little. Both Roque and Luke handled it well and managed to get the airplane back to the airport for nice landings – I was impressed!
We’re very excited about being able to offer these Aerial Engagement memberships to deserving students. Aerial Engagement also offers a great opportunity for the pilot community to complete things like Instrument Proficiency Checks, glass cockpit transition and general brushing up in a comfortable, state of the art facility. Check them out at www.aerialengagement.com
Our thanks to Fairfax O’Riley, Mark Lambert, Frank Gomez, and the entire Aerial Engagement team.
More to come next month and thank you again for your support in helping APA build the next generation of Arizona aviation professionals.