Whirly-Girls International, a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in the helicopter aviation industry, has announced the recipients of the 2024 Whirly-Girls Scholarship Awards.  The scholarships will be awarded February 25, 2024 at the Whirly-Girls Annual Reception during HAI HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, California.  Thanks to the support of aviation leaders, 39 scholarships were bestowed upon deserving female aviators, the largest scholarship program in the helicopter industry.

Recipients of the 2024 Whirly-Girls scholarships are:

• Bridget Colby – Airbus Inadvertent IIMC Training Scholarship
• Shalena Abbas– Anastasia Mosquito Control District Ag Spray Scholarship
• Anna Harpila– Bell Training Academy Maintenance Scholarship
• Lucy Passaniti– Stewart “Stu” Dietrick Memorial Scholarship
• Teagan Trant – Bristow Group Initial Helicopter Flight Training Scholarship
• Maggie Beseda– CAE SK-76 Initial Training for Helicopter ATP Scholarship
• Katrin Doederer – Erickson & Volo Mission Vertical Reference/External Load Scholarship
• Amory Harris – Flight Safety International Bell 206/Bell 407 Scholarship
• Kellye Evans, Maria Paradise, & Kelsey Hoogendoorn – Garmin GTN & Flight Display Pilot Training Course Scholarship
• Olivia Bassett & Laura Deatherage – Garmin Aviation Online Training Course Scholarship
• Sarah Jackson – Leading Edge Flight Academy & Central Oregon Community College Helicopter Instrument Rating Scholarship
• Charlotte Brown & Larissa O’Donoghue – Leonardo Helicopters AW139 Flight Training Course Scholarship
• Alicia Martinez & Kaela Robertson – Leonardo Helicopters AW139 Full Airframe Maintenance Course Scholarship
• Brandi Truesdel– Lora Trout Remembrance Initial or Commercial Training Scholarship
• Ryan Hester – MD Helicopters MD500 Flight Training Scholarship
• Yesenia Bello, Mariah Dugan, Larissa Hamilton, Andrea McGilvray, & Rebecca Torres– Oregon Aero CRM/AMRM Instructor Training Scholarship
• Hannah Santamaria – Palm Beach Helicopters CFI/CFII Rating Scholarship
• Amy Hartt & Kerry Hahne – PHI Aviation Bell 407 Scholarship
• Cecily Olsen & Kim Loraine-Grews – Robinson Helicopters R22/R44 Safety Course Scholarship
• Linnea Nelson & Leah French – Southern Utah University (SUU) Career Flight Training Scholarship
• Ruby Esquivel– Southern Utah University (SUU) Maintenance Scholarship
• Dallas Smith & Alexa Dunn – Survival Systems USA Aviation Survival & Egress Scholarship
• Olivia Anderson – Edward M Thurn Memorial Scholarship
• Lexi Hargis – Whirly-Girls Memorial Flight Training Scholarship
• Oceana Gamel Howes – Whirly-Girls Jean Tinsley Memorial Heli-Expo Scholarship
• Harley Lenart – Whirly-Girls Initial/Add-on Flight Training Scholarship

“The 2024 Scholarship offering has been record breaking, and we are immensely grateful to our Sponsors for their generosity and support. 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” said Joanna Forrester, Whirly-Girls International Scholarship Director.

“Only 6% of helicopter pilots are women, 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”