The Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund, Inc. is proud to announce the opening of the 2022 scholarship season. Deserving female aviators can apply for over $100,000 of helicopter flight training and educational scholarships. These scholarships advance the helicopter industry by strengthening the talent pool and increasing diversity. Applications are due Oct. 1, 2021.

This year, scholarship sponsors include Airbus, Erickson & Volo Mission, FlightSafety International, Garmin, Leading Edge Flight Academy, Central Oregon Community College, Night Flight Concepts, Robinson Helicopter Company, Survival Systems USA, and many private individuals. Awards are available for both experienced and newly-certificated pilots and examples include classes in turbine transition, software use, commercial flight training, and a helicopter rating.

Whirly-Girls Past-President, Alison Martin, stated, “When the original thirteen members of the Whirly-Girls founded this organization, they were the only female helicopter pilots in the world. They envisioned a place where female pilots could find support and camaraderie and help one another succeed. Today, our group has grown to over 2000 members but, despite this growth, females still comprise fewer than 6% of pilots. This cripples our industry, and our sponsors provide these career-building scholarships in an effort to advance women and aid the growth of aviation. Every female pilot owes it to herself to apply.”

Scholarship applications are available at www.whirlygirls.org/scholarships/ and are due Oct. 1, 2021. Scholarships will be awarded in March at the annual Whirly-Girls Awards Banquet at HAI Heli-Expo in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit www.whirlygirls.org.

Whirly-Girls International is a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in the helicopter aviation industry. The Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund, Inc. (“WGSF”) was incorporated in 1974 to oversee and administer the scholarship funds raised by the Whirly-Girls and their auxiliaries and is a federally tax exempt 501(c)(3) public charity. Initiated in 1968, the scholarship program has grown from a single $500 scholarship to a wide range of training and development scholarships.

For more information on Whirly-Girls International and Whirly-Girls scholarships, please visit www.whirlygirls.org or contact Kim Barwick at scholarships@whirlygirls.org.

This press release was prepared and distributed by the Whirly-Girls International.