Quietly Producing Pilots

Quietly Producing Pilots

By Eric Norway, EAA 1167902

How does one become a pilot? You could grow up in an aviation-oriented family. You could gain hours and experience over several years, a hundred bucks at a time. You could do four years at a school like Embry-Riddle if you have the time and money. You could join the military and apply for some of the most interesting flight training there is.

Perhaps a more important question would be how do general aviation groups create new pilots? The current strong industry demand for pilots has no end in sight. How does an organization identify and commit young people to a lifetime of aviation?

An EAA chapter in southern New Mexico has created several private pilots since 2017. EAA Chapter 1570 came into existence in 2015 at Santa Teresa, New Mexico (KDNA), and maintains about 30 active members. Like most EAA chapters, its members are busy collaborating on homebuilt projects, organizing fly-ins, and supporting the EAA Young Eagles program several weekends a year. Anyone who has worked a Young Eagles weekend knows the satisfaction of seeing the kids’ smiles and excitement. Too often, though, it stops right there. How do you follow up and seriously engage potential pilots?

The Chapter 1570 Pilot Scholarship Program

Chapter 1570 answered that question with pilot training scholarships. Eleven young people have received scholarships totaling $75,000 of the $91,000 raised so far, including $20,000 from the Ray Foundation. Of those selected, five have earned their private pilot certificates and three others have soloed.

Sources of Scholarship Funding

EAA supports a worldwide network of almost 1,000 chapters through a variety of funding methods including air tours and other events. For example, the Chapter 1570 January 2017 B-17 tour stop and the April 2017 Ford Tri-Motor tour stop, both co-hosted by the War Eagles Air Museum, were not possible without the assistance, expertise, and aircraft from EAA headquarters, local sponsors, and Chapter 1570 and Chapter 555 volunteers. These events sold hundreds of rides and scores of ground tours, bringing thousands of visitors to Santa Teresa Airport. These events were incredibly rewarding to all involved and are viable funding sources for the scholarship fund, along with those from the Ray Foundation.  

In December 2016, Chapter 1570 held its first fundraising event specifically for the scholarship program called Honoring the Greatest Generation, and commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. The event was held at and co-sponsored by the War Eagles Air Museum and attracted more than 250 attendees at $100 per seat. It was financially profitable to the scholarship fund and emotionally impactful to all who attended.

In June 2018, Chapter 1570 and the War Eagles Air Museum had their second fundraiser, Salute to Veterans, at the War Eagles Air Museum, and honored the D-Day invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944. More than 300 people attended, directly resulting in three separate $3,000 scholarships to selected scholars.

In November 2019, the third fundraiser, Honoring All Veterans, hosted by Chapter 1570 and the War Eagles Air Museum was held at the museum. Approximately 200 guests enjoyed Chuck Carson Radio Stars of the 40s and a variety show featuring Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and other radio star impersonators. It was a marvelous event that raised more than $12,000 for the scholarship fund.   

Meet the Scholars

Laura Ditlevson, EAA 1292628, is 22 years old, and was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. Her family was of modest means, and while she admired pilots, she never dreamed that she could afford to take flying lessons. When Laura was 15 years old she took her first airplane ride through the EAA Young Eagles program at Santa Teresa Airport. She was nervous but exhilarated by the experience, but assumed it was her one-time chance to fly. The following year she met Deb Rothchild, Chapter 1570 member, who took her back to Santa Teresa Airport and visited the Red Arrow Flight Academy. The flight school had a job opening that Laura gladly accepted. Over the next three years Laura worked hard at fueling, towing and servicing the aircraft, cleaning the hangar, answering the telephones and email, scheduling students, and ultimately managing all of the daily issues and problems of any active flight school. Laura made friends with Santa Teresa Airport locals and Chapter 1570. Laura applied for the flight training scholarship, was accepted, and started in the summer of 2017. Like most flight students, she found that balancing school, work, and flying lessons was quite complicated. Personal life? Forget it! At times the final goal of obtaining her private pilot certificate seemed very far away. Laura was very aware that the process was expensive, and that people she greatly respected had put their faith in her to complete the program. She resolved to use the pressure as a motivating factor, and earned her certificate in November 2019. Like most pilots, Laura realizes that her private pilot certificate is simply a “license to learn” and tries to fly every chance she gets with the Fair Weather Flying Club at KDNA.

Laura always admired military aviators and believes that the U.S. Navy has the finest aviation program in the world. In April 2020 she enlisted in the Navy Reserve as an enlisted air crewman. She has completed boot camp at the Great Lakes Recruit Training Center near Chicago, Illinois, and was “rated” and “winged” upon completion of Navy A-School at North Island in San Diego, California. Laura is currently assigned to the “Conquistadors” of Squadron VR-57 at North Island as crew member and loadmaster on Boeing C-40A (B-737) aircraft. Laura’s family, mentors, and friends simply could not be prouder of her.

Ava Moreno is 20 years old, and was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She has a keen interest in law and legal studies. Ava’s only background in aviation was the knowledge that her father took flying lessons as a young man but was unable to finish, and he regretted not obtaining a pilot certificate. While in high school Ava attended a presentation about the Chapter 1570 scholarship program. She told her father, who strongly encouraged her to apply. Her high school guidance counselor coordinated her application with Chapter 1570, and a few weeks later she was accepted. Chapter member and CFI Suzie Azar took Ava flying for the first time. Suzie became Ava’s primary flight instructor in the summer of 2018. In the summer of 2019 Ava had to stop flight instruction to attend college at Notre Dame. Because of COVID restrictions she returned home in spring 2020 and resumed flight training. She earned her private pilot certificate in June 2020.

Ava is currently a junior at Notre Dame and continues to fly as a member of the Aviation Association of Notre Dame. She cannot imagine life without flight. Ava intends to attend law school after Notre Dame.

Emma Fuchs, EAA 1375815, is 21 years of age, and was born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico. In 2019, after high school, Emma visited Santa Teresa Airport on a whim, talked to some folks, and discovered within herself a very strong attraction to general aviation. She volunteered to be a helper at an aircraft maintenance shop, Hangar 14 Maintenance Solutions, just to be around airplanes and airplane people. Emma was hooked on aviation. She chose aerospace engineering as a major at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in Las Cruces, worked at Hangar 14 Maintenance Solutions, and interned on a homebuilt project with Chapter 555. Melissa Keithly, EAA 1174801, advised Emma of the Chapter 1570 scholarship program, for which she applied and was awarded in spring 2020. Emma began formal flight training via her scholarship at Red Arrow Flight Academy. Between flight training, her work, and carrying a full academic load at NMSU, Emma was never bored during 2020. She earned her private pilot certificate in January 2021.

Currently Emma is in her third year at NMSU and plans to graduate next year with an aeronautical engineering degree. She still works at KDNA and flies as often as possible as a member of the Fair Weather Flying Club.

Vanessa Martinez, EAA 1428157, is 24 years of age, and was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. Vanessa is outgoing and adventurous. She took her first commercial flight on Southwest Airlines when she was eight years old, and remembers it vividly as incredibly exciting, but also remembers it as a “far away dream” that she couldn’t imagine doing on her own. After high school Vanessa attended four years at Baylor University, returned home to El Paso and, following a strong urge to serve her country, enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard. While preparing for Army Basic Training through daily workouts, Vanessa heard about introductory flights offered by the Red Arrow Flight Academy at Santa Teresa Airport and decided to try. After the first flight she was hooked and signed up for lessons. She learned of the scholarship program through chapter member Mike McNamee, EAA Lifetime 442860. Although she was more than halfway through flight school, Vanessa applied for a scholarship before leaving for Army Basic Training and Officer Candidate School and was delighted to receive the scholarship upon her return in June 2021. She completed training and earned her private pilot certificate in August 2021.

Vanessa Martinez is currently the executive director of the War Eagles Air Museum at Santa Teresa Airport and a Texas Army National Guard 1st Lieutenant (Military Intelligence) assigned to HHC, 149th Aviation Battalion, in Grand Prairie, Texas. She flies as often as possible with the Fair Weather Flying Club.

Amarie Rivera is 18 years old and was born in Anchorage, Alaska, to two career U.S. Air Force parents. Her family moved several times with the Air Force. Amarie was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that affects her legs in that she cannot stand for long periods of time and needs crutches to walk any appreciable distances. Amarie became interested in aviation on her 16th birthday when her parents bought her a discovery flight from a flight school at Tomball Airport near Houston, Texas. In July 2019 her family moved to El Paso, and Amarie began taking lessons at the Red Arrow Flight Academy at Santa Teresa Airport, where she learned of the Chapter 1570 flight training scholarship program. Amarie applied for the scholarship, was accepted and began lessons in earnest in spring 2020. Like most flight students, Amarie had difficulty with certain aspects of the training and some difficulty in balancing her flight training with full-time school and part-time fast-food industry work. She spent extra time training and strengthening her legs to control the rudder and brake pedals as needed. After flying on high-wind days her legs would ache from overuse. She completed her training and earned her private pilot certificate in November 2021.

Amarie is currently a freshman at University of Texas at El Paso, majoring in finance and entrepreneurship. Amarie’s dream is to fly for a major airline. She doesn’t know if her disability will realistically allow that or not, but she is 100 percent committed to that end. In the meantime she plans to own and operate her own flight school after graduation. She flies at every opportunity, and is a member of the Fair Weather Flying Club.

Jazmine Anaya, EAA 1445503, is the most recent scholar, awarded $10,000 for flight training in February 2022. Jazmine is 18 years old, from La Union, New Mexico, and a recent graduate of Santa Teresa High School. Her sister, a flight attendant for a major airline, instilled in Jazmine an interest in aviation and travel at an early age. In summer 2021, La Union suffered massive flooding. Chapter member Mike McNamee used his Hughes OH-6A helicopter to survey the damage and offered Jazmine a ride. The helicopter ride changed Jazmine’s perspective completely. Like scholar Laura Ditlevson, Jazmine got a job working at the Red Arrow Flight Academy where she works and flies today. Her goal is to finish college and become a pilot with a major airline. Perhaps Jazmine and her sister will crew the same flight someday!    

All six female pilots shared common sentiments of their flight training producing a strong sense of maturity, responsibility, and safety of flight. “Fundamentally life changing” is an apt phrase coined by one. The pilots were sensitive to the cost of the scholarships and are grateful beyond words for the opportunity to fly. The five scholars all named the following Chapter 1570 members as role models and personal benefactors: John and Melissa Keithly, Mike and Marcia McNamee, John Signarino and Mike Robinson, EAA 509527. These benefactors listed two other persons as vital behind-the-scenes scholarship forces; Rick King and War Eagles Air Museum retired director Bob Dockendorf.    

The Fair Weather Flying Club

The flying club was an idea that gelled over several months in the minds of four of the scholars and the mentors mentioned above. An issue common to most new pilots is economic flight after earning their private pilot certificates. The scholars researched options and studied how Chapter 1570 member Rick King began the Dust Devil Flying Club in 2019. Rick’s experience proved valuable. In 2021 the Fair Weather Flying Club, Inc was born with Emma Fuchs as president, Vanessa Martinez as vice President, Laura Ditlevson as secretary, and Amarie Rivera as treasurer. After organizing the club they bought a 2004 Aerospool WT9 Dynamic LSA. It’s a beautiful, sleek airplane that is also economical to operate.

Conclusion

To quote John Keithly, “…this is a story about the scholarship program, technically run by Chapter 1570 but with equal credit to the War Eagles Air Museum. Really, it was the flying community at KDNA that made it happen, the student pilots with gritty resolve to succeed, and the culmination of the quest by the formation of the flying club to purchase an aircraft.”

EAA Chapter 1570 has demonstrated a viable way to fund future pilots through a solid scholarship program. This chapter has people dedicated to promoting general aviation, just like most other EAA chapters worldwide. If Chapter 1570 can do it successfully, so can you. You’ll never run out of young people that yearn to fly.

Direct any questions about the possibilities offered by this article to Chapter 1570 through their website, their Facebook page, or to Melissa Keithly, the chapter’s scholarship director, at 915-269-2590.

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