
Greetings,
It’s hard to believe that 2023 is coming to a close and the new year will be here before we know it. The winter flying weather has been stellar lately, and let’s hope it continues for the foreseeable future.
Before we finish out this year, the APA team will be busy again this month closing out the 2023 Scholarship cycle. We had another good turnout this year with forty-one applications received. Although many of the students are seeking careers as airline pilots, there are those that want to become professional CFI’s or focus on the other aspects of flying, such as aerial firefighting or flying for organizations such as the US Forest Service. We’ve also seen a steady uptick in students interested in becoming aviation maintenance professionals, which is very encouraging since that is predicted to be the next talent shortfall in the aviation industry. The Scholarship committee is nearing completion of its work in reviewing and scoring the applications, and we’ll update you on the winners in the January edition of the newsletter.
As you probably know, the Scholarship program is solely funded by membership donations. As we get close to the end of the tax year, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Scholarship fund so that we can continue to support the next generation of Arizona aviation professionals. Every dollar donated goes directly to scholarships which are a critical part of APA’s mission.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank all our volunteers. They contribute a lot of time and energy to making APA successful. Whether it’s hosting our fly-in events, doing airstrip maintenance to sending membership thank you cards, they are critical to keeping APA viable as the voice of General Aviation in Arizona. Last but certainly not least, a special thanks to our newsletter editor, Cathy Paradee, who works hard to keep us on all on track with the monthly newsletter publication – thanks Cathy! And if you are interested in joining our volunteer team, please let us know!
Happy Holidays and Fly Safe!
Fly Safe,
Chris