Chelsea Montgomery, 2020 Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship Recipient
Chelsea has big plans for the use of her scholarship!
Dear Theresa and Mr. & Mrs. Gilmer,
I hope you are all having a wonderful day and staying healthy! I know we spoke on the phone a few weeks back, but I am writing to more formally thank you for your kindness and generosity in awarding me the Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship. I read about Alex online and on the Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship website before applying, but it was truly an honor getting to hear directly from you, someone so close to him, and learning more about his impact and contributions to not only the aviation community, but to our great country! Alex was an inspiration to many and he will be missed. As a recipient of the Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship, I hope to commemorate his life and continue his legacy by doing exactly what he did; inspiring and positively impacting the community and those he was surrounded by not just in his aviation ventures, but beyond.
The Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship will give me the opportunity to further my education at ATP Flight School in Mesa, AZ and accelerate the pace of my graduation. This will give me more time to focus on causes vital to the aviation community and volunteer with organizations such as EAA, the Ninety-Nines, and WAI Girls in Aviation Day. It will also help me on my way to becoming a volunteer pilot for the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC) pilot which provides free air transportation to post 9/11 combat wounded for medical and other purposes.
The Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship will go towards helping me complete my commercial license. In addition, I would like to flight instruct as a CFI in the near future. Instruction will be rewarding as I will get the chance to interact with people from all walks of life, play a part in helping someone reach their goals, and often be their first impression into the world of aviation. While also remembering Alex and the many others
who have lost their lives to mid-air collisions, I will stress to my students the need to look outside and the concept of see and avoid.
Overall, I hope to someday return the favor, help those who serve, and be in a position to help others reach their dreams by inspiring and financially assisting those unable to afford flight training. The Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship has helped me get my future off the ground and I appreciate everything that you continually do, not only for students, but the aviation community as a whole, and for young aspiring pilots, like me. I hope that I will get a chance to express my thanks in person someday and hope to stay in touch.
Thank you very much, again, for helping me pursue my dreams. When I think of Alex, I will be sure to go help someone!
All the best,
Chelsea Montgomery
2020 Scholarship Recipient