Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship

10/17/2022

Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship has come to a close - https://mailchi.mp/82c0ea3c3694/2022-alex-gilmer-scholarship-update-5677585

10/17/2022

Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship has come to a close - https://mailchi.mp/d55de6182f0c/2022-alex-gilmer-scholarship-update-5677581

10/17/2022

We have given out over $65,000 in scholarships in the last 11 years, and we could not be prouder.  In 2022, we gave out four scholarships.  Our final scholarship recipients were Katherine Chandler Shipp, Adam Miller, Shakar Soltani, and Jillian Warren. We would be nothing without our donors, and w...

12/02/2021

Happy Holidays From the Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship! - Check out our latest newsletter!
https://mailchi.mp/a10587dce8c9/2021-alex-gilmer-scholarship-update

12/28/2020

2020 Alex Gilmer Memorial Flight School Scholarship Recipients - without our Donors, this couldn't be possible!

Congratulations to our 2020 Scholarship Recipients! After 9 Years of Giving out Scholarships, We Are Still Going Strong!

We have given out over $57,000 in scholarships in the last 9 years, and could not be prouder. In 2020, we gave out two scholarships. Our scholarship recipients were Chelsea Montgomery and Dylan Rummel.

We would be nothing without our donors, and we thank you so much for your continued support. We are a 501(c)(3) designated non-profit, if you are interested in learning more, check out our Donate page on our site. We would be ever so thankful if you chose Alex's Memorial Scholarship for your charity in 2020.

As always, a special thanks goes out to all our donors! From our Family to yours, wishing you a great 2021!

~The Gilmer's
https://www.AlexGilmerScholarship.org

12/28/2020

Chelsea Montgomery 2020 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

12/28/2020

Genevieve Zasada 2016 Scholarship Recipient – 2020 Update:

Genevieve having put her scholarship to great use, is heading towards a lifetime goal!! See her email to us below:

Good afternoon Gilmer family!

I am thrilled to tell you I received my wings and have graduated undergraduate pilot training at the top of my class. Flying the T-38 has been an absolute blast. I could not imagine myself doing anything else!

I recently graduated Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals here in San Antonio. We learned old school “dog-fighting” and the basics of how to provide air-to-ground support.

This has been a long road filled with failures and victories. There is more training to be had, but I am eager to rise to the occasion. I am grateful for the support you have shown me and the opportunity to represent Alex’s Legacy.

Best,

Genevieve
2016 Scholarship Recipient

12/28/2020

Gemma Nowak 2018 Scholarship Recipients 2020 Update:

Please see the email that Gemma sent to us this year.

February 25, 2020

Dear Alex Gilmer Scholarship,

Wow! Thank you so much for attaching my letter and photo to the scholarship email! That is so super cool! Flight school in the Navy is going well so far and I’m on my way to earning my wings of gold. I should have about a year and a half left. Thank you so much again! Please see attached for a couple more photos! I completed my first solo on October 28 and earned my flight suit on Jan 31. I hope things are going well for you and that the Colorado snowstorms pass quickly and with little trouble! If you ever need a break from the snow, the Florida sun is always shining!

All the best,
Gemma Nowak

Gemma B. Nowak
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering – Biomedical Engineering Option
University of Colorado Boulder, May 2019
Navy ROTC, Naval Flight Officer Select, May 2019

12/22/2020

Our Annual Newsletter is out! Subscribe on our website!

Click here to read on about who are 2017 scholarship recipients were, the new updates on our website, as well as a spotlight on a recipient of the scholarship, and a special thanks to our donors.

02/22/2020

2019 Alex Gilmer Memorial Flight School Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to our 2019 Scholarship Recipients!

Ryan Myers, Austin Fields and Andrew Martin

As always, a special thanks goes out to all our donors!
45 Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarships have been awarded since April 2011 totaling to $55,000.00!!! And this is all thanks to your generous donations!

02/22/2020

Tyler Faragallah, 2017 Alex Gilmer Flight School Scholarship Recipient

Please see the email that Tyler sent to us, 2 years after receiving the scholarship.

April 2, 2019

Good Evening Mr. Gilmer,

I wanted to reach out with an update on my flying progression.

Since the fall of 2017 when I got my license (the loan award helped tons with that) I’ve been busy building flight hours as my school/work schedule permits. So far I’ve managed to get roughly 100 hours, all VFR in a little Cessna 150, which proved to be an interesting challenge to safely fly in Colorado. At the time I was trying to make myself competitive for the USAF active duty pilot boards. Last November (2018), prior to the active duty boards I applied for and was selected by a Air Force Reserve rated board. This essentially allows me to commission from Det 105 in the spring of 2020 and go to pilot training as an AF Reservist, and I’m currently working with a couple AF Reserve squadrons with the hopes to fly for them after flight school. In the meantime I have gained access to a Cessna 172 to fly (which is much better suited to Colorado), and I will probably start some basic IFR training in the spirit of continued training and improvement.

I hope this update finds you well, and thanks again for the support to start this journey! I’ve attached a picture of my dad and I flying out somewhere northwest of Boulder.

Very Respectfully,

Tyler B. Faragallah