APPLY NOW: Canadian women in aviation scholarship

Applications are open for the Xenia Morales Women in Aviation Scholarship. The 2023 scholarship winner,  Katie Clybourne, was pursuing a Bachelor of Science in aviation with minors in both geography and environmental science at Mount Allison University and Moncton Flight College.

Forest Protection Limited SEATs
Forest Protection Limited SEATs

The sponsor of this scholarship, New Brunswick’s Forest Protection Limited, wrote last fall that Katie was juggling three jobs during the school year while maintaining an impressive 4.0 GPA. In a class of 69 students, she  was among the first to complete her flying hours and became the first woman to obtain her Private Pilot License (PPL) in 2023. She also was pursuing her night rating and Commercial Pilot License (CPL) at Moncton Flight College.

Forest Protection LimitedThe Xenia Morales Women in Aviation Scholarship is awarded annually to women in aviation — as either an aircraft maintenance engineer or an agriculture pilot — and helps deserving women who are committed to protecting natural resources while pursuing an aviation career.

            • Estimated value: $5,000
            • Available scholarships: One per year
            • Scholarship year: 2024
            • Application deadline: June 28, 2024

Xenia Morales Scholarship -- Forest Protection Limited

 

Submit your essay titled “Xenia Morales – Women in Aviation Scholarship” to 

in**@fo*********************.com











  — deadline is 28 June 2024.
PILOT APPLICANT:

The scholarship will help fund the costs of completing a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) or agricultural pilot training. Preference will be given to those enrolled in agricultural pilot training or with a clear career plan to work in a 702 environment.

AME APPRENTICE APPLICANT:

The scholarship will help with the costs of completing approved training at a Transport Canada Approved Training Organization (ATO).

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit a 500-1000 word essay including:

        • A personal statement describing how this opportunity would help advance your professional goals.
        • Pilot applicants must include a statement about interest in 702 operations.
        • Financial need or other barriers you face or have overcome.
        • Involvement in the aviation community.
        • Other personal accomplishments.

Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents and preference is given to New Brunswick residents. The successful applicant must provide proof of good academic standing or proof of enrollment in her program of study. The scholarship will be paid directly to the training institution.

Established in 2021, the scholarship provides financial assistance to women pursuing an aviation career. It promotes gender equality in the aviation industry and supports women committed to protecting natural resources with an aviation career.

Forest Protection Air Tractor AT-802s are the world’s largest single-engine airtankers, and are customized with specialized equipment, computers and software. The dual-use aircraft are equipped for both aerial firefighting and agricultural aerial treatment missions. Forest Protection Limited staffs 11 reload bases throughout New Brunswick, equipped with fire retardant, foam, and water, allowing for fast turnaround on suppression flights.

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Pilot walks away from air tanker crash in New Brunswick

Air tractor aircraft
This aircraft is similar to the one that was involved in the crash. Photo submitted by Forest Protection Limited.

A single engine air tanker crashed August 11 while working on a wildfire near Mount Carleto in New Brunswick, Canada. The pilot, the only person on board, walked away.

From CBC News, by Jennifer Sweet

A New Brunswick pilot in his 50s is lucky to be alive after the water bomber he was flying crashed into a hillside Wednesday August 11 in remote, mountainous terrain in northern New Brunswick.

“It’s a bit of a miracle,” said Steven Hansen, managing director of Forest Protection Ltd., the Fredericton-based company contracted to help the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development fight forest fires. “It’s the best possible outcome from the worst possible scenario,” he said.

Hansen said the pilot is “very experienced” and had been flying for a few hours Wednesday afternoon dumping water and flame retardant on a wildfire.

According to the provincial government’s latest fire activity report, a fire on Old River Road, between the old Heath Steele mine and Mount Carleton, is still out of control.

The plane had just refueled and reloaded with another 800 gallons at the airport in Miramichi and was heading back to the fire when the crash happened, said Hansen.

“There was an unknown issue with the aircraft,” said Jason Hoyt, a spokesperson for DNRE, and the water tanker, identified by Forest Protection Limited as an Air Tractor AT-802F, crashed into the side of a hill at about 4 p.m. “in heavy woods approximately one kilometer from the site of the fire.”

“It’s dangerous work we do,” said Hansen. The terrain was “complex,” he said, and the fire had created turbulence.

It may not be a huge fire, he said, but it was intense.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. The national Transportation Safety Board said it has sent a team to look into it.

Forest fire fighters were the first people to get to the scene of the crash, said Hansen.

“They found the pilot climbing out of the wreckage,” said Hoyt.

The pilot was upright, walking and talking, said Hansen.

Both men said the pilot was taken to the Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst to be checked over and was released Wednesday night with no major injuries.

Hansen said his company voluntarily grounded its planes following the crash, and is cooperating with the TSB’s investigation.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.