Aviation Research

Calhoun Air Center

Texas Well Represented in Women of Aviation Worldwide Week Awards

Dianna Stanger and Vanessa Molina prepare for a ride during the Fly It Forward Challenge at the South Texas International Airport.

Dianna Stanger and Vanessa Molina prepare for a ride during the Fly It Forward Challenge at the South Texas International Airport.

The Women of Aviation Worldwide Week was held on March 6-12 and the state of Texas can proudly boast three winners that helped to foster aviation awareness and help grow the number of women pilots.

Texas had two winners in the 2016 Most Dedicated Female Pilot Worldwide division, which is awarded to the registered female pilot who conducts the most reported flights (girls reporting divided by number of passenger seats) during the week. Dianna Stanger from Port Lavaca was the overall winner flying 574 girls during the week and Yasmina Platt from Houston was the first finalist.

The South Texas International Airport at Edinburg won the 2016 Most Female-Pilot-Friendly Airport Worldwide Award. This award was presented to the airport hosting one or more official activities that generate the most valid female first flight reports for the week, March 7-13, 2016.

The highly-successful Fly It Forward Challenge took place at the South Texas International Airport. The volunteer-based event was hosted by the airport and Calhoun Air Center, and was an opportunity to foster aviation awareness and help grow the number of women pilots.

The challenge invited pilots to introduce girls of all ages to flying with the goal of addressing the flight introduction gender gap and fostering gender balance in the industry. In addition to free rides, participants learned about the history of women in aviation, received information regarding necessary training and special scholarship opportunities.

The aim of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week is to help women feel welcome, valued and qualified to pursue aerospace based goals; to prepare female students through quality Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum and to expose girls to positive female role models.

“The WOAW initiative is one that I truly believe in and, after giving someone their first flight, it is one that each new passenger believes in,” said Calhoun Air Center Director Stanger. “Each year Calhoun Air Center tries to target a different location in order to make sure that those kids that are in different areas are able to experience the thrill I get each time I fly. It is one of the most remarkable weeks in terms of the volunteer time, flights given and lives touched.”

Calhoun Air Center Welcomes Local Kids

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Calhoun Air Center FBO Manager Steve Plunkett at the airport's kids day event.

Calhoun Air Center FBO Manager Steve Plunkett explains the features and capabilities of the Beechcraft Premier jet during their annual Kid’s Day event.

The rains didn’t arrive but the kids did on the 7th annual Kids Day hosted by Calhoun Air Center on May 8. The field trip was attended by approximately 350 sixth-grade students from local schools.

“The Calhoun Air Center has proudly continued to host this event which educates and excites the kids who attend it each year,” said Calhoun County Airport Manager Dianna Stanger. “It is my very favorite day of the year when I have the opportunity to see so many eager faces learn about aviation. We can’t believe it’s been seven years that we’ve hosted the event — making it more than 2,450 students that have visited the airport since 2009.”

There were a number of pilots with different aircraft present set up as individual stations. Each station taught the students subjects such as: the differences between an airplane and helicopter, emergency air flights, fuel management, aerodynamics, wind components, wind velocity and aircraft parts.

The pilots and aircraft included: Dianna Stanger, airport manager with a Eurocopter EC120; Steve Plunkett, fixed base operator (FBO) manager with a Beechcraft Premier jet, David Hahn, local farmer with a Maule and Larry Robinson, local pilot with a Cirrus SR22.

The Calhoun County Fire Department, EMS and U.S. Coast Guard were also in attendance. PHI, Inc. sponsored a snow cone station and the students were delighted to cool down while walking around on the warm tarmac. There were special guest appearances by PHI Inc. with their Eurocopter EC135, John Sterling with an Air Tractor, and the U.S. Coast Guard performed training tactics on the runway.

“What looked to be an inclement rainy day turned into a day of learning about aviation for everyone involved,” said Calhoun Air Center Public Relations Manager Jasmine Gordon. “The look on their faces says it all!”

The Calhoun Air Center also actively promotes the National Aviation Art Contest and each year they submit hundreds of entries.

“It’s amazing to see our local aviation community come together to show the students how great aviation can be,” said Steve Plunkett, FBO manager. “We all look forward to this day each year.”

LeTourneau University Aviation Student Earns Scholarship

By Jasmine Gordon
Calhoun Air Center

Dianna Stanger, Whitney Brouwer, and Lauren Bitikofer

Air Race Classic Champion, Dianna Stanger with scholarship winner, Whitney Brouwer alongside her Flight Science Chair, Lauren Bitikofer at LeTourneau University

LeTourneau University (LETU) student Whitney Brouwer, a senior flight science major from Raymond, Minn., was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the 2012 Air Race Classic champions Dianna Stanger and Victoria Holt, known as The Racing Aces.

On Friday, February 1, Stanger and Racing Aces representative Jasmine Gordon presented Brouwer with the $5,000 scholarship during a luncheon celebration at the Abbott Aviation Center. “There is nothing better than giving back — especially when it is so well deserved,” said Stanger.

Stanger and Holt won the 36th Air Race Championship in June 2012 following a four-day air race covering nearly 2,900 statute-miles across eight states and making nine stops. They decided to donate their $5,000 winning purse and sponsorship money to empower a female flight student to realize her own dream of flight. The Federal Aviation Administration reports that only 7 percent of all pilots are women, and that percentage has not increased in nearly a century.

Brouwer dedicates her time to working with the university flight team and at a local flight service center. She earned her private pilot’s certificate in August 2010 and has logged over 250 flight hours.

“Aviation is an exciting field, and I enjoy the different opportunities it presents,” said Brouwer. “I love to fly, and I’m also becoming certified as an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic.”

Brouwer will use the scholarship to help pay her university expenses. LETU Flight Science Chair Lauren Bitikofer says Brouwer is a top student. “Whitney helps the aircraft mechanics with annual and 100-hour inspections by performing many tasks including: changing oil, cleaning spark plugs, and servicing wheels and brakes,” said Bitikofer. “In more than 35 years of observing and teaching students, I would place her within the top 2 percent of all students for potential, ability and personal integrity.”

“I really want to thank everyone at the luncheon celebration for recognizing Whitney and helping her achieve the goals she has in aviation,” said Bitikofer. “She will be an incredible asset to our industry.”

In addition to presenting Brouwer with a ceremonial check and certificate, the pilots toured the Abbot Aviation Center. The Abbott Aviation Center houses LeTourneau’s School of Aeronautical Science at the East Texas Regional Airport. “I was extremely impressed with the facility and the level of hands on experience the students receive,” said Stanger.