The Upwind Foundation has revealed the Upwind Summer Scholarship Class of 2018: Alessandro Franco of Burlingame, California, Daniel Levin of Belmont, and Aditya Munshi of Saratoga.
The three aspiring young aviators have been awarded a complete primary flight training program including ground school that began in April and flight training during the summer.
“This scholarship rejuvenates general aviation by welcoming in the next generation of pilots,” said Upwind Executive Director Herb Patten. “More importantly, it has a positive impact on the lives of three high school students by preparing them to take on the responsibilities of Pilot in Command.”
The Upwind Summer Scholarship Program was created by pilots in the San Francisco Bay Area to promote piloting, general aviation and to cultivate interest in aviation-related careers. Each year, Upwind selects one or more high school students and provides them with nine weeks of training to prepare them for their airplane private pilot certificate.
The scholarship provides for ground and flight training with expert instructors, training manuals, charts and flight planning tools.
Throughout the program, the scholarship recipients receive mentorship from other pilots and enjoy many other social and flying activities as new members of the aviation community.
This is the sixth year for the program, which has awarded 20 scholarships.
Meet the Upwind Class of 2018
Alessandro Franco is a junior at Burlingame High School and the son of Karen and Nello Franco. He has plans for a future in aviation as a CFI so he can share his passion for flying with others. His passion for flying started with his first flight when he was 3 months old in a Beech Travel Air with his Dad as the pilot.
More recently, Alessandro attended the aviation camp at the Hiller Aviation and loves flying with his Dad.
Daniel Levin is a junior at Design Tech High School and the son of Nina Shulman and William Levin. He has been actively involved in EAA’s Young Eagles program for the last two years.
His plan is to become a flight instructor, so he can help others achieve their dream of flight.
Aditya Munshi is a junior at Lynbrook High School and the son of Archana and Drumil Munshi. He has shared his passion for aviation by volunteering at the Hiller Aviation Museum. Since a young age, he has been making model airplanes from kits and then from blueprints he found online.
Aditya hopes to attend the US Air Force Academy and earn a degree in aeronautical engineering.