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ALOHA CHAPTER, THE NINETY-NINES INTERNATIONAL
MARGUERITE GAMBO WOOD FOUNDATION
FLIGHT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WOMEN
2016-17 Scholarships – Information & Application Form
The Aloha Chapter Ninety-Nines Scholarship Committee invites qualified women pilots to apply for
scholarship assistance to support flight training. In addition to fostering camaraderie, sponsoring and
organizing flight events, serving as an information resource and carrying out flight-related community
service, the Ninety-Nines organization has provided networking and financial support to further the
aspirations of women aiming to become professional pilots. The Committee administers Chapter
scholarships as well as scholarships sponsored by other individuals and organizations who desire to
support flight training for women through the scholarship award process of the Aloha Chapter.
Scholarship applicants are asked to participate in Aloha Chapter activities of The Ninety-Nines
International organization to become acquainted with the mission and to become connected with other
women pilots who have received scholarships. Contact information for the Aloha Chapter Scholarship
Committee is included at the end of this document.
The Marguerite Gambo Wood Flight Scholarships for Women, administered by the Aloha Chapter of
the 99's, are sponsored by the Marguerite Gambo Wood Foundation (MGWF), which was established by
her estate in 1984 to support her commitments to women in aviation. Mrs. Wood was an exceptional
aviation entrepreneur who helped define general aviation in Hawai’i and understood the importance of
empowering other women and girls in the Islands. She was an admired flight instructor and started a
respected flight school in Hawai'i. She especially enjoyed assisting young women in furthering their
dreams of careers in aviation.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Mrs. Wood was the only civil aviator allowed to fly in Hawaiian air
space in order to continue delivering needed supplies to Kalaupapa. She continued teaching flying skills
and running her company, “Hawaii’s Country Club of the Air,” until shortly before her death at age
71. She knew the importance of encouraging women to express themselves, think about their importance,
and be aware of their power over the future through their ideas and actions in the present. “Ma” Wood, as
she was affectionately known, was a vital influence and a well-loved figure at the Honolulu airport and
her Foundation is a testament to her convictions and her success. Mrs. Wood operated a flight school in
Honolulu for many years and was a strong supporter of the various activities of the Ninety-Nines. Mrs.
Wood was committed to offering scholarships to women who were seeking to become professional pilots
and needed assistance in meeting the high training costs. See page 4 for a brief biography of Marguerite
Gambo Woods.
The following requirements apply to the applicants and applications that are submitted for consideration
for a 2016-17 Marguerite Gambo Wood scholarship:
1. Hawai‘i resident.
2. Membership in the Aloha Chapter of the 99's is not required. The MGW Foundation recommends
that applicants have demonstrated interest and participation in the community service and aviationrelated activities of the Aloha 99's Chapter.
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The amount of this year’s award from the Foundation is still to be announced. In past years, the Aloha
Chapter has usually been able to distribute from $20,000 to $30,000 in annual scholarship awards. The
largest part of that sum comes from the Marguerite Gambo Wood Foundation. The number and amount of
scholarships will be announced in late September, 2016. Applicants who do not receive a scholarship are
encouraged to re-apply in the following year. Applicants who have received funding in previous years are
eligible for funding in the current year.
The Application Package. Interested applicants should use the application form on page 3 of this
document. Questions should be directed to Committee members listed below. Three (3) stapled copies of
the Application Packet are to be submitted – one sent separately to each of the Committee members
(original application form to chairman; submit copies of certifications not originals).
Submit 3 copies of the following materials, 1 copy to each Scholarship Committee member.
Materials should be sent by regular USPS mail postmarked by September 7, 2016. (Please do not
use express mail or delivery methods that require signatures.) Late applications cannot be
accepted.
(1) Application Form (page 3 of this document).
(2) Application Essay: On a separate page, write a personal statement about how you got started in
aviation and your goals in life and in aviation, and why you deserve this scholarship. Include
scholarships you have previously received and special qualifications you may have, work history
and experience, aviation associations and organizations in which you have participated, and your
other interests and accomplishments outside of aviation. Describe the aviation goal/ goals that you
will achieved as a result of receiving this scholarship. Please limit statement to 1000 words.
(3) Financial Need Statement: In a separate statement, explain in general terms your financial status and
why you need financial help for the training goal you seek.
(4) A photograph similar to a passport photo.
(5) Copy of Pilot Certificate.
(6) Copy of Medical Certificate.
(7) Two (2) letters of recommendation in support of the scholarship application should be submitted.
One of each letter should be a signed original. Contact information must be included to enable
references to be checked.
Applications must be postmarked by September 7, 2016.
Send 1 stapled copy of application by US Postal Service to each Scholarship Committee member:
Nancy Hedlund, Scholarship Committee Chairman
930 Kaheka Street, #3601, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96814
[email protected], 808-946-9473
Cindy Fiaui, 45-627 Kulukeoe Place, Kaneohe, Hawai'i 96744
[email protected]; (808) 753-1348
Suzi Davis, 68-679 Crozier Drive, Waialua, Hawai'i 96791
[email protected]
For more information about the scholarships please contact
Aloha Chapter Scholarship Committee members.
For information about The Ninety-Nines, Inc.: http://www.ninety-nines.org/
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APPLICATION FORM 2016-17
ALOHA CHAPTER NINETY-NINES FLIGHT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WOMEN
Send 1 Complete Application and Supporting Documents to each member of the Scholarship Committee
by regular USPS mail, postmarked by 9/7/2016
Please do not use express mail or delivery methods that require signatures.
(if you are not notified by email of receipt of application in 5 days, call or email Nancy Hedlund):
Nancy Hedlund, Committee Chairman, 930 Kaheka Street, #3601, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96814
Cindy Fiaui, 45-627 Kulukeoe Place, Kaneohe, Hawai'i 96744
Suzi Davis, 68-679 Crozier Drive, Waialua, Hawai'i 96791
Be sure your application is readable!
(Contact Nancy Hedlund for a Word version of the application. Extend form to a second page if needed.)
Name:
Pilot Certificate #:
Address:
Email:
Birthdate:
Telephone (preferred):
Telephone:
Present position & Employer:
Spouse’s Name if Married:
Number & Ages of Minor Children:
Private Pilot Certificate or Most Recent Certificate Received – Type & Date:
Pilot in Command Hours Since Private:
Pilot in Command Hours Past 12 Months:
Pilot Hours Flown – Past Six Months:
Pilot Hours Flown - Total Time:
Type of pilot certificate now held, and ratings:
List any aviation accidents or violations (add notes or explanations as appropriate):
Education level achieved:
Are you in school now (what is your goal)?
Other aviation related education or training (use separate page as needed):
Scholarship would be used toward:
List all grants or scholarships received from all sources during the past 12 months:
SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS: Resident of Hawai‘i; commitment to participating in 99s Aloha Chapter activities
and the annual Aloha Chapter event at which scholarship recipients are announced and scholarships awarded. Winners
should be present, if possible, to receive a scholarship.
AFFIDAVIT: “The information I have given on this application form and in the accompanying essay is true and correct.
I meet the requirements for this scholarship. I will do my best to meet the scholarship requirement of participating in the
chapter event at which the scholarships are awarded. In addition, I will make every effort possible to attend the 2017
event to report on my use of the scholarship and how it has contributed to my career as a pilot.”
_____________________________________________________________(Signature & Date)
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Marguerite Gambo Wood
The 99 News. VOLUME 12 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1985 NUMBER 1
http://www.ninety-nines.org/pdf/newsmagazine/19850102.pdf
Marguerite Gambo Wood Aloha Chapter charter member. Marguerite Gambo Wood took flight frorn
earth Thanksgiving day, a victim of cancer. One of Hawai’i’s pioneer aviators, Marguerite began her
professional aviation career in 1939 with the founding of her Gambo Flying Service at Honolulu’s
John Rodgers Field (now Honolulu International Airport). She was Hawai’i’s first woman to become a
commercial pilot, to become a flight instructor and to operate a flight school. In recognition of her
personal efforts to promote aviation as a career field for both men and women, Marguerite was
honored by Aloha Chapter with the dedication of a plaque bearing her name at the International
Forest of Friendship in 1978. On December 7,1941, Marguerite’s flying school activities were halted
abruptly. She was flying with a student over the island of O’ahu when Japanese fighter planes
suddenly came flying by. As she recalled, “The Army Air Corps had been holding a lot of simulated
attacks, and I thought they were certainly getting realistic.” When she saw smoke at Kaneohe Naval
Air Station, she became suspicious and returned to her home field just in time to take cover in a ditch
while the field was strafed. Not long after that, Marguerite decided to join the newly formed Women
Airforce Service Pilots (W ASP) organization, but before she made it to Cherry Point, North Carolina,
she was sidelined in California because flight instructors were needed more than ferry pilots. She
became chief flight instructor for Pierce Flying School at Nogales, Arizona, training Army and Navy
pilots. There she met husband Robert Wood, and after the war they returned to Hawai’i. Marguerite
convinced the University of Hawai’i to let her teach a ground school course. By popular demand to
have a flying school for veterans to take advantage of the “GI Bill,” Marguerite started her second
flying school — the Hawai’ian School of Aeronautics. In 1952, her husband was transferred to
Germany. She sold her school and turned the hangars over to the Territory of Hawai’i with the proviso
that the two hangars would always be reserved for the use of general aviation. When the Woods
returned to Honolulu from Europe, “Ma,” as she had been nicknamed by her male students, learned
that the hangars were to be used for airline freight operations. When she raised a fuss about it, she
was told she ’d have to “come out of retirement” and take over management of the two hangars. So
she established Hawai’i’s Country Club of the Air, leasing space to flying clubs and others. Her
operation became FAA and VA approved for flight training. Enthusiastic about encouraging young
people interested in learning to fly, 99s Life Member “Ma” regularly provided scholarships to Civil Air
Patrol cadets for CAP flying encampments in Hawai’i and provided scholarships to aid other
individuals with their aeronautical training, including many 99s. A memorial service for “Ma” was held
December 1 at her Hawai’i’s Country Club of the Air, and her ashes were scattered over the channel
between the islands of O’ahu and Molokai, as she had requested. By Lindy Boyes