Region's Aviation Industry Continues to Help Students Reach For the Sky Through Annual Golf Outing

Region's Aviation Industry Continues to Help Students Reach For the Sky Through Annual Golf Outing

12/4/15

West Windsor, N.J. – The “Sky’s the Limit” TTN Scholarship Fund held its annual golf tournament in October at Mercer County’s Mountain View Golf Course. The benefit outing is held for the sole benefit of Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Aviation Flight Technology students. This year the event yielded a record total of $28,000 in proceeds that created $5,000 scholarships to cover flight fees for five students.

According to one of the event’s organizers, Greg Johns, the president/CEO of Infinity Flight Group, which partners with MCCC at Mercer-Trenton Airport, the outing is a win-win for the region’s community of pilots. “The local aviation business has so many alumni from MCCC’s flight program who are now in corporate aviation or another aspects of the business,” Johns said. He estimates that one-quarter of the golfers are MCCC alumni who have come full circle to support the program.

“We’re a small community and everyone knows each other. Word spreads quickly about the event and we have a great day together,” Johns said, adding that he finds it personally rewarding to help organize the outing, knowing that the funds raised are truly making a difference in students' lives.

The sky's the limit for Aviation Scholarship recipients, standing from left, Cristian Guardado, Brittany Wood, Professor Joan Jones, Sean Sowinski, Jeffrey Neketiah, Elijah Johnson, Brandon Broadway; kneeling from left, Wisdom Agyei and Patrick Carver. Ageyi was awarded the King Air Second-In-Command Scholarship for Training.

“Mercer has a solid reputation for preparing well-trained pilots and the companies benefit by being able to offer internships and jobs to the graduates,” Johns said.

With the Sky's The Limit Fund having raised over $200,000 since it started over a decade ago, MCCC Flight Technology professors are just as grateful as their students.

According to Aviation Program Coordinator Joan Jones, eight members of the college's Flight Team assisted with the event. "It provided the students with tremendous networking opportunities with the corporate aviation professionals in attendance," Jones said.

Added Instructor Judy Stillwagon, “Thanks to the efforts of the aviation community, students who normally would not be able to afford to fly have the ability to get their flight certifications, as well as find jobs with major airlines and major corporations.”

Stillwagon notes that enrollment in the program has been bolstered by this key financial support. “Our enrollment has grown, with more students flying and increased hours in the air. The college’s partnership with Infinity Flight, which began in 2011, has given students better access to aircraft and the opportunity to fly consistently, the hallmark of proper preparation."

More about the Aviation Flight Technology Program can be found here.

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Glenn Kraft