Aviation Scholarship Announced at Iowa Lakes

A scholarship to benefit aviation students at Iowa Lakes Community has been announced by the college in honor of Capt. Al Haynes, the pilot of United Flight 232.

Flight 232 made an emergency landing in Sioux City in 1989. It was Capt. Haynes’ piloting skills that allowed 184 individuals to survive the crash; 112 died. He was the featured speaker at Iowa Lakes Community College’s Senior Fun and Wellness day earlier this year. An anonymous donation was made on his behalf to the aviation program which allowed this scholarship to be offered for the 2002-2003 college year.

Capt. Haynes makes numerous personal appearances around the nation speaking about how extraordinary things can occur when everyone works together as they did in the cockpit the day Flight 232 lost all of its hydraulic systems due to an engine explosion.

Students interested in the $1,000 scholarship, which will be given out as a $500 scholarship for the fall of 2002 and the spring of 2003, should apply by Aug. 20. Applicants should have completed at least one semester in the Iowa Lakes Aviation program.

Captain Al Haynes (left) was the featured speaker at the Senior Fun and Wellness Day in May. Aviation Instructor/Coordinator, Ron Duer (right), flew Capt. Haynes from Des Moines to Emmetsburg the day of the event.

Application forms are available on the college website at www.iowalakes.edu; by stopping by any Iowa Lakes location; or by calling the Institutional Advancement office at (712) 362-0491. Applicants are asked to provide two letters of reference from a non-relative. These may include, but are not limited to: an appropriate instructor, guidance counselor, past or present employer, member of the clergy, etc. In addition, a brief, one-page summary explaining the applicant’s interest in the program should also be included. Applications will be rated on a needs-based criterion. A more detailed outline of the process is on the college website or the scholarship booklet. Complete applications include an application form, two letters of reference and a one-page summary.

Iowa Lakes Community College offers a two-year associate in science degree in aviation. Students typically leave Iowa Lakes as certified flight instructors capable of teaching and training other pilots.