EAA Scholarship Recipient Jacob Kirschbaum

Jacob Kirschbaum has been chosen to receive our EAA Scholarship for the following year. The following is Jacob’s introductory letter to the Chapter. Dave Miller, Scholarship Chairman, met Jacob at the Port Townsend Aero Museum. He was on spring break from school and spending his time helping the museum.

My name is Jacob Kirschbaum, I am currently a Freshman at the University of North Dakota working towards a major in Commercial Aviation and a minor in Computer Science. My goal is to become a commercial pilot and eventually earn my Airline Transport Pilot certificate. Using this training I would like to get a job flying for a commercial airline in the future. While my eventual goal is to become an airline pilot, I know that I will never lose sight of where I started in aviation.

My training through my Private Certificate was done locally on the Olympic Peninsula at the Port Townsend Aero Museum. Through the museum I have met many people for whom aviation is not only how they make a living but it is also a passion that they work hard to spread to others. Without this program I never would have decided to pursue a career in aviation. I have always had a passion for airplanes but becoming a pilot always seemed like something that was out of reach. My plan was to go to school to become an Aerospace Engineer so that I would be able to work with airplanes. When I was 16 and first went to the museum, I wasn’t even aware of their pilot training program. I knew that they had youth volunteers working on aircraft in the shop, and I just saw it as a great opportunity to learn more about aircraft. One Thursday after school in 10th grade I drove up to Port Townsend to ask about the program and see what was required to join. This is when I was first introduced to Jerry Thoutte. Jerry explained to me that the program also included flight training and that I could not only work on airplanes but also become a pilot. As I progressed through flight training at the museum, I developed a passion for flying. I realized that becoming a pilot was not out of reach.

Once my senior year of high school came around, and I had earned my Private Certificate, I was no longer sure that engineering was the career that I wanted to pursue. I decided to attend the University of North Dakota to become a commercial pilot. Without the program at the museum I never would have ended up where I am today, pursuing a career that I know I will truly love. That brings us back to my goals in aviation. While my career goal is to become a commercial airline pilot, I also want to be able to give back to the program that set me on this path. Once I have my ATP, I hope to find a job working for a regional airline in the Seattle area. I plan to contribute to the future of aviation by volunteering as an instructor at the museum and helping to pass on a love of aviation to another generation of pilots. I don’t think anything else could be as fulfilling as helping kids in the same position as I was to realize that aviation is not out of reach, and to help them find their true passion.

My parents have saved money to pay for college for myself and my younger sister but they did not anticipate the extra costs associated with flight training. With me currently going through the Aviation program at UND, and my sister set to go off to college in just over a year, I’ve been applying for scholarships in an attempt to help ease the financial pressure on my family. This scholarship would help to pay for some of the extra costs that are associated with flight training on top of the regular college tuition.

Thank you for considering me for your scholarship, Jacob Kirschbaum *********************************************************** Pictures on following page