Arctic Directory 2016: AACA awards 2016 Scholarship to Brandon Smothers

The Alaska Air Carriers Association scholarship, underwritten for the last four years by Crowley Fuels in Alaska, was recently awarded to Brandon Smothers, a high school senior at Interior Distance Education Alaska in Fairbanks. Smothers, a Talkeetna native, will enter University of Alaska Fairbanks this fall to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering.

Don King, senior account executive, highway sales for Crowley, presented Smothers with the $3,000 scholarship at AACA’s 50th annual convention in Anchorage.

Smothers’ love of aviation began at the age of 12 when he joined the nationally-recognized Talkeetna Build-a-Plane program where he learned valuable skills like sheet metal fabrication and repair, riveting, electrical repair and welding, as well as project management and leadership. Soon after joining the program, he began flight training and has since logged over 50 hours. Because of his excellent work and dedication to the TBAP program, Smothers has been selected to attend multiple simulator sessions with both UPS and FedEx, and has worked as an intern for air-taxi company, K2 Aviation. He expects to complete his private pilot training this spring.

“My journey in the aviation community will not end here. In the fall, I will attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks where I will major in aeronautical engineering,” said Smothers. “My ultimate goal is to work as a pilot for an Alaska-based air service and help establish TBAP programs in small communities throughout the region.”

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