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The Bill McShane Aviation Scholarship

NYAMA is sad to announce that past president and longtime Board member William J. McShane of Babylon—a respected statewide aviation leader who was instrumental in helping bring the Bethpage Air Show to Jones Beach over 15 years ago among his many professional accomplishments—has died at the age of 61.

“He was a recognized expert in our field in New York state, but was made Bill truly special was his soaring spirit and joy for life,” NYAMA president Grant Sussey said. "Besides his family, Bill's passion was aviation, especially the personal connections that came along with the job, He loved the challenge of navigating the state legislative process as well, and his tireless efforts led to the enactment of the ‘Aviation Jobs Act’ in New York, which ushered in a new wave of GA activity at airports in every region of the state.

“With Bill, you couldn’t help but learn something new about our business through his abiding passion and insight,” Sussey added. “But you also knew that when Bill was around, you were going to have a good time filled with raucous laughs. He was one of a kind, a special and dear person to all who knew him, and we will always treasure the time we had with him and the contributions he made.”

Until his illness, Bill was Vice President of Business Development & Special Projects for Sheltair Aviation which provides general aviation services at the region’s major airports. His tenure was the capstone to a lifelong career in aviation that included serving as past president of the New York Aviation Management Association (NYAMA), where he remained a board member. For the last dozen years he applied his insight and expertise to positioning Sheltair as one of the most respected fixed base operators (FBOs) in the New York metro area and oversaw the approval and construction of their new multimillion dollar hangar complex at Republic Airport.

Bill was one of the founding members of Long Island Business Aviation Association as well as a past President and Board Member. He was the founder and President of the Aerospace Education Corporation, a Not-For-Profit organization that was created to promote aviation education. This organization hosted Aviation Career Fairs and offered ways to introduce students to the Aviation Industry. In 2014, he was awarded the NBAA Silk Scarf Award which is given to individuals for their special contributions to the business aviation community.

The Bill McShane Aviation Scholarship was created in Bill's name.

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Checks can be made payable to “NYAMA” and sent to: 230 Washington Avenue Extension Suite 101 Albany, NY 12203.

 

Bill McShane Scholarship:

The Bill McShane Scholarship is presented to individuals interested in aviation, offering a scholarship of $2,000 to two students each year. William “Bill” McShane, who served on the NYAMA Board from 2000 through 2018, also served on NYAMA’s Executive Board from 2006-2010, including a term as president in 2009, and again as treasurer in 2013. Bill’s deep and abiding passion for the aviation industry was a gift that benefitted NYAMA’s membership throughout his tenure on the Board, and he dedicated countless hours of service to advancing the organization’s mission by deploying an intricate knowledge of the Empire State’s aviation businesses.

This scholarship will be presented to students who embody those attributes and are enrolled or will be enrolling in an institution of higher learning in the field of aviation in New York state. Application criteria is as follows:

  • Enrollment in an aviation-related degree (Aviation Management, Aviation Maintenance, etc.)
  • Enrollment in a college or university located in NYS
  • Applicant must be a NYS resident
  • Applicant should complete the application and include a brief statement of goals and aspirations for how this scholarship will assist in achieving a career in aviation.

Bill’s legacy continues to reward New York’s aviation community through this scholarship. Please send questions and completed scholarship applications to [email protected]. The deadline for the Summer/Fall 2023 semester scholarship award is June 1, 2023.

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