Scholarships

• Phil Brito Memorial Scholarship Fund
• Bill McShane Aviation Scholarship

Phil Brito Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Phil Brito award was established to recognize airport sponsors and their engineering and consultant teams for outstanding achievement in the execution of an aviation-related planning, design, or construction projects for airports located within the State of New York. This award is named in honor of Mr. Phil Brito, longtime manager of the Federal Aviation Administration’s New York Airports District Office. During his career, Mr. Brito’s tireless efforts contributed greatly to the success of aviation in New York State.

Click here for the Application for the Phil Brito Memorial Scholarship Fund - Due August 9, 2024.

ELIGIBILITY:

• Entries must be an airport planning or construction/design project completed within the previous calendar year.
• The project must benefit an airport or airports located in New York State.
• The airport and consulting firm must be current members of NYAMA, or join NYAMA at the time they submit their entry.

ENTRY CATEGORIES:

Planning Project- These projects may include master planning, airport site selection, strategic planning business/financial planning, rates & charges development, or other airport planning work.

Construction Project- These projects may include design and/or construction administration of airport-related civil or structural construction projects.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

A panel of judges from the New York State Department of Transportation’s Aviation Bureau will evaluate the entries and select the NYAMA Grand Award and Honorable Mention for the Planning and the Construction categories. The entries will be judged based on the following criteria:

• Project Enhances or Expands Airport's Capabilities - 20% (service type/capacity is increased, added, or re-established)
• Creativity/Originality/Innovation in Applying FAA Standards - 20% (novel, creative use of products or design techniques)
• Social, Economic, and/or Sustainable Design-Planning Considerations - 20% (community asset, revenue enhancement, environmental, etc.)
• Complexity - 10% (multi-discipline, multi-stage, multi-agency, etc.)
• Exceeding Owner's Expectations - 10% (original objectives met plus additional benefits achieved)
• Future Value to the Aviation Planning or Engineering Professions - 20% (project signifies proven success for addressing similar airport needs).

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The Bill McShane Aviation Scholarship

ABOUT BILL MCSHANE:

The Bill McShane Scholarship was established in the memory of NYAMA past president and longtime Board member William J. McShane of Babylon, NY. Bill was a respected statewide aviation leader, and he was instrumental in helping bring the Bethpage Air Show to Jones Beach and served as the Vice President of Business Development & Special Projects for Sheltair Aviation. In addition, Bill was one of the founding members of Long Island Business Aviation Association and the founder and President of the Aerospace Education Corporation, a Not-For-Profit organization that was created to promote aviation education. In 2014, he was awarded the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Silk Scarf Award which is given to individuals for their special contributions to the business aviation community.

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.

“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.”

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP

The Bill McShane Scholarship is presented to individuals interested in aviation, offering a scholarship in the amount of $2,000 up 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 Fall 2024 semester scholarship award is June 28, 2024.

Click Here for Application

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