FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE San Diego, CA – Lily Mocharnuk of Grapevine, Texas has been named the recipient of the 10th (2025) Women in Aviation (WAI) Martha King Scholarship for Female Flight Instructors. This year’s award, with a total value of $20,000, provides Lily with a $5,000 cash prize to support her journey toward becoming a fully qualified Flight Instructor, plus lifetime access to all of King Schools’ online courses including the career-sustaining KING Flight Instructor Refresher Course.
Lily’s passion for aviation was sparked over 20 years ago when she took her very first flight in a Cessna 182 at the age of eight. “I caught the ‘aviation bug’ on that first flight, and it’s been a driving force in my life ever since,” she shared. “I have observed that the aviation industry is largely composed of profoundly passionate people. They are happy to share their knowledge and resources with others, including me. Aviation is diverse and inclusive, and it’s incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”
Lily continued, “As people have inspired and guided me throughout my pilot training endeavors, I too am aspiring to do the same for those following in my footsteps. I offer free tutoring services to student pilots and have begun informally mentoring – something I want to continue in a more formal capacity after I finish acquiring my Flight Instructor ratings. This scholarship not only helps ease the financial challenges of flight training but also inspires me to pay it forward by mentoring future pilots, much like I was guided early on. My dream is to transition into flight instructing so I can share my passion and help guide aspiring aviators.”
Martha King, Co-Founder and Co-owner of King Schools, expressed her enthusiasm: “We are thrilled to honor Lily with this scholarship. We have become quite close to most of our winners. John and I regularly stay in touch with them, follow their stories on social media and we often get together with them in person at airshows, events and many times at our home in San Diego.” Martha continued, “It is immensely satisfying to be a part of their aviation journey.”
Ten years ago in 2015, Martha and John King awarded the first Martha King Scholarship for Female Flight Instructors at the WAI convention to Lindsey Dreiling. That year, the presentation of the scholarship’s $18,000 value took the total amount of WAI scholarships granted to over $10,000,000 and there was an on-stage, joyous celebration that was commemorated on the cover of the WAI Magazine. This year, the total value of WAI scholarships granted since the program started will exceed $15 million dollars.
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