BWPA scholarship winner starts her ATPL

Bristol Groundschool (BGS) has recently welcomed Tessa Morris-Paterson – one of the winners of the 2019 BWPA Bristol Groundschool ATPL Scholarships. The scholarship covers the cost of 50% of her ATPL theory course.

Tessa, who previously worked as an intern for NASA Ames in California, holds a PPL(A) which she completed in just six weeks. During her training, she was the first student at her school to plan and navigate a trip around the UK. This 13-hour flight took her from Inverness to Gloucester, on to Biggin Hill (around London) and up to Durham before returning to Inverness. So far, she has self-funded all her training.

“I am delighted to have been selected for the BWPA Bristol Groundschool Scholarship,” says Tessa. “The reputation of BGS really does precede them, and since embarking on my CPL journey I have consistently been told there is only one option for doing my ATPL theory. It was therefore merely a case of ‘how’, and the award of this scholarship has made that a reality.”

“The support of British female pilots from both the BWPA and BGS is admirable. I will endeavour to turn this opportunity that I have been so lucky to receive into supporting and guiding young female pilots later in my career” continues Tessa. “A heartfelt thank you to the BWPA and BGS for this generous award; it will make a huge difference in terms of boosting me into the next stage of my dream of becoming a commercial pilot.”

“The BWPA are pleased to be associated with Bristol Groundschool and to see our members benefit from their services and encouragement,” added Sharon Nicholson, BWPA Chairwoman. “I was so pleased to meet Tessa for the first time at our 2019 Awards Dinner in December, and was enjoyed talking with her about her Guinness World Record attempt of flying ‘the fastest journey by plane to all contiguous US states’ for which we further awarded her the Faith Bennett Navigation Cup. I was very impressed by Tessa’s positive attitude and spirit, and am happy to see her as a worthy recipient of the BGS Scholarship. Our BWPA Scholarship team will be working hard to nominate more candidates to BGS in the coming months.”

“We are delighted to be working with the BWPA to improve the representation of female pilots in our profession. I wish Tessa all the best in her training,” concluded BGS Business Relations and Communications Manager Gill Fowkes.

For further information about Bristol Groundschool’s ATPL theory programme visit www.bristol.gs