Recipients Will Work Overseas At Daher Facility In France

Kristin Sandager of Albert Lea, Minnesota, and Dalton Nonweiler of Tulsa, Oklahoma, will receive the work internships of a lifetime, as they are the recipients of this year’s EAA/Daher International Scholarships.

The internship program is now in its eighth year. Each recipient receives a five-week internship at Daher’s Tarbes facility in France, located in the shadow of the Pyrenees Mountains, followed by a week to the EAA Air Academy in Oshkosh where they’ll help Daher during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016. All travel, lodging, and work experience is included, as well as a side trip to the Airbus facility at Toulouse. For an aspiring student working toward a career in the aviation industry, it’s a dream situation.

“This opportunity gives a one-of-a-kind experience for the internship recipients,” said Nicolas Chabbert, Daher Senior Vice President and CEO of SOCATA North America. “They will spend time with our team in France, gaining expertise in their fields of interest – such as marketing, production, organization, design, support and service. We hope the experience will make a difference in their future careers, while also benefitting our company by working with the next-generation of aviation industry decision-makers.”

While Daher is currently providing American students a chance to study abroad, the company has encouraged EAA to find companies in the U.S. willing to share such an experience with young people from other parts of the world. For instance, the two interns will have the opportunity to interact with Daher employees as part of a unique cultural exchange.

“Daher’s commitment provides an incentive, a challenge to EAA Young Eagles, an opportunity for them to explore a variety of career directions within the aviation field first hand, to see what the future holds,” said Dave Chaimson, EAA’s vice president of marketing and business development. “For a student, nothing is more important. The cultural exchange, the educational opportunities, and the impact on their lives are tremendous.”

Sandager is a junior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, majoring in mechanical engineering with a focus on robotics. She would like to use her engineering degree in, as she puts it, “problem solving.” Sandager frequently attends EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and has volunteered in the vintage aircraft area.

Nonweiler is a freshman at the Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, with a major of mechanical engineering and a minor in aerospace engineering focusing on aeroshape and performance. He already holds a private pilot certificate with commercial, instrument, complex and multi-engine ratings.

(Images provided with EAA/Daher news release. Top: Kristin Sandager. Bottom: Dalton Nonweiler)

FMI: www.eaa.org