The Aero Club of Northern California annually provides three scholarships to college students actively studying aviation at a Bay Area college. Successful applicants must be at least a sophmore, have completed at least 15 hours of college level aviation coursework and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5.
James M. Nissen Scholarship
James (Jim) M. Nissen (1915-1994) was born in Livermore, California. In 1937, after receiving his engineering degree at the University of California at Berkeley, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy, and later became a naval aviator and flew various military aircraft including the PBY Catalina. He briefly flew trans-Pacific seaplanes for Pan American Airways before accepting a research test pilot position in 1941 with Ames Research Center at Moffett Field with the National Advisory Committee on Aviation (NACA), now NASA. In 1945 he joined North American Aviation as a test pilot. At the same time, with two partners, he founded an aviation company and developed 16.4 acres of land leased from the city of San Jose, creating a small airport. In 1946 he sold his share of the business and was hired by the city of San Jose as its first Airport Manager. Over the next 29 years (1946-1975) he developed the small airfield into the Bay Area’s third major jetport--Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). At the time of his retirement as Director of Aviation, SJC had achieved national status with service to every major U.S. destination city, including non-stop flights coast-to-coast and service to Hawaii. The airport at the time was also home to more than 600 general aviation and corporate aircraft. The new SJC Terminal Complex now under construction will be named the James M. Nissen Terminal. Mr. Nissen was a prominent aviation historian who restored several antique and vintage aircraft. Among them were his 1917 Thomas-Morse S-4C Scout and 1918 Curtiss JN-4D
Robert L. Hamilton Scholarship
Robert (Bob) L. Hamilton (1936-2002) was born in Hanford, California. In 1954 he joined the United States Army and was initially trained in helicopter maintenance. After a tour in Germany, he was accepted into the Army helicopter pilot program and following his training served two tours in Vietnam as a rescue helicopter pilot. He was awarded the prestigious Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars, and 30 Air Medals. In 1986, he was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame at Fort Rucker, Alabama. While most of his 6,300 flight hours were in helicopters, he also piloted fixed-wing aircraft and flew professionally for several companies in the San Jose area. Many of his flight hours were in the large twin-rotor Chinook CH-47 -- the first helicopter to utilize fly-by-wire flight controls systems. Mr. Hamilton was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Mr. Hamilton was a past officer and member of the Aero Club Board of Directors. Funds for this scholarship were established by a very close friend of the Hamilton family at the time of Mr. Hamilton’s death.
Aero Club of Northern California Scholarship
This endowed scholarship was established to recognize the many contributions made by members and donors to the Aero Club of Northern California. Funds for this scholarship come solely from member donations, proceeds from the annual awards dinner silent auction, and donations generated at other Aero Club events.
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