Joshua McGill is a recipient of a 2026 Bill Sanderson Aviation Maintenance Technician Scholarship. VAI scholarship gives Joshua McGill a jump start in his AMT career Discover how VAI scholarship recipients have turned opportunity into achievement—and how you can do the same—in this exclusive VAI Weekly series. The VAI scholarship program is back for 2027, with scholarships available for students, professional aviation mechanics/engineers, and commercial helicopter pilots. A benefit exclusively for VAI members, the scholarships help vertical aviation pilots, mechanics, engineers, and aspiring professionals cover the costs of their education and training. Not a VAI member? Join the association and enjoy access to the VAI scholarship program as well as a host of additional educational, safety, and other benefits. Applications for a 2027 VAI scholarship award must be received by 11:59 pm eastern time (UTC-5) on Dec. 4, 2026. During this scholarship season, VAI Weekly is highlighting past VAI scholarship winners in an exclusive series of articles. In this installment, we hear from Joshua McGill, recipient of the Bill Sanderson Aviation Maintenance Technician Scholarship. Joshua talks about continuing his education beyond college, the importance of his dad as his greatest mentor, giving back to the next generation, and more. VAI Weekly: What inspires you about working in the vertical aviation community? Joshua McGill: What inspires me most about working in the vertical aviation community is the role the industry plays in helping people [who are seeking to advance in vertical aviation], providing endless networking opportunities. I love that VAI offers scholarships to young people like me, as this scholarship has given me a jump start in my career as an aircraft maintenance technician [AMT]. The scholarship has opened many doors for me, and later in my career I hope to be able to give back and do the same for the next generation. How will your VAI scholarship help you meet your educational goals? This scholarship will help support my goal of continuing my education beyond college. I want to continuously learn throughout my career. This scholarship allows me access to a course [provided by OEM Leonardo] without the financial burden that can accompany this type of training. Beyond that, the award allows me to meet other professionals in the industry at training who share the same passion for aviation that I do. What are your professional goals for the next three to five years? What are your long-term career goals? As an AMT fresh out of school at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, right now I’m trying to be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as I can. In May of this year, I began a new job as an aircraft technician in the Flight Operations Department at IBM in Armonk, New York. In the next three to five years, I hope to be [known as] a dependable member of my team and have a few [aircraft manufacturer] schools under my belt. I’d also like to try to advance into a crew-chief role and really become an expert on our aircraft. Additionally, I’d like to start an internship program where I work, to give people opportunities like I had throughout school. What would be your dream job in aviation? My dream job would be working for a flight department with a mixed fleet of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Regardless of that, I want to be in [a corporate flight department] where every day is a learning day and I work with a great team of professionals. In addition to now working at IBM, I was able to intern for the corporate flight departments at Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. Who is your greatest mentor and why? In what ways has this mentor helped you? My greatest mentor is easily my father. My dad introduced me to aviation. Not only do I love that we now have aviation in common, but he’s the person who has shaped who I am today. He taught me how important it is to do things the right way, always learn, and be patient. This guidance has helped me tremendously in completing school and finding a job. What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the vertical aviation industry? I think one of the biggest challenges is finding and developing quality technicians. Although it’s great for young people like me that [there’s so much demand in this] field right now, there’s a huge void that needs to be filled as experienced technicians are retiring. That’s what’s great about VAI, that the association is addressing this problem by reaching the younger generation to get them access to training in order to kick-start their careers.
