Dr. Friedrich Straub Memorial Scholarship

The VFS Arizona Chapter is pleased to announce the competition for the Dr. Friedrich Straub Memorial Scholarship awards.  These scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate an interest in pursuing engineering careers in the fixed wing, rotorcraft or VTOL (vertical take-off/landing) aircraft industry.

The scholarships are merit-based, competitive, and can be awarded once as an Undergraduate, and once as a Graduate student.

Applicants must be in school through the full academic year following receipt of the scholarship. The value of the scholarships vary between $1,500 and $3,000 (depending upon endowment earnings). Recipients will receive a 1-year VFS membership, an engraved plaque, and will be invited to an awards recognition event to meet the local VFS AZ membership.

In Memoriam of Dr. Friedrich Straub, Boeing Technical Fellow and Flight Technologies Manager – an original Culver City, CA employee with Howard Hughes Helicopters.

The Arizona Chapter of the Vertical Society (VFS) is pleased to announce the competition for the Dr. Friedrich Straub Memorial Scholarship. These scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate an interest in pursuing engineering careers in the fixed-wing, rotorcraft, or VTOL (vertical take-off/landing) aircraft industry.

The Straub Scholarship is merit-based and can be awarded once as an Undergraduate, and once as a Graduate student. Applicants must be in school through the full academic year following receipt of the Scholarship. The value of the scholarships may range from $1,500 to $3,000 depending upon endowment earnings.  The recipients will also receive a 1-year VFS membership and an engraved plaque.

To be eligible for a scholarship, you must:

• Be a full-time student at an accredited school of engineering in the state of Arizona (“School”) and is actively attending the School in the Fall 2025 – Spring 2026 term.
• Have a minimum of 60 college credits transferred to or earned at the School.
• Engineering Majors: At least 8 courses in any of the following Calculus, Chemistry, Advanced Math, Physics, Computer programming, or any Engineering Core Curriculum.
• Professional Aviation Majors: 60 college credits (any courses) plus Commercial Pilot License Rating (Aircraft Single Engine Land) OR Private Pilot License Rating (Rotorcraft Helicopter) OR at least 100 hours of verified log book time in either ASEL or Rotorcraft/Helicopter.
• Complete the entire Application Form for the Scholarship (Sections I, II, and III).

Provide the following Supporting Information for the Scholarship:

• A resume of any job experience, awards, scholarships, leadership experiences, memberships in professional societies/associations, extra-curricular activities, school projects, or publications. See Section II, item f.
• A reference letter (academic endorsement) from a professor or dean at your School. See Section III.
• Grade transcripts, including the most recent set of grades issued. See Section II, item c.
• Unofficial grade transcripts are accepted; however, official grade transcripts from the School will be required before Scholarship funds can be received.
• Note: The submission of Supporting Information is optional but highly encouraged. Application Forms that do not have these items will still be considered for review.
• The Application Form and Supporting Information must be submitted and received by the October due date. 
• It is preferred that the Application Form and Supporting Information be submitted to the Arizona VFS Scholarship Chair (scholarships@vfsaz.org).
• Application Form and Supporting Information may be submitted via US Mail contact the Arizona VFS Scholarship Chair (scholarships@vfsaz.org) for the mailing address.

Other information

• The applicant does not need to be a member of the VFS.
• The Scholarship Committee, which consists of the Chapter directors, will review the submissions. The Chapter intends to award at least one Scholarship annually, subject to funding, unless there are no qualified applicants.
• Scholarship recipients will be notified by the Chapter in November. Scholarship recipients will be invited to attend the next Arizona Chapter event to celebrate, recognize, and appreciate the scholarship recipients.
• The Application Form is available for download on https://vfsaz.org/scholarships/.
• Optional - Please fill out the Survey (Section IV) at the end of the Application to help the Arizona Chapter of VFS improve the accessibility and application experience of this scholar.
• For additional information, contact the Arizona VFS Scholarship Chair by sending an email to scholarships@vfsaz.org.