WNCPA Educational Foundation
WNCPA Educational Foundation
Nancy Marstal
Nancy is a native of Atlanta, GA and has lived in Asheville since 1992. Prior to Asheville, she resided in Boston for 12 years, working for an international executive suite organization, Headquarters Companies, and was instrumental in the opening of their six locations in the Boston area and Providence, RI.
During that time, she trained for and received her Private Pilot certificate. She was an active member of the Eastern New England Chapter of the Ninety-Nines (International Organization of Women Pilots) and was deeply involved in their volunteer projects that funded their annual aviation scholarship programs. In Asheville, she continues to be an active pilot and aircraft owner.
Nancy has been on the WNCPA Educational Foundation board since 2016 serving on various committees including the Selection Committee of its annual Aviation Grant Program.
Her community volunteer involvements also include WNC Pilots Association, WNC Air Museum and local Chapter 1016 of the Experimental Aircraft Association.
Nancy also enjoys gardening, hiking, and most any outdoor activity.
Nancy Marstal
Nancy is a native of Atlanta, GA and has lived in Asheville since 1992. Prior to Asheville, she resided in Boston for 12 years, working for an international executive suite organization, Headquarters Companies, and was instrumental in the opening of their six locations in the Boston area and Providence, RI.
During that time, she trained for and received her Private Pilot certificate. She was an active member of the Eastern New England Chapter of the Ninety-Nines (International Organization of Women Pilots) and was deeply involved in their volunteer projects that funded their annual aviation scholarship programs. In Asheville, she continues to be an active pilot and aircraft owner.
Nancy has been on the WNCPA Educational Foundation board since 2016 serving on various committees including the Selection Committee of its annual Aviation Grant Program.
Her community volunteer involvements also include WNC Pilots Association, WNC Air Museum and local Chapter 1016 of the Experimental Aircraft Association.
Nancy also enjoys gardening, hiking, and most any outdoor activity.
The Sky’s the Limit — and the Western North Carolina Pilots Educational Foundation Helped Make It Possible
For Taylor Rice, aviation stopped being a dream and became a calling the day she climbed into an airplane at an A-B Tech open house. As the aircraft lifted off the runway, she turned to her father and declared, “This is it.” In that moment, her trajectory was set.
Taylor went on to graduate from A-B Tech’s Aviation Career Pilot Technology program, earning both her Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and Certified Flight Instructor–Instrument (CFII) ratings. Today, she gives back to the community that launched her career by teaching the next generation of pilots as a flight instructor with WNC Aviation, A-B Tech’s flight training partner.
Her journey recently reached a milestone that represents both personal achievement and regional progress. Taylor became the first female graduate of A-B Tech’s aviation program to receive a job offer from a major airline. She has been conditionally hired by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines Group, and is on track to take her seat as a First Officer in 2026.
Yet behind this achievement is a reality many never see. For aspiring pilots, talent and dedication alone are not enough. The cost of flight training can exceed $100,000 before a pilot ever reaches a professional cockpit—an obstacle that ends countless aviation careers before they truly begin. In that context, a grant of $3,000 to $5,000 is not symbolic support; it is transformational. It can fund essential flight hours, instructor time, or a critical checkride—often the difference between moving forward and being forced to stop.
When a student pilot loses momentum, the impact ripples outward. A student with limited financial means loses a lifelong dream. Flight schools lose future instructors. General aviation loses dedicated volunteer pilots. Airlines ultimately lose future Captains.
That is why the Western North Carolina Pilots Association Educational Foundation (WNCPAEF) exists—to ensure that financial barriers do not ground capable, motivated students. Through its mission-driven support, WNCPAEF awarded Taylor approximately $3,000 toward the completion of her pilot training—providing lift at exactly the moment it mattered most.
Taylor Rice’s success is not only a testament to her determination and talent, but also to the power of strategic educational support. When we invest in student pilots, we don’t just change individual lives—we strengthen aviation’s future, one career at a time.
Our 2026 Goal
Since its founding in 2012, the Western North Carolina Pilots Association Educational Foundation has invested more than $200,000 in the future of aviation, awarding grants to 108 aspiring pilots. Building on this strong legacy, our goal for 2026 is to award at least $50,000 in scholarships to 10 student pilots across Western North Carolina—expanding opportunity and strengthening the aviation pipeline in our region.
Taylor’s journey stands as powerful proof of what can happen when talent is met with timely support. With your partnership, WNCPAEF provides that essential lift—helping promising aviators turn ambition into altitude.
WNCPAEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Or send a check to us at:
WNCPA Educational Foundation
PO Box 1165
Fletcher, NC 28732