Vertical Flight Foundation Honors 2 UC Davis Students

Two students from the University of California, Davis, have been selected to receive scholarships from the Vertical Flight Society’s Vertical Flight Foundation. 

Esther Kung, a fourth-year undergraduate student, and Huy Tran, a master’s student, both studying in the UC Davis Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, were among the 33 students selected for this year’s awards. 

Kung and Tran both study vertical flight under Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Seongkyu Lee. 

"I am incredibly proud of both Esther and Huy for receiving Vertical Flight Foundation scholarships, one of the most prestigious recognitions available to students in our field,” Lee said. “It reflects not only their academic excellence but also their dedication to advancing vertical flight technology."

Established as the philanthropic arm of the Vertical Flight Society in 1967, the Vertical Flight Foundation supports the future of vertical flight through education and its merit-based scholarship program, which recognizes outstanding students pursuing careers in vertical flight. This year’s awardees will be recognized at the Vertical Flight Society’s 82nd Annual Forum & Technology Display at West Palm Beach, Florida, in May. 

Esther Kung

Kung will receive the Alex Stoll Scholarship. Awarded through the Alex Stoll Memorial Foundation, it honors the passion and creativity of Stoll, a pioneer of electric flight and the first full-time employee at aircraft company Joby Aviation, which is developing an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi. 

Kung’s own passion for vertical flight has been on a steady incline during her time at UC Davis, from an early hands-on research project, “Project Tiltwing,” to becoming the founding president of the UC Davis chapter of the Vertical Flight Society, or VFS, in the fall of 2024. Kung enjoys using aerodynamic principles to develop comprehensive rotorcraft designs. She will continue her education at UC Davis after graduation this spring to pursue a Ph.D. in Lee’s lab with a focus on rotorcraft computational fluid dynamics and aeroacoustics. 

“I feel very honored that my involvement in vertical flight was recognized so early in my career,” Kung said. “I hope to use this story to inspire the next generation of students in our VFS student chapter to pursue their passion, and I’m looking forward to the ways I will contribute to the field in the future!” 

Huy Tran

Tran will receive the Igor I. Sikorsky Scholarship, named in honor of one of the most important figures in the design and development of rotary-winged vehicles into usable aircraft.

Tran’s interest in vertical flight is in creating transformative vehicles to connect people and foster a more interconnected society. Under the guidance and mentorship of Lee, Tran studies Blade-Vortex Interaction, or BVI, noise: the sharp, repetitive slapping sound that helicopters generate, especially during descent. Specifically, Tran investigates serrations — patterned geometric modifications to the blade edge — and how they affect BVI. 

“Receiving the Igor I. Sikorsky scholarship indicates to me that I have a place in the field of rotor-aeromechanics,” Tran said. “This sense of belonging inspires me to continue my journey as a rotary-wing researcher and claim my specialization within the vertical flight world.” 

Meet all the Vertical Flight Foundation scholarship recipients