The following is an AOPA press release.

FREDERICK, MD – The deadline to apply for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA’s) You Can Fly scholarships is approaching. Opportunities are available to help students earn an initial pilot certificate or get started on advanced training, and applications must be submitted by April 2, 2019.

AOPA is offering more than $1 million in You Can Fly scholarships for primary and advanced training students, high schoolers who want to learn to fly, and teachers who want to introduce aviation in their classrooms. To help with the application process, AOPA has shared tips on how to make an application stand out among the rest.

 

Scholarship recipients can use their awarded funds to pay direct flight training expenses toward a primary pilot certificate. To be eligible, students and teachers must be AOPA members. Student scholarship recipients must complete a flight training milestone – achieving either their first solo or earning a primary pilot certificate – within one year of receiving a scholarship. (Review the eligibility requirements.) Teachers who apply for a scholarship must be full-time employees of a school or school system working to prepare students for a future in aviation. (See the complete teacher eligibility requirements.) Winners will be announced by the end of May.

You Can Fly is AOPA’s multi-pronged program to get pilots flying and keep them flying, and to build a larger, more vibrant general aviation community. A flight training scholarship can be life-changing for a recipient who has dreamed of becoming a pilot but considered such a goal unattainable.

In addition to the scholarships for high school students and teachers, other AOPA members may apply for awards ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 for primary flight training (Review the eligibility requirements) or advanced certificates and ratings (Review the eligibility requirements).

You Can Fly scholarships are made possible by generous donations to the AOPA Foundation, including a $1 million grant from the Ray Foundation for high school students and teacher scholarships.

For more information and to apply, please visit the AOPA Scholarship Program website. 

Support the 2019 You Can Fly Challenge

Double the impact of your donation to the AOPA Foundation by contributing to the 2019 You Can Fly Challenge. For every dollar the AOPA Foundation raises to fund the You Can Fly program by Aug. 31, 2019, the Ray Foundation will match it dollar-for-dollar up to $2 million, for a potential total of $4 million to help get and keep more pilots flying. Donate here.

Read AOPA’s story and watch AOPA’s latest webinar on the high school curriculum and scholarships.

 

About AOPA

Since 1939, AOPA has protected the freedom to fly by creating an environment that gives people of all ages the opportunity to enjoy aviation and all it has to offer. As the world’s largest community of pilots and aviation enthusiasts with representatives based in Frederick, Md., Washington, D.C., and seven regions across the United States, AOPA’s events, initiatives, and services bring current and future pilots together and make aviation more accessible to everyone. To learn more, visit www.aopa.org.