She Has a Dream-But Where Are the Scholarships? Help Me Help Her Find Them! Let’s List Every Pilot Training and Aviation Scholarship Resource We Can Find For This Future Student Pilot and Those Behind Her Waiting for Take Off!
Hi!
My name is Jasmina. I’m 16 years old, in 11th grade, and I’ve always liked airplanes and flying. My dream is to become a pilot one day and own my own plane. I have so many questions for you! But first, I just wanted to know if they give scholarships to young women going to college to learn how to become a pilot.
Hope to hear from you soon, and thank you!
Looking for My Road to the Runway
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Hello Jasmina,
It’s refreshing to hear your enthusiasm for the life aloft! “They” do indeed give scholarships to young women going to college to be pilots, in fact, quite a few different “theys” are in on it. With the economy currently in recession, it’s true that there are fewer scholarships available, but they can still be found. I maintain a list of aviation scholarship sources, though it’s by no means complete. Check here, and apply for as many as you might be qualified for! Really. Flight training is an expensive endeavor, and whichever route you pursue can quite easily require the resources of more than one organization or individual. I’ll continue adding to the list as I hear of more. As a future female pilot, a few sources of special interest to you will include the 99s and Women in Aviation International. As a high school student, you should also seriously consider the EAA Young Eagles program. As a future college student, I’d also encourage you to try the University Aviation Association (over 100 sources of collegiate scholarships and grants!) as well as contact the financial aid office of whatever school(s) you’ve got your eye on. Often, they’ll know of more opportunities tailor made to meet their program requirements. The sooner you start investigating, the better your odds. Some scholarships are offered to qualified applicants on a first come, first served basis and you’d hate to be left out in the cold because you dithered.
What an exciting goal you have! Please don’t let the difficulty you may encounter in financing your dream keep you from chasing it down. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Sometimes it just takes a lot of will. Finding yourself a group of pilots and student pilots will help keep you motivated and moving forward while you figure out which way to go and how to get there. EAA, the 99s, Women in Aviation International, and whatever local pilot group lurks near your home airport can help provide the camaraderie, the practical advice, and the inspiration we all need when pursuing a dream of this magnitude.
Blue skies to you, my friend, and let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help!
Mom
P.S. Keep checking back. As I get word of more scholarships, I’ll keep adding to the list.
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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot. Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.
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