Purdue University’s Department of Aviation Technology will train two to four scholarship recipients for a sport pilot certificate through a partnership with Able Flight, a nonprofit organization for people with physical disabilities.
Able Flight will select the scholarship recipients, with priority to be given to current and incoming Purdue students and rising seniors in Indiana high schools with physical disabilities such as spinal cord injuries, loss of limb, or congenital birth defects. Applications are now being accepted, and Able Flight said interviews could begin as early as February. The training will take place over a one-month period in May or June.
Able Flight will provide a specially adapted light sport aircraft; Purdue flight instructors will provide the training. The student pilots will live on campus for the duration of the program.
“The Aviation Technology program at Purdue sees the collaboration with Able Flight as a unique opportunity to extend the freedom of flight to individuals who might not be aware they can fly,” said department head Brent Bowen. “Purdue’s aviation program is world-class, and we need the best and brightest individuals. Able Flight will bring to us a new cadre of people who otherwise might not consider careers in aviation.”
Interested students can download an application at the scholarship page of Able Flight’s Web site.
