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Each scholarship aims to help individuals cover the cost of training for a private, sport, or recreational pilot certificate or provides funds for advanced ratings and certificates. The 2022 recipient pool is the largest group of recipients and the most scholarship funds distributed annually by the AOPA Foundation.

The AOPA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of AOPA. Contributions to this 501(c)(3) charitable organization fund programs that AOPA membership dues don’t cover, like the content distributed by the Air Safety Institute and the initiatives of the You Can Fly program. The AOPA Foundation also annually distributes flight training scholarships—funds that ease the financial burden of flight training, which help student pilots succeed and ultimately add to the pilot population.

“These scholarships change lives, and we are grateful to the donors who make them possible,” said Elizabeth Tennyson, senior vice president of the AOPA Foundation and You Can Fly. “This year’s scholarship winners were selected from among more than 4,000 applicants and include high school students, teachers, and people of all ages who want to learn to fly or grow their skills.”

The flight training scholarship program would not be possible without donations to the AOPA Foundation. One very generous contributor is the Ray Foundation. Founded by the late James C. Ray, aviator, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, the Ray Foundation donates hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to AOPA for the purpose of flight training scholarships for high school students and teachers. This year 100 scholarships worth $10,000 each were awarded for the purpose of obtaining a private pilot certificate and eight teacher scholarships were awarded.

The 2022 scholarship recipients are excited to get started. “It’s a talented and committed group of recipients,” Tennyson said, “and I can’t wait to see what they achieve.”

For a full list of scholarships and recipients, visit the website.

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aopa.org/training-and-safety/students/flight-training-scholarships