EAA Chapter 1541 is very pleased to announce that we will administer two EAA Ray Aviation Scholarships for 2026.
The EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship is an excellent opportunity for a young person age 16-19 (age 15 for glider-only training) to receive up to $12,000 for specified training costs. Most Ray Scholars use the funding for training that earns them an FAA Private Pilot Certificate.
The basic requirements to qualify for a Ray Aviation Scholarship are:
- Age 16-19 for powered flight training (minimum of age 15 for glider training)
- Possession of a student pilot certificate
- Possession of FAA medical certificate (private pilot students)
- Be able to begin their flight training within 60 days of scholarship start date (the last day of the month in which the scholar was approved by EAA)
- EAA Chapter 1541 Involvement
- For non-U.S. citizen/nationals, TSA approval to begin flight training
EAA Chapter 1541 will administer two Ray Scholar for 2026. This means that we will select, encourage, monitor, and manage our Ray Scholars. There are high expectations of a Ray Scholar and it needs to be understood that this is a major commitment of time and possibly money to compete the flight training. The candidate we select will:
- Be highly motivated
- Be organized
- Be responsible
- Recognize flight training as a top priority for scheduling. Extracurricular school activities and sports, jobs, and other commitments must be considered for time demands
- Be a young person with a plan
- Understand the basic requirements of flight training
- For Private Pilot fixed-wing certificate, turn 17 within a year of beginning the scholarship program to allow the issuance of a Private Pilot certificate
- Have a financial source for additional flight training costs
Prior to the final award of the Ray Aviation Scholarship, the selected candidate must and possess an FAA Medical Certificate (and we suggest that potential professional pilots attain a First Class Medical Certificate), Also, the candidate will have applied for and received an FAA Student Pilot Certificate.
Important note: we do not expect applicants to have these two documents in hand, but if you are selected, you will need to expeditiously attain these items.
Our chapter will assist the Ray Scholar in developing a mentorship with one of our experienced chapter pilots. We think that it is essential to have knowledgeable help right at hand during the training process.
Parental or guardian involvement is essential to the success of a Ray Scholar. Both the parent/guardian and the Ray Scholar must commit to the success of the flight training. It needs to be clearly understood that the $12,000 scholarship will not be sufficient to complete the training and there will be additional costs that the flight student and/or parent/guardian is responsible for.
In most cases, EAA Chapter 1541 is able to arrange with local flight schools for direct payment from the chapter to the flight school for qualified training costs…usually consisting of aircraft rental time, flight instructor time, ground school training, and similar costs. Other arrangements can be made as needed.
There are other expectations of a Ray Scholar that we will detail for our selected candidate.
Once again, the Ray Aviation Scholarship program is a great opportunity for a young person to earn a Private Pilot certificate but it requires a serious commitment by the Scholar, the parent/guardian, and our chapter to achieve success.