EAA Chapter 1541 wants to partner with young people taking their first steps toward flying for fun or as a profession. For those seeking to start by training to become a Private Pilot, there are five essential requirements to complete flight training: obtain an FAA Medical Certificate, receive a Student Pilot certificate, pass an FAA written exam, pass an FAA oral examination, and pass an FAA practical flight test. There are minimum requirements for medical certification, ground school, and flight training.
EAA Chapter 1541 offers two youth scholarships available to help new pilots get off the ground. Our chapter’s scholarship funding comes from our dedicated Richard and Susan Bristow Youth Scholarship Fund and we have, over the years, gratefully accepted large and small donations from the likes of the City of Lincoln and many individual donors.
Ground School Scholarship
In conjunction with the national EAA Young Eagles program, our chapter offers a reimbursement of up to $500 after the completion of a qualified in-person ground school for a young person ages 16-19. There is a great deal of knowledge that must be absorbed by a student pilot, and this ground school opportunity helps establish a concrete foundation to ensure a safe pilot and the ability to pass the required FAA written examination. See the details and requirements of this scholarship opportunity using this link.
“Get Started” Scholarship
EAA Chapter 1541 also offers a “Get Started” Scholarship for youths ages 16-21. This opportunity provides a bit of financial help in jumping over some of the hurdles required in the initial stages of flight training. These include:
- Reimburse the student for up to $200 of the fee charged to secure at least a Third-Class Medical Certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner.
- Reimburse the student for up to $200 toward the cost of an aviation headset.
- Reimburse the student for up to $100 for flight training resources (books, charts, etc.).
See the details and requirements of this scholarship opportunity using this link.
Application
Please use this link to specifically apply for either of these two scholarship opportunities.
More Information
Besides these two specific scholarships, EAA Chapter 1541 sponsors two young people to attend the national EAA Air Academy Summer Camp held each summer at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For more information about this opportunity, see this link.
And, EAA Chapter 1541 also administers the EAA Ray Scholarship program when available. The Ray Scholarship provides an eligible and selected young person to receive up to $12,000 to be used toward flight training to earn an FAA Private Pilot Certificate. For more information on the EAA Ray Scholarship, use this link to the national EAA webpage. When our chapter has a local Ray Scholarship opportunity, details will be provided with a link from this page as well as other email notifications.
In all cases, our chapter will informally evaluate a potential recipient of a scholarship through personal interaction at chapter gatherings and other events. We are looking for serious, dedicated, and organized young people who want to move forward with aviation training. We always suggest that young people get involved in our chapter at some level and build those personal relationships with our varied and diverse membership. We also have a more formal evaluation process that will take place prior to the awarding of either the Air Academy sponsorship or the Ray Scholarship.
EAA Chapter 1541 is vested in assisting young people to pursue aviation-related training. There are many opportunities beyond piloting in the aviation field, from aircraft maintenance, flight instructing, air traffic control, military, avionics development, engineering, software development, and airport or aviation management, to name just a few.
Our chapter has knowledge and financial resources to assist the serious-minded student in exploring and investing in such training. If you as a parent or young person have some specific questions or just want to sit down over a cup of coffee to talk about aviation as a career field, please contact our chapter via email at eaa1541@gmail.com. We will get back to you to help you move forward.