Able Flight names 2024 scholarship recipients
Adds second location for sport pilot training
Able Flight, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help people with disabilities achieve their dreams of flight, has chosen 10 individuals for its 2024 flight training scholarship program.
Members of the Able Flight Class of 2024 received an online ground school course courtesy of Sporty’s, and they’ll study and pass the knowledge test with the assistance of a live remote flight instructor before they begin flight training. Once that goal is achieved, the 10 student pilots will train for two months with daily flight lessons in specially adapted aircraft. The goal is to take the checkride in early July so that they can receive their wings at a ceremony at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin.
As in years past, some of the students will train at Purdue University in Indiana, working with volunteer flight instructors. This year, Able Flight has created a partnership with a second university, and the remainder of the students will travel to Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where they will stay in student housing and be trained by SIU Aviation instructors. Students at SIU will fly specially adapted Vashon Ranger aircraft.
“SIU Carbondale has a long and proud history of accessibility for people with disabilities, so we are very excited about our partnership with Able Flight, which shares our values of providing opportunities,” said Robert D. Morgan, dean of SIU’s College of Health and Human Services. “This collaboration allows us to further develop much-needed pilots for the aviation workforce and to ensure a rich learning environment for our students. We are grateful to Able Flight for supporting students with specialized aircraft and scholarships, and we look forward to Able Flight Scholars joining the Saluki family.”
