Scholarship opportunities up for grabs, Avfuel announces winners

The University of North Dakota is offering 12 private pilot training scholarships worth up to $12,000 in partnership with the Ray Foundation. Applicants must be veterans or veteran dependents who are at least 17 years old prior to March 1. Applicants must also submit a Post-9/11 GI Bill Statement of Benefits or a GI Bill Certificate of Eligibility with 24 months remaining, confirmation of retirement or separation date prior to March 1 (veterans only), an FAA first or second class medical, cover letter, and résumé. Scholarship funds will be made payable to the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation where winners will be enrolled in an accelerated private pilot training course in Mesa, Arizona. The scholarship window will remain open until all slots are filled.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently announced the addition of a $20,000 scholarship opportunity for students enrolled in the Tango Flight program. The scholarship will be awarded in separate increments of $5,000 per year to fund a student’s tuition at one of the university’s campuses. Students must be currently enrolled in Tango Flight and must have displayed significant achievements throughout high school. The first scholarship will be presented to a first-year Embry-Riddle student prior to the start of the fall 2022 semester.

The AOPA Foundation offers scholarships ranging from $2,400 to $14,000 to support flight training (including advanced ratings and certificates), or training for an aviation maintenance technician certificate. The deadline for these is February 11.

The Edward W. Stimpson Aviation Excellence Award, offered by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, is a $2,000 scholarship that will be awarded to an individual who is already accepted to and enrolling in an aviation-related degree program and has at least a 3.0 GPA. In order to be considered, applicants must submit an application form, write a response to an essay question, provide a high school transcript, and provide two letters of recommendation. Applications must be received by April 15.

The fourth annual Richard Collins writing prize valued at $5,000 and $2,500 will be awarded to two pilots (including student pilots) up to age 24. Applicants must write an original article, no longer than 1,500 words, that details the pilot’s first time at the controls of an aircraft and submit a 100-word biography to accompany the article. “Since launching this contest in 2019, the Collins Prize has encouraged hundreds of young pilots to pursue their passion for writing,” said Sporty’s Vice President and Air Facts Editor John Zimmerman. “We’re excited to honor Richard’s legacy with an even better contest this year.” Articles will be judged by three panelists, and the winning stories will be published in Air Facts. Applicants must submit their articles before March 2. Winners will be announced in April.

Avfuel Corp. recently announced the winners of its 2021 scholarship class. The AVTRIP scholarship was awarded to Kenneth Evers, and three separate Avfuel Pilot-in-Training scholarships were awarded to Emily Castellucci, Griffin Schaffer, and Aaron Slatton. The various funds will be used to further pilot training for the recipients. “We offer a hearty congratulations to our 2021 scholarship recipients,” said Marci Ammerman, vice president of marketing for Avfuel. “The breadth of talent and passion in this year’s applicants was staggering, making for an incredibly competitive scholarship class. We thank all applicants for choosing to share their stories with us.”