‘The passion is the easy part’

Skirvin is one of nearly 250 recipients who received a 2024 scholarship from the AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization and the philanthropic arm of AOPA. Each year, the annual AOPA Foundation program distributes an increasing number of scholarships and this year’s awards were no different. Scholarships totaling nearly $1.6 million were distributed in 2024 to students, teachers, and those who aspire to careers in the aviation industry.

Five pilots in 2024 were the first to receive a Richard McSpadden Scholarship for Advanced Pilot Training. Named after the former leader of the AOPA Air Safety Institute and former commander and flight leader of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, this scholarship will help recipients pursue advanced ratings.

Dozens of others received awards—ranging from $250 to $14,000, for commercial and instrument training, maintenance, primary training, and more—which aim to ease the financial burden of flight training, testing, obtaining materials, and furthering their education to reach their aviation goals.

“Aviation is for everyone, but too often we see the financial burden of flight training and education a barrier for entry into our industry,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “We are proud to support this passionate group and look forward to cheering them on as they meet their aviation goals.”

Aviation is a second career for Skirvin, who calls her previous career in managing business offices for hospitals her “past life.” After taking a leap of faith and spending three years earning certificates and ratings while working at her local flight school, Skirvin was awarded the Ceci Stratford Flight Training Scholarship, Advanced, and used it to complete her certificated flight instructor training and certification.

Now she’s pursuing her flight instructor—instruments certificate and looking forward to continuing to pursue ratings, endorsements, and career opportunities. “It’s a constant challenge and that’s what I need for my personal development and growth, and that’s what I found in aviation,” Skirvin said.

Her advice for others who may be interested in exploring aviation? “Make sure that you are fully prepared, it’s a lot of work, but everyone is so capable of doing this and it’s so much fun,” she said. “I think my only regret is that I didn’t start sooner.”

For more than 100 high school students and teachers, $10,000 scholarships from the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School initiative will be put toward primary flight training.

Chase Crouch is a recipient of one of the high school scholarships. The 17-year-old from Oregon is the first person in his family to learn how to fly and said the aviation spark started when he took his first commercial flight in 2017. “I just loved the airport environment and all the things that were happening there,” Crouch said. “At some point it sparked that flying is something I could do myself.”

Crouch gets to the airport three to four times a week, taking advantage of being off school in the summer months, and the scholarship almost entirely funds his training, covering flight hours and instructor fees.

With each lesson he feels more confident, and he looks forward to sharing the general aviation experience with his family and friends when he gets his certificate. “Being able to look outside the windows and see the environment you know from the ground up in the air is a whole different experience and one that you can’t get with commercial flying,” he said.

The 2025 AOPA Foundation scholarship program will open for applications September 9.

The You Can Fly program and the Air Safety Institute are funded by charitable donations to the AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. To be a part of the solution, visit www.aopafoundation.org/donate