The Ray Aviation Scholarship Fund is a scholarship program that is supported by the Ray Foundation, managed by EAA, and administered through the EAA Chapter network. Through the generous support of the Ray Foundation, EAA will provide up to $12,000 to deserving youths for their flight training expenses, totaling $2,250,000 in scholarships annually.
Local candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Minimum of age 15 for glider training
- Age 16-19 for powered flight 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 receiving the award
Additional consideration will be given to candidates who are former Young Eagles, EAA student members, and actively participating in the EAA Flight Plan, specifically the Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course.
Once selected by the chapter, the candidate will also be screened by EAA through an application process. If approved by EAA, the scholarship recipient will have to comply with the following requirements:
- Partake in two hours of chapter volunteer service per month, such as:
- Young Eagles rally volunteering
- Volunteer at pancake breakfast/fly-ins
- Chapter build project support
- Chapter gathering participation
- Chapter social media and website maintenance
- Submit regular progress reports during monthly check-ins
- Reach designated flight training milestones, as outlined by EAA's training timeline
Since 2019, we've administered nine scholarships locally, totaling over $64,000
