Since the program’s introduction in 2019, more than 880 scholarships have been provided to young people with a passion for aviation. The current pilot certificate completion rate for Ray scholars is 81 percent, with approximately 270 more scholars currently in flight training.
“Many aspiring pilots fall short of their goal due to the cost of flight training, so EAA working with the Ray Foundation helps relieve some of the financial pressure and make the goal of becoming a pilot even more accessible for future generations,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programming. “The high completion rate of our scholars demonstrates the impact of a supportive environment provided by EAA chapters.” More information on James C. Ray and the Ray Scholarship can be found here.
EAA Chapter 846 is actively participating in the scholarship program, with six Ray scholars who have completed their training and earned their private pilot's certificate, and one more is in training. For more information about the program, please contact us at eaachapter846@gmail.com.
Ray Scholarship Update
By Mike Guenthner
2023 Ray Scholar and Chapter member Case McIntyre, recently passed his Instrument Rating checkride at Ohio State University as he continues to progress through their professional pilot program! Case remained at Ohio State over the summer to take advantage of the nicer weather and less crowded flight schedule. He will now begin working towards his Commercial Pilot certificate this fall.
Our current Ray Scholar, Doug Tytko, and I attended the Ray Scholar Corn Roast on Monday evening during Oshkosh AirVenture this
year. While being treated to burgers and dogs and corn on the cob, we listened to program director Chris Gauger describe the successes of the program over the last few years.
The program has now seen 500+ scholars earn their private pilot certificates, a milestone that has drawn praise from all parties involved, including the Ray Foundation who provide the funds annually for the scholarship program.
During the event, Chris Gauger of EAA presented representatives of the James Ray Foundation with a commemorative picture that includes all 500 previous Ray Scholars, including five of our own scholars from Chapter 846!
With the break for his trip to Oshkosh, Doug Tytko didn't get a chance to solo before he left for AirVenture. When he got back, the opportunity arose for him to solo on August 1, 2024 under the watchful eyes of his instructor.
Our current Ray Scholar, Doug Tytko, has logged about 10 hours of flight training with his CFI so far. Doug reports that the training is going well and that he has a good relationship with his instructor. Doug will be working towards his first solo in the coming weeks and will be attending AirVenture later this month where he will participate in Ray Scholar specific activities during the week in Oshkosh.
- Our current Ray Scholar, Doug Tytko, is finishing up his Junior year of high school and plans to begin his flight training at Avit Flight Acade
my as soon as school is finished for the summer. Doug’s initial scholarship funding from EAA has arrived and he is all set to begin his flight training journey.
- Our 2022 Ray Scholar, Logan Cohara, recently had the opportunity at our June Young Eagles rally to fulfill one of his longtime dreams. Logan took his first Young Eagles flight back in 2017 and now, just a few years later, he is the one giving the rides to the next generation of Young Eagles! We love to see the Young Eagles program come full circle and watch as our passengers turn to pilots and carry on a great tradition. Congratulations Logan, on achieving one of your dreams!
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Case McIntyre- Our 2023 Ray Scholar, Case McIntyre, earned his Private Pilot Certificate on August 20th, literally the day before he began his freshman year at
Ohio State University! We are all extremely proud of Case and his accomplishments this past spring and summer as he completed his training requirements and got to experience the full benefits of the Ray Scholarship program including a trip to Oshkosh! Case's stated goal was to finish his certificate before he left for college and he did just that, earning his Private Pilot certificate in just over 52 hours and 5 months of training. Well done Case and congratulations to his entire family for supporting him throughout his training journey. We will be following his progress closely as he pursues his goal of becoming a professional pilot.
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Logan Cohara- Our 2022 Ray Scholar, Logan Cohara, continues to prepare for his practical test. Logan unfortunately lost his CFI to the airlines and will be working with a new CFI for his final preparations for his checkride which he is hopeful will take place within the next month. Any of our Chapter members who are interested in helping Logan study for his checkride are encouraged to reach out to Logan to set up study sessions.
- Abby Donofrio- Our 2021 Ray Scholar, Abby Donofrio, finally received her LightSpeed Zulu headset after narrowly missing out on one in 2021. After a long process of trying to acquire one for her and not having any success, our persistence finally paid off and LightSpeed stepped up and provided a new one to her at no cost. A few conversations at Oshkosh this year with those in charge of the headset program seemed to finally put things in motion and we're glad we were able to finally make this happen. Congratulations Abby, and enjoy your new ANR headset courtesy of LightSpeed Aviation and the Ray Aviation Scholarship Program.
EAA 846 Flight Training Scholarship Update
• Jack Pomfret- Jack Pomfret continues to work on his Private Pilot training flying multiple times a week and recently completed his first solo flight, passed his written test with a score of 94% and completed his night cross-country training flight. Jack is well on his way to earning his Private Pilot Certificate later this fall and is balancing his flying with a busy senior year of high school as he works on his military service academy applications.
Ray Scholarship Update
Case McIntyre has made amazing progress this summer with his private pilot training and is ready to take his checkride in the next few weeks. He will be practicing and studying for his final practical test in the coming weeks and hopes to be finished up with his private pilot certificate before heading off to Ohio State University this fall.
Logan Cohara is also ready to take his checkride and should be doing so in the next few weeks. Unfortunately Logan‘s examiner postponed his checkride right before Oshkosh. Despite the disappointment of not getting finished prior to Oshkosh, Logan now has more time to prepare which will serve him well!
Ray Scholarship Update
Our 2022 Ray Scholar, Logan Cohara is closing in on his checkride and working on finishing the final training requirements for the Private Pilot Certificate. He has been flying and studying regularly as he prepares for his practical test which is scheduled for the week before Oshkosh. Wish him luck as he closes in on the final chapter of his long training journey.Our 2023 Ray Scholar, Case MacIntyre, is also closing in on his checkride and finishing up his last training
requirements. Case has his checkride scheduled for the week after Oshkosh. Case has earned a free LightSpeed ANR headset for completing his first solo flight recently and will receive his award at our July Chapter meeting.
Please wish both of our Ray Scholars good luck as they close in on their checkrides in the next month!
Chapter 846 Young Eagles meet Ray Scholar!
Member Paul Lutz took Abby for her own Young Eagle flight in his RV-6 on August 19, 2020. She completed her training and received her private pilot certificate in August, 2022.
Gary Baker asked a young lady waiting for her Young Eagle flight which airplane she would like to fly in. Her response was that she wanted to fly with Abby! What better example for young men and women to become inspired and interested in aviation than to receive a ride from a Ray Scholar! Thanks to Abby for donating her time and inspiring the next generation of aviation enthusiasts!
WAY TO GO, ABBY!
2023 Ray Scholarship Recipient, Case McIntyre!
Aviation Scholarship. Case plans to begin his Private Pilot training as soon as possible.
Both Case and Jack did a great job with their interviews and Chapter members enjoyed getting to know each of these accomplished young men, both of whom embody the spirit of the Ray Aviation Scholarship program. Both were deserving candidates. Although we could only award a single scholarship at this time, our Chapter will pursue additional scholarship opportunities through EAA and other means with the hopes of having a second scholarship to award later this year. Please join us in congratulating both of these young men on their accomplishments.
Case McIntyre
Ray Scholarship Update, Spring 2022
The EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship Program is thriving at Chapter 846! Once again in 2022 we were able to offer a $10,000 flight training scholarship on behalf of EAA to a deserving local youth. This year's recipient is Logan Cohara who has a passion for aviation that defines what it means to be a Ray Scholar. Logan has recently begun his flight training journey courtesy of his scholarship with a local flight training provider and is closing in on his first solo! In addition to having Logan as our 2022 Ray Scholar, our Chapter is still actively supporting our 2021 Ray Scholar, Abby Donofrio as she closes in on her Private Pilot Checkride. Abby has persevered through bad weather, COVID 19, instructor shortages and is closing in on her high school graduation ceremony. Abby will be attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the fall and was a keynote speaker at AirVenture 2021 as she shared her experience as a Ray Scholar with the aviation community. Both of our scholars represent the future of aviation in our communities and we have been proud to be part of their journey! Chapter 846 is currently pursuing another Ray Scholarship for 2022 depending on the availability of additional funding. It is our hope to be able to provide another flight training scholarship yet this year. Stay tuned!
Logan Cohara
Ray Scholarship Update, Sept., 2021
Our Chapter has been sponsoring two Ray Aviation scholars this summer, Abby Donofrio and Matthew Recker. It has been a challenging time for both of them with busy schedules and unforeseen circumstances. Abby continues to make progress towards her FAA written exam and should be about ready to take the exam by the time you read this update. Once finished with her written exam, she will have cleared the last big hurdle of her training and work towards taking the flight test in the next few months. Abby also experienced a week full of exciting events at this year's AirVenture including representing the Ray Aviation Scholarship program at the Zulu LightSpeed press conference! This was Abby and her family's first AirVenture experience and we bet it won't be their last. Abby also recently had an article published in AviNation Magazine about her aviation journey and her experience as a Ray Scholar.
Ray Scholarship Update, April 2021
Ferenc Somogyi (2020 recipient) has begun his flight training and has about eight hours. His progress is going well and he will be increasing his frequency of flights to hopefully obtain his pilot certificate this summer.
Ray Scholarship Update, Feb. 2021
Our 2020 scholar Ferenc Somogyi has switched his training to AeroTrek Flight Academy in Wadsworth due to an instructor change and will be training with the team at Wadsworth going forward. For those of you who fly out of Wadsworth, keep an eye out for Ferenc as he begins his training journey there!
Even more good news arrived last week from EAA Headquarters as we found out that we have been awarded another 50/50 matching Ray Scholarship for 2021! Thanks go out to our membership who voted last month to use our recent donation from Charlie Cartledge towards another Ray Aviation Scholarship. This means that we will have two Ray Scholars this year as Ferenc finishes up and we select another deserving youth for this prestigious award. With that in mind, please start thinking about who you may want to nominate or consider for this year's scholarship. The requirements to be eligible are as follows: 16-19 years old, must possess an FAA medical and Student Pilot Certificate by the start of training and must be able to commit at least 2 hours per month towards Chapter activities. As before we are looking for individuals who may have already participated in Chapter activities, EAA Young Eagle rallys, etc. We will discuss our 2021 selection process and timeline at this month's Chapter meeting but I expect those to be similar to last year due to the ongoing restrictions and precautions.
Ray Scholarship 2020
Ferenc is currently finishing his junior year at St. Ignatius high school in Cleveland. He is active in the Civil Air Patrol where he currently serves as his squadron’s Aerospace Education Non-Commissioned Officer. He has attended the Civil Air Patrol Powered Flight Academy where he received primary flight training and ground school instruction. He plans on a career in the aerospace industry and is exploring all of the opportunities available to him in this ever growing field. Ferenc’s love of aviation, his passion for all things related to flight and his many accomplishments already achieved, will serve him well as the Chapter’s Ray Aviation Scholar for the coming year.
Due to the current worldwide health crisis, Ferenc will delay the start of his flight training until a time when it is safe to begin. Ferenc and his parents Marianna and Lél, will be working with Chapter members in the coming weeks to select a flight training provider and develop a plan to allow him to begin his training as soon as possible. Training towards a Private Pilot Certificate is an enormous undertaking for any individual and takes a team effort. Ferenc will be a busy young man this coming year as he begins his senior year of high school, trains towards his Private Pilot rating and ultimately decides on his future plans. We will be working with him closely to ensure that he succeeds! We look forward to meeting Ferenc and his family in person in the coming weeks.
Ray Scholarship Update
To date there have been thirty-three scholars who have earned their Private Pilot Certificate’s through this scholarship program. That number includes our very own 2019 Ray Aviation Scholar, Ben Nagy who completed his Private Pilot Certificate back in December of this past year. Overall, EAA awarded nearly 100 scholarships in 2019 thanks to the generosity of the Ray Foundation. For 2020, the Ray Foundation has increased their commitment to this great program by upping their total monetary commitment to 1.2 million dollars in available scholarship funds. With this increase and an increased commitment from EAA Chapters like ours, the program this year will be able to offer an additional 30 scholarships on top of the nearly 100 that they are already offering. This means that an additional 30 individuals will have a chance to pursue their Private Pilot Certificates. Only through the generous support of the Ray Foundation and Chapters like ours that have offered to match EAA’s funding this year, is this even possible. So a big THANK YOU to our Chapter members for their willingness to support this program.
Congratulations to FAA Private Pilot Ben Nagy!
Ben Nagy, the Chapter’s Ray Scholarship recipient, became the newest private pilot in the US on November 18, 2019. Examiner Stuart Cory felt that Ben’s skills met the requirements per the Airmen Certification Standards and presented him with his Private Pilot certificate. Ben is one of the first eighteen Ray Scholars to complete all of the flight training. Congratulations, Ben!
