Expert: D. Norkus - 7/14/2008

Question
AM 23 years GHANAIAN HAVING A CERTIFICATE IN HND. ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING. TO BE A PILOT  IS ONE OF MY DREAMS AND I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL IF YOU LEAD TO THE WAY OF GETING SCHOLARSHIP IN ONE OF THE PILOTING TRAING SCHOOLS IN USA TO MAKE MY DREAM COME TRUE.

Answer
Anna

I have a database of flight scholarships for females at http://www.flightscholarship.info
Unfortunately, most all scholarships given in the USA require American citizenship, residence in a geographic area or an organization affiliation, so you do not qualify for most awards here. Also, most awards are one time grants that only cover less than 10% of the entire cost.

As a female Ghanaian, the only places you might be able to qualify for a flight scholarship would be from Women In Aviation International or the International Organization of Women Pilots: the Ninety-Nines.

Each site has a section for scholarships-

http://www.wai.org
http://www.ninety-nines.org

However, even if you win a small scholarship, you still may not be able to come to the USA and do your flight training.

Any aspiring pilot that is not a U.S. citizen must get a special visa via the Alien Flight Student Program/AFSP that allows them to visit the United States for the purpose of flight training. Before the pilot candidate is approved for this visa, they must provide proof that they have all the funding required or have secured financing/loans for the entire pilot training course or they will not be issued the visa. The cost will vary depending on the school and the rates they charge but you should expect it will cost upwards of $60,000 USD. AFSP candidates may only enroll with flight schools on an approved list. You must contact one of the approved schools for an estimate of their program costs.

Additionally, non-U.S. citizens must apply online through the AFSP website and provide their fingerprints, biographical information, security documents including passport copies, and specific information about their desired training events.  The AFSP processes candidate training request applications using four different categories distinguished by the type of training requested. An application fee of $130 for the background check is required. Get all the information about this visa and the application process here-

https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/

Other helpful links explaining the AFSP-

http://www.aopa.org/tsa_rule/
http://flighttraining.aopa.org/ft_magazine/special/training.cfm

Hope this helps,
Dottie