Expert: D. Norkus - 2/19/2003

Question
hi
i am judy aged 18 from kenya..africa.i have always had and still has a passion and dream of being a pilot.however i cannot meet the costs of the fees as back here to get a ppl costs around 600000kshs @80kshs=1 dollar.moreover i come from a society where piloting is taken to be a mans job so please if you would help me identify sources of funding i will be very greatful

Answer
Judy,

While I know of many flight scholarships for women, you must live in certain regions to apply. Generally, the people or organizations that give money offer it only to women in their geographical regions. In addition, almost all exclude student pilots as they want to give the scholarships to women with a proven dedication to aviation. They reason anyone who is desiring advanced ratings, and has already been determined enough to get their private on their own, will be money better spent. Many students have tried lessons and quit, or never advanced in flying, hence the limitation to PPLs and above. Sources of funding for student pilots are very few. There are no awards that I know of in Africa because, as you said, it is a field dominated by men there.

The International Women Pilots (the "Ninety Nines") gives many one time awards ranging from $500-$1,500. They also have a Future Woman Pilot Scholarship that is open only to students, but I cannot say if they will cover training in Africa so you might not be able to apply. If you do manage to get your license on your own, you can become a member of the organization. Members belonging for 2 years or more are able to apply for an Amelia Earhart grant that pays for an entire rating. They award about 20 grants each year. Check my site or you can visit www.ninety-nines.org for more information and contacts.

If you had the means to train outside of your country, you would most likely be eligible to apply for an award. I have an extensive list of monies available to female flight students in the USA (where I live). You can see my list here:

www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/page2.html

Figuring that 80 kshs= $1, then it costs $7,500 USD to get your Private Pilot. As an estimate, you could get your private license for about $5-6,000 USD training here. A Commercial, Multi-engine with an Instrument rating will cost about $30,000 USD. Some schools charge considerably more, but it can be done for this price.

I don't know if you want to fly as a career, but if you do it doesn't seem like there are many opportunities in your country. The only way to get anywhere in such a small aviation community is to network. Networking helps you meet others in the field and makes you a familiar face, so if you have not made friends with any local pilots or airport operators do so. I also suggest finding out who operates any missionary flying in your area and contact them. (These pilots may well be instructors also.) Offer to work or volunteer with any local aviation activity you can and unexpected opportunities may arise. A chance might come along that would help you get started flying.

Perhaps some info on the sites above may be helpful to you. Good luck.

Dottie