Expert: D. Norkus - 4/9/2003

Question
Dottie,
I live in Greenwood, SC. I am a 36 year old mother of two, breast cancer survivor. I would like information in regards to scholarships available for obtaining a private pilot license. I have had one lesson with at a local flight school. I am eager to continue this.
Thank you,
Vickie Brannen

Answer
Vickie

There are very few scholarships available to student pilots (not in a university). Most are open to those pursuing advanced ratings as having a PPL shows commitment to aviation.

That said, I think your best chance of getting an award would be to apply for an International Women Pilots Organization "Future Woman Pilot Scholarship". This organization (also known as the "Ninety Nines") gives lots of awards every year. Most are Amelia Earhart Grants, which any member of at least two years can apply for, and they cover the cost of one entire rating. However a few each year are for student pilots to help them get their Private License. You must enroll and become a FWP member and then you can apply. The 2 year requirement for an AE grant starts counting even while you are a student member, so apply! In addition, a few individual chapters of the 99s also give their own awards and a few are also open to students. Please see the two pages below for information on these scholarships:

www.ninety-nines.org
www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/page2.html

The second link is my own scholarships website. The deadline for the FWP applications is Dec 31st of each year. There is a link for the Women In Aviation International site on my page as well and they give out an award or two to aspiring aviatrixes at their annual convention. Unfortunately that was two weeks ago, but you can always apply at years end for 2004.

In the meantime, get yourself aligned with a chapter and find out about any other possibilites I may not have listed. Allie Frankie is the Vice-Chair of the Carolinas Chapter of the 99s. Contact her at: 108 Deer Run Lake, Greenwood, SC h. 227-3722

You might also find my "Getting Your License" website of interest. Please visit my page and check out it's links at the bottom for the best pilot sites on the web. It will give you the "big picture" about training. This should help you make choices for your flight training armed with some information. Go to:

www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/FAQ.html

Hope this can help.

Dottie
Question4Av8trxx@aol.com