15 July 2024
A total of 90 scholarships worth over £140,000 have been awarded in 2024 to young people across the UK pursuing a career in aviation.
The Air League’s annual Scholarship Programme includes powered flying courses, gliding courses, the UK’s first electric flying scholarship and fully sponsored Private Pilots Licence (PPL) courses.
The scholarship courses will take place at flying and gliding clubs across England, Wales and Scotland over the summer, with engineering placements at Affinity Flying Training Services and Drone Scholarships at Eagle Eye Innovations to follow.
This year, the Air League awarded 56 flying scholarships, 31 gliding scholarships and three electric flying scholarships.
Ava Udwadia, gliding scholar
Review of the data highlights that 30% of the scholrs are female, which is far higher than the industry average of 6.5% for pilots. 45% of scholars are under the age of 18 and 48% are aged between 18-24. Furthermore, one in four Scholars are from an ethnic or minority background and 45% of Scholars’ parents were not university educated.
In 2024, the Air League also launched the UK’s first Electric Flying Scholarships. It will take place with Saxon Air at Norwich Airport and will use the Pipistrel Velis Electro, with additional simulator time and ground school.
Ben Harris, Scholarships Programme Manager at the Air League, said, “The 2024 Scholarship Programme has proven that the desire to pursue a career in aviation is as strong as ever.
“Close to 1000 applications were received for our Flying, Electric Flying and Gliding Scholarships: around a 25% increase on 2023.
“We are hopeful that the 2024 Scholars will use their scholarships to propel themselves towards long and prosperous careers in aviation. We wish all recipients of the 2024 Air League Scholarships the very best of luck with their training.”
Scholarship recipients will complete their courses over the coming months and will be invited to the annual Scholarship Awards Reception being held in London in November.
Sponsorship from AFE has also enabled the Air League to supply all flying Scholars with training materials.
The Air League aims to inspire, enable, and support the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals from any background across the United Kingdom. Over the past decade, scholarships worth over £2 million have been allocated.
