Get ready: Royal Aero Club Trust 2026 bursaries open for applications

Young aviators have the chance to take their flying further with the Royal Aero Club Trust’s 2026 Flying for Youth Bursary Scheme, which opened for applications on 1 November 2025.

The annual scheme offers bursaries worth between £500 and £1,000 to help young people aged 14–21 (or up to 24 for Advanced Bursaries) progress in air sports and aviation-related activities — including paragliding, gliding, hang-gliding, parachuting, microlighting, helicopter flying, ballooning, and even drone and model aircraft flying and design.

Applicants must hold British citizenship, be permanently resident in the UK, and be members of a Royal Aero Club associate organisation such as the British Gliding Association, Light Aircraft Association, British Skydiving, or Helicopter Club of Great Britain. Each application must be endorsed by the relevant association before submission.

The 2026 scheme offers four categories of bursary:

• Flying Bursaries – to help pilots progress to the next level of qualification
• Flight Simulator Bursaries – for enthusiasts seeking real-world flight experience
• Aeromodelling and Drone Bursaries – to upgrade equipment or gain new qualifications
• Advanced Bursaries – for qualified individuals competing nationally or internationally, or training towards instructor-level achievements

In 2025, the Trust awarded 47 bursaries across a wide range of disciplines including gliding, skydiving, paragliding, and drone flying. Thirteen of those were Advanced Bursaries, supporting applicants advancing their qualifications or representing the UK internationally. The Trust is particularly keen to receive applications from balloon pilots this year, after none were received in 2025.

Applications opened 1 November 2025 and must reach the Bursary Administrator by 31 December 2025. Successful applicants will be notified by 27 February 2026.

Full details and downloadable application forms are available here.