Royal Aero Club offers cash help for young flyers

A host of bursaries are available from the Royal Aero Club Trust, offering cash help for flight training.

A total of 27 bursaries were offered in 2021 and the lucky recipients were able to start training once Covid-19 restrictions permitted.

The Trust’s bursary scheme covers all types of air sports and aviation-related activities including: paragliding, gliding, hang-gliding, parachuting, microlight aircraft, helicopter, light aircraft and the designing, building and flying model aeroplanes (including multi-rotary wing – eg drones).

Photo top shows 20-year-old Rachel Calvert from Falkirk who received a Royal Aero Club Trust bursary in 2021 to help her take a tailwheel conversion course.

Applicants for these grants must hold British Citizenship and be permanently resident in UK and aged 14-21 years. Advanced Bursaries are available for up to 24 years old.

The scheme is divided into four categories of bursaries:

1. Flying Bursaries/Grants for those wishing to advance from one recognised level of air sport to the next higher level and wish to upgrade their existing qualifications
2. Flight Simulator Bursaries/Grants for Computer Flight Simulation enthusiasts wishing to gain practical experience of flying or an air sport
3. Aeromodelling Bursaries to enable flyers upgrade equipment or to gain further qualifications
4. Advanced Bursaries to enable well qualified air sports persons enter international or national competitions or other prestigious events or to advance their existing qualifications to a higher level to the benefit of the sport (eg to gain an instructor qualification).

Application forms for 2022 bursaries are available here

Closing dates for applications is 31 March 2022.