Applications are now open for the $20,000 in funding available through the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) and UPS Flight Path scholarships designed to help aspiring pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians (AMT) and airline managers to pursue their careers.
“We know 80% of aspiring pilots drop out for lack of funding, making scholarships of paramount importance in aviation education, not only pilots but other high-demand occupations such as aviation maintenance technicians as well as others aspiring to aviation careers," said RACCA President Stan Bernstein. "By addressing the high cost of an aviation education, we can remove a major barrier to addressing workforce shortages and continue to help students pursue AMT, airline management and pilot careers.”
The four $2,500 RACCA Aviation Scholarships were established for the purpose of promoting and assisting in pursuing aviation as a career choice and to make students aware of the opportunities in the air cargo industry. RACCA, representing 50+ air cargo carriers, many of which feed the FedEx, DHL and UPS networks, provides scholarships to assist in the payment of tuition, flight training, or to obtain new or additional licenses. The organization makes four awards each year in November.
RACCA also administers a separate scholarship program – the UPS Flight Path Scholarship, which, like the RACCA’s own program, awards $2500 to four students each year.
Bernstein noted flying for a RACCA carrier is a valuable way to build flying time because it gives pilots airline flying experience which regionals and mainlines value over other types of flight time building. This experience includes flying to a schedule, inclement weather, dealing with inflight and procedural issues surrounding cargo as well as night flying, operating in busy airspace, cockpit resource management issues and required recordkeeping. One of the most important things an aspiring pilot can do in time building is to maintain the professionalism and discipline valued by safety professionals.
To qualify for the scholarships, applicants must be:
• A college student currently enrolled in an accredited aviation program.
• A resident of the United States.
• Currently carry a Grade Point Average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
The deadline for applications is October 15, 2022 and the selection will be made by Nov. 30 and distributed on Dec. 15 to an accredited school.
