What are the basic requirements for The LeRoy W. Homer Jr. scholarship?

• Applicant must be between the age of 16 and 23 years old as of the application deadline date.
• Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible.
• Applicant must never have been charged or convicted of any misdemeanors or felonies.
• Applicant must be able to read, write, and speak English to FAA standards.
• Applicant may not already possess/have completed an FAA Private Pilot Certificate.
• This is a new requirement for our 2025 application: Applicant must have completed or commit to complete a Private Pilot Written Ground School with authorization to take the written exam BEFORE an award will be granted. (Applicant will need the written passed or authorization to take the exam completed prior to May 15, 2025 to be eligible to receive an award. Vendors such as Sporty’s, King Schools, Jeppesen offer online ground school options.)
• Applicant must be available for training May 2025 through December 2025 with limited absences. (A two week family vacation can be accommodated. Multiple absences over the training window cannot.)
• Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ChatGPT or similar technology to author essay answers is strongly discouraged and may impact your application score. We wish to hear your original thoughts in your own words.

I will not be sixteen by the deadline. Can I still apply?
No, in order to eligible for the scholarship, you must be sixteen as of the deadline (January 31st.) You will need to apply the following year. FAA regulations require you to be 16 years of age to fly solo and 17 years of age to be issued your Private Pilot Certificate.

I am not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. Can I apply for the scholarship?
No, unfortunately only U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible at this time.

If I am already studying to become a private pilot, am I eligible for this scholarship?
Yes you are eligible if you are pursuing your license on your own, and not enrolled in a college, university aviation program. In addition, we do not provide loans for any college or university tuition, even if you are in an aviation program. We do not reimburse expenses for previous training activities completed.

If I have obtained my private pilot license can I still apply?
No. This scholarship applies only to obtaining a private pilot license. It does not apply to instrument ratings or any other aspect of flight training. This scholarship is not intended for individuals already enrolled in a university based flight program, which offers instruction in private pilot certification as part of their curriculum.

Do I need to have an FAA Medical Certificate or IACRA Login to apply?
No, we do not require that at time of application. To accept a flight training scholarship award you will be required to get an FAA Medical Certificate and your flight instructor will initiate your entry into the FAA IACRA (Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application) system as required for flight training.

What are the FAA Requirements to complete Private Pilot Certification?

• You must be at least 17 years of age for your license, 16 years of age to solo.
• You must be able to read, speak, write and understand English.
• You must obtain a Third Class Medical Certificate.
• You must receive Private Pilot ground instruction.
• You must pass a written examination with a score of 70% or better.
• You must have logged at least 40 hours of flight time, consisting of:
  • 20 hours of flight instruction of which
    • 3 hours is cross-country
    • 3 hours at night (10 takeoffs & landings to a full stop & one cross-country at least 100 NM)
    • 3 hours of instrument training
    • 3 hours in preparation for the flight test within the preceding 60 days
  • 10 hours of solo flight time
    • 5 hours of solo cross-country
      • One cross-country of 150 NM with full-stop landings at a minimum of three points, one leg of which is more than 50 NM between its takeoff and landing locations.
    • 3 solo takeoffs & landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower.
  • 10 hours are optional for use as either solo or dual, whichever the instructor feels is needed to best prepare the student.
• You must successfully complete a flight test given by an FAA Inspector or Designated Examiner.

I have plans over the summer ahead. When do I need to be available for this training?
This scholarship awards each spring in May. The intent of the scholarship is to deliver training from May to December each year when weather conditions are best and students are finished with school/academic obligations and available to fly most days. We can accommodate reasonable absences for a family vacation or camp/internship/leadership experience of two weeks. Multiple or longer absences may render and applicant ineligible due to limited availability.

• A scholarship award provides ground and flight training with a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) for completion of a Private Pilot Certificate from the FAA.
• Training will be provided at an approved flight school in the local vicinity of the scholarship recipient. (Cessna Pilot Centers are an example.)

• A scholarship award will allow for approximately 45-65 hours of total flight time at an expense below $17,000 unless circumstances require otherwise.
• The scholarship provides a six month training window to complete certification.
• Basic course materials (books, charts, manual E6-B computer) are included.
• The cost of one Private Pilot Written Exam (if not already completed) and one Private Pilot Certificate Check Ride with an FAA Pilot Designated Examiner will be provided.

• No reimbursements are made for prior training or exams already completed.
• Optional equipment (headsets, iPads, subscriptions, electronic flight computers) are not provided or covered and will be at the student’s discretion/expense.

When do you accept applications?
The application is posted October 31st each year with the deadline being January 31st of the following year. Please bookmark this page for future application information.

Do I need to send an official or unofficial transcript?
An unofficial transcript will be accepted with your application. We may request an official transcript from you prior to issuing an awarded scholarship, at our option.

I received three letters of reference, but you only ask for two. Should I still send all three?
No, if you have three, please send only the best two letters. If you send all three, any two will be selected at random.

I applied for the scholarship and I never heard anything.
You should receive email notification when you submit your application. A second email is sent to all applicants after award recipients have been selected each year notifying everyone that we have made our selections for the scholarship year. The awarded scholarship recipients will be directly contacted by mail, email and phone.

I applied for the scholarship and was not a recipient. Is there any point in applying again?
Yes, we receive so very many worthy applications and can only award a limited number of recipients. Applicants are encouraged to reapply, making sure all required information is received on time. Also, if any areas in your application were lacking, for example, community service or leadership, improvement in those areas would be beneficial.

I did not get an e-mail confirming the receipt of my application.
Upon completion of the online application, a confirmation email will be generated once you submit. Please revisit your application and ensure it was submitted/completed. There are help and contact links on the application site.

Why does it take so long to see the names of the recipients on the website?
Recipients need to be contacted, and all necessary paperwork needs to be verified, prior to the posting of the names on the website. We attempt to complete that in May to ensure the announcement is posted by Memorial Day weekend.

I left a message with a request to have information about the scholarship mailed to me and I have not received anything in the mail?
We do not send any information about the scholarship by mail, ALL information about the scholarship can be found online.

Can you please mail me an application?
We regret that we are unable to mail applications. However, they are accessible online and can be completed online. Applications are open October 31st to January 31st each year.