AOPA You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship

The AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship, funded by the Ray Foundation, awards at least 90 scholarships of $12,000 each to help high school students earn their private pilot certificate.

Applicants must be high school students ages 16 to 18, have a minimum 2.7 GPA, and have already passed the FAA private pilot written knowledge exam before applying. Because eligibility runs from age 16, motivated sophomores and juniors can win flight training funding well before senior year.

Students apply directly through AOPA's online scholarship portal, which matches applicants to eligible awards; applications include short essays and references. There are two application periods per year: the fall 2026 window runs October 1 through December 31, 2026, with decisions emailed by April 15, 2027.