Grantees Able to Create Suitable Projects to Foster New Aviators 

The US Department of Transportation has awarded $5 million in grants in an effort to "educate the next generation of pilots and other aviation professionals." 

The projected shortfall of aviators in the next 5 years may not be significantly alleviated with the creation of more entry-level pilots, but the following decade will require just as much replenishment for its retiring baby boom pilots.

The Aircraft Pilots Aviation Workforce Development Grant program will see higher-education institutions, high schools, and local governments receive funding to provide enhanced flight training for the fundamental building blocks of a career in aviation. 

Grantees may use the funding to create and deliver curriculum designed to foster aircraft pilots, aerospace engineers, or unmanned systems operators.

The FAA has allowed a significant amount of leeway in designing educational projects, believing a variety of approaches can help create a more robust pipeline of skilled and diverse professionals.

The majority of recipients obtained between $100,000 to $500,000. The smallest grant was $31,000 apportioned to Spartanburg County School District of South Carolina, and the largest was a half-million dollar grant to Scottsbluff County School District of Nebraska.  Other grants to Universities, colleges, flight academies, technical institutes, and a research foundation rounded out the rest of the funds. 

“Our investment in the aviation workforce of the future must begin today,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, a former commercial captain. “These grants help nurture interest in aviation at an early age to build a career during one of the most dynamic times in aviation history.”

FMI: www.faa.gov