Have you ever felt like keeping your two feet on the ground was never enough excitement for you? Maybe you’ve tried traditional schools and just couldn’t sit through classes without trying to practice what you’re learning about. Coast Flight recognizes that you could be a top candidate to explore the skies by becoming an airline pilot! Not only have they recognized this, but they’ve begun a flight training scholarship to engage people who want to kick-start their career in the airline industry.
 

Starting in Fall 2016, Coast Flight invited all high school seniors and recent graduates to apply for a Ground School Scholarship which would cover their Private Pilot Ground School at no cost. After carefully examining each application, the top 25 candidates were chosen to receive the scholarship, which included: 30 hours of official FAA Part 141 Certified Ground School, class study materials and books, and one hour of flight simulator time – a total value of $500. These 25 students are now halfway through their training, and have their eyes on the prize of Coast’s Grand Aviation Scholarship.
 
At the end of the eight-week program, two students will be chosen to receive a Grand Aviation Scholarship, one of which will value up to $73,000 in flight training.
This scholarship will allow recipients to complete all necessary ratings to begin a career in aviation, covering the student’s Private Pilot License, Instrument Flight Rating, Commercial License, and Flight Instructor Ratings.
 
These students are being taught by Olumbe Falú, a current Coast Flight instructor and recent graduate of Coast’s Airline Career Training (ACT) Program. When asked about the format of this training, Falú shared, “During this 8-week ground school, virtually every subject in the private pilot ‘repertoire’ will be covered, from aviation history through weather theory, flight planning, and aeronautical decision making.”
 
Each student starts class with a quiz about materials covered in the previous week to ensure they are retaining everything from the course. After that, Falú jokes, “I run my mouth for 3 hours and try not to put anyone to sleep – I vehemently encourage class participation.” And participation doesn’t go unnoticed!At the end of their ground school, the two top performing students will be awarded the scholarships. The decision will be based on: attendance and participation, professionalism, performance on written exam and aptitude tests, as well as the Coast Flight interview at the end of ground school. With so much on the line, each student has been putting in incredible effort to be one of the two Grand Aviation Scholarship winners. Coast staff is extremely pleased to see the 100% attendance thus far and genuine curiosity for the airline industry.
 
“For the person who wins the scholarship – this is an opportunity that no price tag could ever hope to describe,” adds Falú. “As a person that accomplished my flight training through my VA benefits, I understand how important this opportunity is to each of these students.”
 
When ground school classes end, all 25 participants will be eligible to interview with Envoy Air for a conditional offer of employment though Coast Flight’s ACT Program, and the grand prize winners will be announced on April 4, 2017. Good luck to all of the participants!