FAA awards US$5 million in grants for the next generation of pilots

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded US$5 million to educate the next generation of pilots and other aviation professionals.

The Aircraft Pilots Aviation Workforce Development Grants were awarded to accredited higher education institutions, high schools, state and local governments, and flight schools.

“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.”

Grantees can use the funding to create and deliver a curriculum designed to prepare students to become aircraft pilots, aerospace engineers, or unmanned aircraft systems operators.

To maintain the safest and most efficient aerospace system well into the future, the FAA recognises the need to create a robust pipeline of skilled and diverse professionals. These grants are one way the agency is working to address the projected shortages of aircraft pilots in the industry.

Grant recipients include:

Florida State College, Jacksonville, Fla. – $498,000
Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Mich. – $90,000
Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, N.C. – $269,000
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D. – $488,000
County of Scottsbluff School District #16, Gering, Neb. – $500,000
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, Flushing, N.Y. – $498,000
Aerotrek Flight Academy, LLC, Wadsworth, Ohio – $77,000
Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, Oklahoma City, Okla. – $491,000
Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, Harrisburg, Penn. – $135,000
Spartanburg County School District #5 (James. F. Byrnes High School), Duncan, S.C. – $31,000
South Carolina Department of Education, Columbia, S.C. – $425,000
Florence School District One, Florence, S.C. – $339,000
Crowley Independent School District #912, Crowley, Texas – $139,500
Utah State University, Logan, Utah: $238,500
Randolph Macon Academy, Front Royal, Va. – $307,000
Old Dominion University Research Foundation/Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Norfolk, Va. – $474,000