EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship Reaches 800 Completed Scholars

June 2026 — EAA is happy to report that more than 800 recipients of the Ray Aviation Scholarship have earned their pilot certificate since the program’s launch in 2019! We reached this exciting milestone in the spring of 2026. Hundreds of youths and young adults have been able to learn to fly and complete their primary flight training because of this amazing scholarship and the people who make it possible.

We give many thanks to all the scholars for the time and effort they dedicated to completing flight training, and we especially commend them for their perseverance. Learning to fly can be challenging, with many potential obstacles and unexpected difficulties along the way. But overcoming those challenges makes success even more rewarding when a scholar passes their checkride and is issued their certificate. This milestone is the culmination of many hours of flying, many hours of studying, and likely a roller coaster of emotions. In the end, these scholars proved to themselves that they can make their dreams a reality.

We also extend endless thanks to the EAA chapters that support and mentor their Ray Aviation scholars. Our chapters, which administer the scholarships, are the key to the success of this program. Although the scholarship money is crucially important to helping scholars pay for flight training, the active mentorship and encouragement provided by the chapters is what ultimately helps the scholars push through challenges and stay motivated through the passage of their checkride. Chapters have an important responsibility to ensure their scholars are successful. This responsibility not only helps the scholars succeed, but it also helps the chapter grow and directly support the aviation community.

EAA thanks the Ray Foundation for providing the mission and the funding for this scholarship program. Ray scholars are not just learning how to become pilot in command of an aircraft; they are also learning to become pilot in command of their own lives. In accordance with the Ray Foundation’s mission, the flight training journey allows the scholars to learn important life skills such as self-discipline, self-confidence, and ownership of one’s own decisions. It is a life-changer in more ways than one.

The impact of this scholarship is readily apparent. It has launched its successful recipients into aviation careers, from flying airliners to maintaining aircraft fleets and much more. Many scholarship alumni have become flight instructors, sharing their knowledge and wisdom with new pilots pursuing the same goals they once achieved. We see Ray scholars who were formerly EAA Young Eagles paying it forward by giving Young Eagles flights to new generations of kids, giving them the same exciting flight experiences that inspired the scholars to pursue aviation. Some Ray scholars have even worked at EAA headquarters in Oshkosh, such as on our full-time staff and as counselors and pilots for the EAA Air Academy.

The next period for EAA chapters to apply for administering the Ray Aviation Scholarship will open on November 1, 2026. This will be the chapter application for the 2027 scholarship. Although that date is more than four months away, it is not too early for your chapter to begin thinking about applying for next year’s scholarship. Whether your chapter has participated before, or is considering applying for the first time, this scholarship will give you an opportunity to make a direct impact on aviation.

We are looking forward to celebrating the milestone of reaching 1,000 completed Ray Aviation scholars in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, join us in commending the successful scholars this program has already produced in a relatively short amount of time.

For more information about the Ray Aviation Scholarship, visit EAA.org/RayScholarship.