FAA awards $5M in grants to develop next generation of pilots

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded $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 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 recognizes 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

Visit the FAA website for additional details about the grant recipients.

This press release was prepared and distributed by the Federal Aviation Administration.