Free course · Aviation scholarships
How to Win an Aviation Scholarship
Aviation is expensive to learn, and scholarships can help with part of the cost. This free course walks you through the whole process: choosing which programs deserve your time, planning your year, building the application, interviewing, and handling a win or a no.
Each lesson is a short narrated video with animated explainers, with the full written lesson underneath.
Why this course
Avoidable mistakes cost applicants the most.
Starting after a window closes, sending a generic essay, asking for a letter too late.
The course follows the order the work actually happens in. You build a target list, put deadlines on a calendar, assemble the résumé, records, budget and letters, write a specific essay, and prepare for an interview. Each lesson ends with a short "Do this now" action. It works alongside the Scholarship Finder, a free searchable directory of programs.
Who it's for
Built for
- Student pilots and future pilots who want help paying for a certificate or rating
- Aspiring aviation maintenance technicians, dispatchers, air traffic controllers and avionics students
- College and high school students pursuing an aviation degree or career
- Parents, instructors and mentors helping someone prepare an application
What you'll learn
One skill per module.
- Orientation: What aviation scholarships realistically cover, and how the course and the Scholarship Finder work together.
- Build Your Target List: The types of awards, where they come from, how to judge fit and membership rules, and how to spot scams and bad offers.
- Timeline: How the scholarship calendar really works, and a 12-month plan with a tracker so you start early and reapply on purpose.
- The Application Package: An aviation résumé, organized records, a budget and training plan, and letters of recommendation.
- The Essay and Personal Statement: What your essay should show, how to structure a short essay, and how to turn generic writing into specific writing.
- Interviews and After the Decision: How to prepare for phone, video and panel interviews, what to do if you win, and what to do if you do not.
Curriculum
Six modules, seventeen video lessons.
Each lesson runs five to eight minutes. Work through them in order, or jump to the module you need.
Orientation
What aviation scholarships realistically cover, and how the course and the Scholarship Finder work together.
- What aviation scholarships realistically cover
- How this course and the Scholarship Finder work together
Build Your Target List
The types of awards, where they come from, how to judge fit and membership rules, and how to spot scams and bad offers.
- Types of aviation scholarships
- Where scholarships come from
- Membership, program types, and judging fit
- Avoiding scams and bad offers
Timeline
How the scholarship calendar really works, and a 12-month plan with a tracker so you start early and reapply on purpose.
- The scholarship calendar
- Your 12-month plan and tracker
The Application Package
An aviation résumé, organized records, a budget and training plan, and letters of recommendation.
- The aviation résumé
- Records: logbook, transcripts and photos
- Your budget and training plan
- Letters of recommendation
The Essay and Personal Statement
What your essay should show, how to structure a short essay, and how to turn generic writing into specific writing.
- What your essay should show and how to structure it
- Specific writing: revising and avoiding mistakes
Interviews and After the Decision
How to prepare for phone, video and panel interviews, what to do if you win, and what to do if you do not.
- Interviews: phone, video and panel
- If you win: thank-yous, deadlines, reporting and taxes
- If you do not win: feedback, learning and reapplying
What's included
Everything is free.
17 video lessons
About 105 minutes in 6 modules, each with the written lesson underneath and a "Do this now" action.
A quiz for each module
Check that the module stuck before you move on.
4 downloadable templates
Application Tracker, Recommendation Request Template, Essay Planner and Aviation Résumé Template.
The Scholarship Finder
A free directory you can filter by goal, who can apply, country and deadline month. Open it.
Questions
Before you enroll
Is it really free?
Yes. The course, the quizzes and the templates are free. Real scholarships do not charge application fees, and neither do we.
Do I need to be a student pilot?
No. You do not need a certificate or to have started training. The course is useful before your first lesson, during training, or while you plan a degree or career path.
Does it cover maintenance, dispatch and air traffic control?
Yes. The application skills apply across aviation, and the Scholarship Finder includes awards for flight training, advanced ratings, college degrees, maintenance, avionics, dispatch and air traffic control. Some lesson examples come from flight training, so adapt them to your path.
How current are the listings?
Listings change every year. The course text was written in October 2026 from official program pages, and a first set of 46 Finder listings was checked against official pages on October 29, 2026. Always confirm the amount, eligibility and deadline on the official site before you apply.
Are videos included?
Yes. Every lesson is a short narrated video, five to eight minutes long, with animated explainers. The full written lesson sits under each video, so you can read, watch or both.
Free
Start with Module 0.
Enroll, download the Application Tracker, and keep the Scholarship Finder open beside you.
About Blackridge Press
Blackridge Press publishes structured, source-cited aviation training, including books, courses and instructor resources. This course and the Scholarship Finder are free.
Blackridge Press is not affiliated with the scholarship organizations mentioned and does not guarantee any award. Programs and deadlines change; confirm details on each official site. This course is not legal, tax or financial advice.