SAN CARLOS, California — The Upwind Foundation is accepting applications for the 2020 scholarship program.
Upwind provides a scholarship that includes flight and ground school training for a high school student to prepare them to obtain their private pilot certificate during the summer between their junior and senior year.
Upwind was created to provide scholarships for aspiring young pilots to obtain their pilot’s certificate as a way to promote general aviation and to cultivate their interest in aviation as a career.
Upwind awarded more than 20 scholarships to high school students between 2013 and 2019. For 2020, Upwind is seeking high school students to apply for the airplane scholarship.
Upwind selects high school students and awards them a scholarship for an intensive, nine-week flight and ground training program provided by expert instructors. Additionally, the scholarship recipients receive mentorship and guidance from other pilots, and enjoy many other social and flying activities.
The 2020 program winners will be selected in March and will begin ground training in April, with flight training beginning in June.
Deadline to apply is February 21, 2020. To apply, download the application at UpwindScholarship.com/Applications.
Successful candidates must be a US citizen and a high school student who will be 17 years of age before program completion on Aug. 6, 2020.
Note that the ground and flight training take place at the San Carlos airport. (I assume California, but the website doesn’t specify.) They also say the program is demanding, so it would be good to ask what happens if you can’t finish within their 9 week flight training timeline.