Bursaries

The Royal Aero Club Trust, as part of its Flying for Youth programme administers a Bursary Scheme for young people.

47 bursaries were offered in 2025 and the lucky recipients were able to start training shortly after Easter. Bursaries awarded include:

• The Pooleys Flight Equipment Bursary

• The Lord Peter Cruddas Foundation Scholarship 

• The Andrew Brownsword Bursary

• The Bramson Bursary

• The George Farha Bursary

• The John Downer Bursary. 

• The Crocker Family Bursary

• The Lord Graham Kirkham Bursary 

A number of additional bursaries worth up to £500 each to suitable candidates were also granted. No applications were received in 2025 from balloon pilots who are encouraged to apply for future bursaries.

Bursaries must be used in the calendar year they are granted.

The scheme is divided into four categories of Bursaries:

• 1. Flying Bursaries/Grants for those wishing to advance from one recognised level of air sport to the next higher level and wish to upgrade their existing qualifications;

  2. Flight Simulator Bursaries/Grants for Computer Flight Simulation enthusiasts wishing to gain practical experience of flying or an air sport.

  3. Aeromodelling and Drone Bursaries to enable flyers upgrade equipment or to gain further qualifications.

  4. Advanced Bursaries to enable well qualified air sports persons enter international or national competitions or other prestigious events or to advance their existing qualifications to a higher level to the benefit of the sport (eg to gain an instructor qualification).

Application Forms and Terms & Conditions

2026 Application Forms and Bursary Terms & Conditions are available to download on this site but cannot be submitted until 1 Novenber 2025 with a closing date for Application Forms to reach the Bursary Administrator of 31 Dec 2025.  Succesfull applicants will be notified by 27 Feb 2026.

Applications should download the sport specific form and submit the completed application to the Bursaries Administrator as an email attachment to bursaries@royalaeroclubtrust.org

2026 Bursary Terms & Conditions

2026 Bursary Advanced Application Form

2026 Bursary Flight Simulation Application Form

2026 Bursary Aero Modelling and Drone Application Form

2026 Bursary Flying Application Form

Bursary Winners

2025 Bursary Winners

2024 Bursary winners

2023 bursary winners

2022 bursary winners

2021 bursary winners

2020 bursary winners

2019 bursary winners

2018 bursary winners