Bursaries
UPDATE: The closing date for 2025 Bursaries is 31 March 2025. No applications will be accepted after that date.
The scheme and the bursaries comprise all types of air sports and aviation-related activities including: paragliding, gliding, hang-gliding, parachuting, microlight aircraft, helicopter, ballooning, light aircraft and the designing, building and flying model aeroplanes (including multi-rotary wing - eg drones).
Applicants for these grants must hold British Citizenship and be permanently resident in UK and aged 14-21 years; (Advanced Bursary - 24 years).
The Royal Aero Club Trust, as part of its Flying for Youth programme administers a Bursary Scheme for young people.
45 bursaries were offered in 2024 and the lucky recipients were able to start training shortly after Easter. Bursaries 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 2024 from balloon pilots who are encouraged to apply for future bursaries.
Bursaries must be used in the calender year they are granted.
The scheme is divided into four categories of Bursaries:
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;
Flight Simulator Bursaries/Grants for Computer Flight Simulation enthusiasts wishing to gain practical experience of flying or an air sport.
Aeromodelling Bursaries to enable flyers upgrade equipment or to gain further qualifications.
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
2025 Application forms and Bursary Terms & Conditions are available to download on this site but cannot be submitted until September 2024 with a closing date for Application forms of 31 March 2025.
2025 Bursary Terms & Conditions
2025 Bursary Advanced Application Form
2025 Bursary Flight Simulation Application Form
2025 Bursary Aero Modelling Application Form
2025 Bursary Flying Application Form
Bursary Winners
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