EAA program outlines free path to private pilot certificate

The second episode of FLYING's video podcast Aviation Start looks at how to earn a private pilot certificate without spending money. Host Jamail Larkins says it is possible to go from zero time to a license completely free if done correctly.

His guest, David Leiting, manages the Eagles program for the Experimental Aircraft Association. The path begins with EAA's Young Eagles initiative, which has offered free introductory flights to young people ages 8 to 17 at about 650 airports across the country since 1992. Leiting notes that anyone within 30 miles of an airport can probably find a Young Eagles program nearby.

After that first flight, participants can join EAA as student members at no cost until age 19. They gain access to AeroEducate and Sporty's Learn to Fly Course, an online ground school that prepares them for the FAA knowledge exam. EAA reimburses the exam fee for those who pass after completing the course. Students also receive a voucher for a first flight lesson, and those active in a local chapter may earn a week at the Air Academy summer camp in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The top of the funnel is EAA's roughly $2.5 million in annual flight training scholarships. About $2.2 million of that is distributed by chapters through the Ray Aviation Scholarship Fund. Ray scholars who complete their first solo get a Lightspeed Zulu 3 headset through the program's support.