Benjamin L. Ellison Future Pilot Scholarship

Pays for three Washington high school students to solo and earn a private pilot certificate.

From The Museum of Flight

Amount: $14,000Three awards. Money is paid out in stages as training progresses.
Applications: Opens ~Dec 2026Applications for 2027 will open mid-December 2026.
Who can apply: High school students, age 16 and up, Washington residents
Where the money works: Depends on the awardAny flight training program that uses a formal syllabus, if the Museum approves it.
Pays toward: Private pilot

Requirements

You must be at least 16 and a half years old as of March 1, 2026 and not yet started your senior year.
You must be a US citizen living in Washington state.
You must have finished or be enrolled in a private pilot ground school course.
You need a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, or 3.0 with special circumstances.
You must start the FAA third class medical process when you apply.
You must join the Museum's Flight Mentoring Club and report your training monthly.
You and a parent or guardian must attend a Zoom pre-training workshop and the scholarship celebration.
Preference goes to Museum program participants and Raisbeck Aviation High School students.

How to apply

Read the Museum's Flight Training Fundamentals document with a parent or guardian.
Finish or enroll in a private pilot ground school course.
Begin the FAA third class medical process.
Write the two required essays and apply when the form opens in mid-December.

Apply on their site

Opens The Museum of Flight's own page. We never host an application.

Checked Oct 7, 2026 against The Museum of Flight's page. We list scholarships we think are relevant for our program, not every one out there. Deadlines and amounts can change, so confirm them there before you apply.

All pilot scholarships How to pay for flight school

Scholarships rarely cover all of it.

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