This month, we have some truly inspiring stories from our collection of Ray Scholars in our Profiles in Early Flight series. It’s remarkable how varied yet similar these young pilots’ journeys are, from across the country. Lightspeed remains a very proud supporter of the EAA Ray Scholarship. Please help EAA and us to spread these around to inspire other aviation enthusiasts who long to start a life in the skies. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Rachel Long
I am a Ray Scholar in EAA Vintage Chapter 25 (Sacramento, CA) who just earned her Private Pilot License. The scholarship has been a great deal of help to me, supplying the financial means of learning to fly, including airplane rentals, instructor hours, fuel costs, and a Zulu 3 Lightspeed headset. For me, learning about the scholarship was a happy coincidence that has changed my life entirely for the better.
My father, a private pilot, brought me to Young Eagle events when I was in elementary school. While I didn’t latch onto flying at the time, the experience imprinted on me the accessible possibility of becoming a pilot someday. I learned it could be a recreational hobby or a professional career. It was then that I decided someday I would earn my private pilot license.
Assuming it would be an expensive undertaking, I thought it would be much later in my life. I didn’t know it could, and would, be so soon.
When applying to colleges in my junior year of high school, I decided I wanted to be an aerospace engineering major. In part because I wasn’t sure of what I wanted my career to be and it seemed fun, but also because the idea of flight and soaring to new heights remained in the back of my mind from my Young Eagle flights. As a result, I received many emails from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, one of which was about AirVenture Oshkosh. I didn’t think much about it until my friend Tenley Ong posted about it on her Instagram. I thought “Oh, this is a real event, not a scam” and “Oh, there are people my age who are able to become pilots.” So, I texted her about what she was doing, and she referred me to EAA Vintage Chapter 25 and invited me to a meeting. There, I was informed about the Ray Scholarship by the chapter flight instructor Stan Lawrence. A rare, too-good-to-be-true, opportunity for teenagers to learn to fly with minimal cost.
After interacting with the community at VA Chapter 25, I knew that I would be coming back. I also jumped on the opportunity to learn to fly and immediately sent in an application to become a Ray Scholar. I studied for two weeks, took my written exam, and earned the scholarship. Since then, I have experienced many benefits of the scholarship program and the build-maintain-fly program with VA Chapter 25. Beyond learning the necessary skills to become a pilot, I have been welcomed by a wonderful community of aviators and mentors. After interacting and learning from the members of the chapter, I have developed an assurance for my career path, becoming an astronaut. The wonderful people of the program believe in my ability to succeed and have also shown me that even if I am unable to achieve my big long-term goal, my career will be surrounded with people like them, who are enthusiastic, ambitious, friendly, and encouraging. I believe that my future journey of collaborating with these individuals will make me happy and content throughout my career.
Now, I major in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Davis. Alongside my academic pursuits, the scholarship has also opened many gateways for me to pursue a career in aviation or as an astronaut building flight hours. I have many resources and people to help guide me in setting and achieving new goals, such as instrument certification or tailwheel endorsement. I am very excited to see where the future takes me, which will undoubtedly be shaped by what my chapter and the scholarship have given me. It has truly been a life changing experience and I am very grateful to the Ray Scholarship Foundation for making it possible.
For teenagers and young adults who are also interested in becoming involved in aviation, my best advice would be to find a scholarship at a local airport. I personally considered many routes, such as the military academies, Air Force, Navy, Flight School, or going to an airline feeder school. However, they all were costly and not entirely in line with my goals. If you can make connections with old friends that are pilots or message your local EAA chapter, you will meet people who are willing to point you in the right direction. Personally, learning to fly was a distant goal for me until I got connected with people willing to help me navigate the aviation world and find the financial resources to support my learning. I have learned that the support and resources are there for you, you just have to reach out.
Many thanks to Lightspeed for supplying the Zulu 3 ANR headset to all scholarship recipients. I am very grateful for their generosity.
Matt Shaw
My name is Matthew Shaw, and I am a member of EAA Chapter 770 in Springfield, IL. I’ve wanted to be a pilot ever since I was young. Our family lived under the approach path for the airport, and at the time the Air National Guard flew out of Springfield. My earliest memories of flight were the jets flying over. Our family also went to many aviation museums and airshows when I was younger. When I was 14, I first flew in a Cessna 172 as part of the Young Eagles program. Shortly after, I joined our EAA chapter. The person that inspired me most to be a pilot was my grandfather. I unfortunately never met him, but he was an engineer and worked on the Gemini and F4 program and started to build a Bowers Fly Baby. Currently I attend Southern Illinois University and am working on my commercial and instrument rating as well as my A&P. After that, I hope to be a CFI and fly corporate. I would advise any other future Ray Scholar to try their hardest and give back to the aviation community. I’ve made so many great friends through the Ray Scholar program.
Nicholas Theodorovic
My grandfather was the first person ever to formally introduce me to aviation. He used to fly surveillance for the California Narcotics Department for drug raids. While he was not current when I was around him, he spread his love of aviation with my brother and me by building model airplanes. My classmate Carson Ballou was my inspiration to apply for the Ray Scholarship. We were classmates at Pleasant Grove High School where we would chat about airplanes during our ASB hour over Zoom. While I was a freshman still thinking about what it even means to be a pilot, Carson was in his senior year training for his PPL because he had received the Ray Scholarship. He invited me to his local chapter meeting where I became heavily involved and eventually received my own Ray Scholarship. Once I have completed all my licenses my goal is to fly for either United, Southwest, or Hawaiian. Some advice for someone who is interested in obtaining their PPL at such a young age is to keep going even when you think you’re going nowhere. We have all reached a point where we think we can’t learn anymore but remember to never stop!
Austin Thomas
What made me interested in becoming a pilot was seeing all the general aviation planes fly above my house. That looked like such a cool opportunity to be able to fly above my house and I wanted to try and see if I could work on getting my pilot’s license. Once I joined EAA Chapter 25 they introduced me to the idea of me applying for the Ray Aviation Scholarship and told me how great of an opportunity it would be to have them help cover the financial cost of the flight training. I applied and was awarded the scholarship and that has helped me tremendously and allowed me to complete my flight training at a much faster pace. Once I complete my pilots license my goal is to attend college and become a commercial airline pilot. What I would say to someone who is interested in getting a pilot’s license is to believe in themselves and go for any opportunity that is given to you.
Thomas Rickard
I’ve always been a fan of aviation for as long as I could remember, I would fly radio-controlled planes on a small airstrip near my house as a kid. But during the Christmas of 2021 on a train ride to an airport was where it really all started. I discovered how it was possible for me to not only be a private pilot, but a commercial one as well. I formally started my flight training a couple months later, I loved it. Around September of 2022 I joined my local EAA chapter and got a scholarship from them to help pay for my flight training. I received not only a cash scholarship, but my own pair of headphones from Lightspeed, they work great, and I love them. In February of this year, I passed my Private Pilot Checkride and was awarded my Pilot License. I am currently working on my instrument rating and want to take my certificates all the way up to ATP. It is my dream to be an airline pilot. And for those that are hesitant or unsure as to if they should start their pilot training: don’t wait, just do it, it will be one of the best decisions that you will make, you will never regret it.
Heidi Schimnich
Our neighbor owns a private grass strip, and I would often see (and hear the roaring engines) take off from the field. He took me up for a ride in his airplane, my first time flying, when I was 7 years old. I loved it! It wasn’t until I was older that I decided that I wanted to be a pilot. My brother, Joey, serves as my inspiration and mentor in my aviation journey. He is also a pilot and was my flight instructor throughout all of my training so far. I spent many hours helping him restore our family’s 1969 Cessna 150 and learning a lot in the process. I thought after earning my private pilot certificate that I would stop there, but after walking out of a successful check ride I thought to myself, “This is it?! I want to learn more!” I am currently a Commercial pilot with an instrument rating. My goal is to become a certified flight instructor. Whenever you hit a rough spot in training, remember the reason why you started. Maybe it was the person who inspired you, the feeling you experienced when you took your first flight, or the glorious view from above. Let it motivate and inspire you to keep learning and share the joy of aviation!
Stay tuned for more stories from these determined pilots. We have collected many more months’ worth of stories that we will share over the near future. Congratulations to all of these pilots and Blue Skies!
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