WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - For rising high school juniors and seniors in the Tidewater area, there is a unique opportunity to get your private pilot's license for free in Williamsburg.
“It’s the sense of freedom, you get to control it, go wherever you want, it’s just something you don’t get to do every day,” said Ryan Royal.
Royal is a 2017 graduate of the Williamsburg Aviation Scholarship Program (WASP).
“It was an exciting challenge learning how to operate and fly an aircraft all by yourself, being pushed to your limits and it was a great experience,” said Royal.
The program lasts 12 months and includes 50 flight hours. Holly Archibald just graduated WASP; she's a senior at a local high school.
“It was this great opportunity to become familiar with flying and the career itself, and now I know I want to do it for the rest of my life, so it was a great decision, the best decision I’ve ever made,” said Archibald.
The program pays for each student's training to become a pilot - the price tag is $11,000.
“The biggest barrier towards becoming a commercial pilot is the cost, and it was kind of this program’s goal to reduce that burden,” said Heron Weidner, WASP president.
The nonprofit started 10 years ago in part to help fill the void in the aviation industry. There's a projected need for 252,000 new commercial pilots by 2032.
You can apply now for next year's class. Training will start in July. For more information on the program and how to apply, click here.
The deadline is 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 31.
