The South County Airport Pilots Association (SCAPA) awarded a record $18,000 to seven aspiring aviation professionals through its 2026 scholarship program. The scholarships are awarded to students pursuing careers as pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians, says a press release from SCAPA.
The association selected five students to receive $3,000 each, as well as two recipients of honorable mention scholarships worth $1,500 each.
The awards follow “the most competitive application cycle in the program’s more than 15-year history,” says the press release. Eighty-six students applied this year.
“The quality of this year’s applicants was incredible,” said SCAPA Scholarship Chair Niki Britton. “Aviation has a very high financial barrier to entry. Becoming a pilot or aircraft mechanic requires hundreds of hours of education and training, along with testing, equipment,and other expenses before someone can begin their career.
“These scholarships are one way our airport community can help talented, hardworking students continue moving toward those goals.”
Funding for the scholarship program comes largely from the aviation community and the annual San Martin Airport Food Truck Fly-In and Community Airport Day, according to SCAPA.
This year, Swift Fuels and Bruce’s Custom Aircraft Covers each sponsored a full $3,000 scholarship.
Recipients of the $3,000 scholarships are Corbett Thomas, a professional flight student at San Jose State University; Will Lucchetti, a fourth-year professional flight student, also at SJSU; Lauryn Stewart, an aircraft maintenance technology student at Gavilan College who is preparing for a career in the field she is studying; Alexander Manou, also an aircraft maintenance technology student at Gavilan who has earned his FAA airframe mechanic certificate; and Sophie Lee, a professional flight student at SJSU who has gained experience as an Airside and Terminal Operations Intern at San Jose Mineta International Airport.
Honorable Mention scholars are Dong Nguyen, an aviation student at SJSU with a 4.0 GPA; and Elisa Coyle, a senior at Homestead High School who has accumulated 30 hours of flight training at Reid-Hillview Airport.
SCAPA has provided aviation scholarships for more than 15 years, helping local students overcome some of the substantial costs associated with entering the aviation industry, says the press release.
This year’s San Martin Airport Food Truck Fly-In, a major fundraiser for the annual scholarship program, will take place Oct. 17.
