JROTC cadet Ethan Olney earned his private pilot's license this summer through the USAF Chief of Staff Private Pilot Scholarship program while flying the aircraft Skyhawk C172. Out of the six participating universities within the program, Ethan attended the camp was located at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. The program intends to inspire as well as encourage high school learners toward aviation careers.
Headquarters of the Air Force Junior ROTC launched this program to help address the Air Force’s ongoing pilot shortage by potentially putting more pilots in the military aircraft. Currently the Air Force has a shortage of about 1,500 pilots to fulfill their requirements. The program was created as a collaborative effort between the aerospace industry and the Air Force. According to the industry and military leadership, the nation has been facing a pilot shortage “crisis”. Towards fixing the situation, boeing predicts an annual need to hire about 6 to 8 thousand civilian pilots a year for the next 20 years while addressing a secondary national issue of diversity.
Within the past summer of 2018, the program awarded scholarships to 120 students that were scheduled to attend flight school in one of the six partnering universities. Included universities were Auburn University, AL, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, Kansas State University Polytechnic, KS, Liberty University, VA, Purdue University IN, and The University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND. Heading towards 2019, the Air Force has committed towards funding the program for about 250 students and 500 within the summer of 2020.
The Air Force Junior ROTC has the primary mission to develop the value of citizenship, character, personal responsibility, and the sense of accomplishment. Within the program, the high school learners will earn their private pilots license and up to 12 college credits. The Camp only lasts 6 to 8 ½ weeks starting mid-late May. Cadets/ learners interested in this program have until October 15 till December 7, 2018 to apply for the summer of 2019.