Scholarships Target Aviation Gender Gap

The I Hart Flying Foundation awarded $35,000 toward the flight training costs of five aspiring female pilots.

Friday, September 30, 2022 at 03:06 PM ET

Verified

Hannah Rust is one of five aspiring female pilots who received the Industry Connect scholarship. [Courtesy: I Hart Flying Foundation]

Key Takeaways:

The I Hart Flying Foundation awarded Industry Connect scholarships to five women, the Class of 2022 Hart Scholars, to help close the gender gap in aviation by alleviating financial barriers to flight training.
The scholarships range from $2,500 to $5,000 in flight training funds, plus over $3,000 in in-kind donations, and include mentorship and networking opportunities, open to women of any age.
Since its founding in 2017, I Hart Flying has awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships and resources to 26 women, empowering them to pursue various aviation careers.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Five women got a little closer to reaching their aviation goals this week, thanks to the Industry Connect scholarship made possible by the I Hart Flying Foundation. The foundation announced the scholarship opportunity during EAA AirVenture held July 25 through 31 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A four-week application process followed, and, at the end of it, five women were selected as the Class of 2022 Hart Scholars.

The purpose of the scholarship organization is to help close the gender gap in aviation—less than 10 percent of the pilots in the world are female. Finances are often the largest barrier a fledgling pilot faces. The scholarships, which range from $2,500 to $5,000 in the form of flight training funds, help the women student pilots overcome the obstacles.