Aviation training, be it for pilots or mechanics, is never cheap, but it will be a little less of a financial burden for some 17 high school students receiving scholarships from Epic Flight Academy.
According to Epic, the awards for 2025 amount to $145,000. The total awarded to high school students over the past 10 years totals $590,000.
“It was our best response yet, and the winners come from 12 different states,” said Cindy Lovell, director of education for Epic, noting that both aspiring pilots and mechanics make up this year’s scholarship winners. “We received more than 150 applications, so our team of judges had their work cut out for them. Students from 24 states applied for scholarships to our different campuses around the country.”
Epic CEO Danny Perna pointed out the quality of applications “was impressive this year.”
Perna also noted he was particularly impressed by the winner of the Captain Judy Rice $20,000 Pilot Scholarship. According to Perna, the winner is a young woman from Wisconsin who experienced an engine failure on her cross-country solo flight while training at another flight school but managed to land safely on a country road.
“No doubt, Captain Judy would approve!” said Perna.
- READ MORE: Epic Flight Academy Expands With 10th Campus in Provo, Utah
- READ MORE: Epic Flight Academy Offering $145,000 in Scholarships
Epic Flight Academy offers additional scholarships through numerous aviation organizations, such as the King Air Nation Foundation, which allocated $10,000 this year for an aircraft mechanic student and $5,000 for a flight student.
The Winners
The 2025 Epic Flight Academy scholarship winners are:
• Aleksandr Safray, Centennial, Colorado: $5,000 pilot award and will train in Englewood, Colorado
• Anayah Masunda, Charlotte, North Carolina: W$20,000 aircraft mechanic award and will train at New Smyrna Beach, Florida
• Andrew Youngblood, Bryan, Texas: $5,000 pilot award and will train in Jacksonville, Florida
• Brynn Witke, Stoughton, Wisconsin: $20,000 Captain Judy Rice pilot scholarship and will train in Tucson, Arizona
![Epic Flight Academy facilitates $145,000 in scholarships this year to deserving teens from all over the country. [Courtesy: Epic Flight Academy]](https://flyingmag1.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/Epic-Flight-academy-scholarships-2025.png?width=1004&height=1024)
• Cameron Hartley, Cincinnati: $20,000 aircraft mechanic scholarship and will train in Erlanger, Kentucky
• Cenzi Johnson, Siloam Springs, Arkansas: $5,000 for pilot training in Tallahassee, Florida
• Coleton Moore, West Jordan, Utah: $5,000 for pilot training in Provo, Utah
• Emily DuCheney, Tucson, Arizona: $5,000 for pilot training, which will be done in her hometown
• Lucas Heilman, Holstein, Iowa: $10,000 aircraft mechanic award and will train in New Smyrna Beach, Florida
• Maria Garcia, Cleveland, Texas: $5,000 award and will train in Addison, Texas
• Marvel White Jr., Winter Garden, Florida” $5,000 pilot award and will train in Ocala, Florida
• Raymond Frick, Louisville, Kentucky: $10,000 aircraft mechanic award and will train in Erlanger, Kentucky
• Samantha Salzman, Syracuse, Utah: $5,000 for pilot training in St. George, Utah.
• Sawyer Hill, Wilmington, Illinois: $5,000 King Air Nation Foundation pilot and will train in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
• Solomon Pangallo, Morning View, Kentucky: $5,000 pilot award and will train in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
• Weston Pollard, Port Orange, Florida: $5,000 pilot award and will train in New Smyrna, Florida
• Zachary Fannin, Louisa, Kentucky: $10,000 King Air Nation Foundation aircraft mechanic and will train in Erlanger, Kentucky
About Epic Flight Academy
Epic Flight Academy (EFA) was founded in 1999 in New Smyrna Beach and since then has expanded to more cities in Florida along with Arizona, California, Kentucky, Texas, Utah, and Alabama.
EFA is the largest FAA Part 141 flight school in the United States that in addition to providing flight training offers an FAA Part 147 aircraft mechanic school at two locations.
