Epic Flight Academy Awards $135,000 in Scholarships

Sixteen high school students will receive scholarships to train as pilots and aircraft mechanics at Epic Flight Academy starting in 2027.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Scholarships

Wing and fuselage edge of a small training aircraft parked on an open airfield apron under a clear pale sky. — Epic Flight Academy awarded $135,000 in scholarships to sixteen high school students training to become pilots and aircraft mechanics. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Epic Flight Academy awarded a total of $135,000 in scholarships to sixteen high school students pursuing careers as pilots and aircraft mechanics. More than 100 students from 20 states applied for the awards.

Why it matters

The scholarships lower the cost barrier to aviation training at a time when pilot and aircraft maintenance careers face workforce demand. The awards give students from across the country a funded path into a field where training is typically expensive.

Epic Flight Academy distributed $135,000 across sixteen scholarships, with the largest single award being $20,000 for Mateo Latorre of Acworth, Georgia. The awards were drawn from a pool of more than 100 applicants from 20 states, and it is not stated how many applicants were ultimately selected by category.

The players

Epic Flight Academy

Epic Flight Academy is a flight school founded in 1999 that operates as the largest Part 141 pilot training school in the United States.

King Air Nation Foundation

The King Air Nation Foundation is a nonprofit that funds aviation education and contributed a $5,000 pilot scholarship to the program.

The details

A team of judges reviewed the applications and selected the winners, with Phyllis Cunniffe, Epic's student and staff advocate, organizing the panel. Recipients received a plaque and a copy of the memoir of former instructor Captain Judy Rice, for whom one scholarship is named.

1999: Epic Flight Academy was founded.
November 4, 2026: Scholarship awards were announced.
2027: Scholarship recipients begin training at Epic.

Travel Outlook

Epic Flight Academy's standing as the largest Part 141 school in the United States places its scholarship program within the structured training pathway that the Federal Aviation Administration certifies for pilot education. The awards add funding to that pathway for students who might otherwise be unable to afford it.

Students interested in aviation careers can compare Part 141 programs and scholarship offerings before applying to flight schools. Prospective applicants should confirm eligibility criteria and application deadlines directly with the school.

The takeaway

Scholarships can make structured flight and mechanic training accessible to students who would otherwise be priced out of these careers. Students weighing aviation programs should compare costs and available aid early in the planning process.