By Rich Green, EAA 1079345 and Chapter 148 Ray Scholarship Coordinator
On November 6, 2019, EAA Chapter 148’s Ray scholarship recipient Hayden Kehres passed his checkride to earn his private pilot certificate. Thanks to the funding provided by the EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship program, Hayden was able to complete his training in just 129 days and 43 flying hours. Having to fund his own training could have made his journey to a private pilot take years to complete on his own.
Hayden began training on July 1, 2019, after being approved by EAA, and soloed after 11 hours of instruction. It was thought at the beginning that it might be difficult to find the perfect candidate for the exceptional opportunity the Ray Aviation Scholarship offered. But, to our delight, we couldn’t have asked for a better candidate to be our chapter’s first Ray scholar.
Hayden is a very personable young man who excels at everything he pursues, and becoming a pilot was a top priority. After he began his training he flew regularly, studied the regulations and flight training materials, attended club meetings, volunteered to help in our activities, and quickly became a welcomed part of our club.
We applaud EAA for implementing the Ray Aviation Scholarship program, which is furthering our chapter goal of helping young men and women achieve their dreams of becoming pilots and promoting general aviation in our community.