Are there any pilot training sponsorship schemes?

Following an aviation crisis (initially in 2001 and then in 2008), there have been few opportunities to apply for a flight training sponsorship scheme over the past two decades. However, in recent years the situation has been changing rapidly.

Although as yet there are rarely schemes to pay all your training, you can still achieve a significant cost reduction. Most airlines have cut their costs for type rating in exchange for a bonded employment contract. Many flight schools are offering free instructor rating to fill in the staff gaps. Some flight schools or airlines have even started to offer sponsored scholarships for the initial training (up to frozen ATPL). To name a few recent examples:

• ACS Flight Training PPL scholarship
• CAE Women in Flight scholarship program (fully paid training)
• New Ryanair sponsored type-rating cadet programme (€5000 for type rating instead of €29500K)
• Airways Aviation airline pilot training scholarship (£40000 sponsorship)

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