With the selection process for the 2017 Commercial Pilot Licence (Helicopter) Scholarship Programme underway, UK-based Helicentre Aviation Academy have introduced a further prize fund of £60,000, consisting of three part-funded Scholarships (worth £10,000 each) and £30,000 of Awards to be given to promising applicants to complete their training and further their careers.

Currently, Helicentre Aviation offer two fully funded Scholarships each year: a Commercial Pilot (CPL(H)) Scholarship, with a value of £55,000, and a Flight Instructor (FI(H)) Scholarship, worth £19,000, to motivated and enthusiastic applicants who stand out following a rigorous selection process.

With an increased requirement for employing helicopter pilots and a growing interest in the CPL(H) Scholarship (which covers the entire cost of all post-PPL(H) hour building, including the chance to build hours at the company’s Winter Haven base in the Sunshine State of Florida, USA, as well as the ATPL(H) theoretical knowledge course and the complete CPL(H) modular flying course), the Midlands-based company have taken the unprecedented step to add three part-funded Scholarships worth £10,000 each to the generous prize fund already on offer. They’ve also created an additional fund of £30,000, which will be split into Awards of £5,000 and allocated to those chosen during the selection process.

Head of Training, Captain Sarah Bowen, said: “The standard of this year’s applicants has been so incredibly high we’ve taken the unique decision to create these new part-funded Scholarships and Awards in order to recognise and reward the hard work and determination which has been demonstrated by our applicants.

“The current Scholarship Programme awards just one fully funded CPL(H) Scholarship to one lucky winner; however, due to the shortage of industry pilots and knowing funding is the major career stumbling block for the majority of people, we’ve launched these new Scholarships and Awards in order to create an affordable route to becoming a professional commercial helicopter pilot for an increasing number of people. We’re passionate about investing in the future and creating these extra Scholarship and Awards is one more way we can invest into future flight crews, as well as the industry as a whole.

“When you factor these new Scholarships and Awards on offer with the excellent rates for hour building at our Florida base, as well as the funding available to any student on our one-of-a-kind BSc (Hons) Professional Aviation Pilot Practice (Helicopter) degree, the actual cost of training to become a commercial helicopter pilot is significantly reduced. Our Scholarship Programme was created to meet the ever-growing demand for commercial pilots and flight instructors, and has proven to be the biggest single investment in the future of our industry that we as a company have made. We are extremely proud of the quality of talent we have discovered and developed thanks to our Scholarship Programme and we hope these newly created benefits will only add to that further.”

By the end of the 2017 selection process, Helicentre Aviation’s Scholarship Programme, which is unlike any other in the country, will have awarded in excess of £500,000 in professional training since its launch in 2012.

Applications are open until 31st December for their 2018 Scholarship Programme.