526 Scholarships

Scholarships

As they say "it takes a village" to make this happen but what a great opportunity for youth in the Auburn area.
EAA Chapter 526 in partnership with the Auburn Aviation Association (AAA), with sponsorship from the Ellsworth Hovey Getchell Foundation, Mach5 Aviation, and the Richard Conte Foundation collectively provide a number of aviation related Scholarships and Grants.

Flight Training 2026

Thank you: None of this could happen without the generous financial support of Auburn Aviation Association, EAA Chapter 526, Mach5 Aviation, Ellsworth Hovey Getchell Foundation, EAA Ray Foundation, Richard Conte Foundation, the Munro Family and the many volunteers making up the application review commitee and interview commitee. A very special thank you to everyone and congratulations to the 2025 awardees.
Pictured below from left to right: Alexander Racko, Levi Gillette, Connor Townsend, Drake Marsh, Holly Burghardt, Talia Thomasson, Michael Madden, Riley Hauger

Featured Photo

2025 Scholarship Awardees

EAA Air Academy Summer Camps

- Ryan Wang (Navigating Horizons)

- Vladimir Petrovich (Explore Aviation)

2026 Flight Scholarship Recipients

- Alexander Racko (EHGF)

- Michael Madden (AAA "Bud" Anderson)

- Levi Gillette (Mach5/Conte)

- Connor Townsend (EAA Ray Aviation)

- Drake Marsh (EHGF)

- Riley Hauger (Munro Family)

- Holly Burghardt (EHGF)

- Talia Thomasson (EHGF)

Scholarship Resources:

- 2026 AAA Scholarship Information

- 2026 Scholarship Rules and Guidelines

- Ellsworth Hovey Getchell Foundation

- FREE AOPA High School Membership

- AOPA Aviation Scholarship Program

EAA Air Academy 2026

The following provides Scholarship descriptions, eligibility criteria and a link to the Scholarship Application WEBsite.

Navigating Horizons Summer Camp:
EAA Chapter 526 scholarship for a 14- to 15-year old (as of June 11, 2026) to attend EAA Navigating Horizons summer camp at the EAA Air Academy, June 11 - 16, 2026, at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Applicants must reside in Placer, El Dorado, Nevada, Sacramento, or Yuba Counties. The scholarship covers full tuition, housing, and meals. Upon the scholarship awardee's return from Oshkosh and in-person presentation of his/her trip report, EAA Chapter 526 will reimburse up to $900 in round-trip air fare to Appleton WI from Sacramento.
Applications will be screened for AI-generated responses, and will be rejected if any such responses are found.
Deadline to apply: 10:00 pm on January 31, 2026, Pacific time
Applicants will be notified via e-mail by February 15, 2026, as to whether they have been selected for interview. Interviews are scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Explore Aviation Summer Camp:
EAA Chapter 526 scholarship for a 16- to 18-year old (as of July 24, 2026) to attend EAA Explore Aviation summer camp at the EAA Air Academy, July 24 - August 1, 2026, at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Applicants must reside in Placer, El Dorado, Nevada, Sacramento, or Yuba Counties. The scholarship covers full tuition, housing, and meals. Upon the scholarship awardee's return from Oshkosh and in-person presentation of his/her trip report, EAA Chapter 526 will reimburse up to $900 in round-trip air fare to Appleton WI from Sacramento.
Applications will be screened for AI-generated responses, and will be rejected if any such responses are found.
Deadline to apply: 10:00 pm on January 31, 2026, Pacific time
Applicants will be notified via e-mail by February 15, 2026, as to whether they have been selected for interview. Interviews are scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Scholarship Application WEBsite

Air Academy provides the foundation for a lifelong love of aviation. Learn more by visiting the Academy WEBsite.

EAA Air Academy WEBsite

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