Lauren Compton, recipient of the Flying Musicians Association (FMA) 2025 Flying Solo scholarship program, is set to join the next freshman class at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The La Plata, Maryland, native has already begun basic training at the Academy. Once she is established as a cadet, she intends to resume her recently started flight training.
A member of the Civil Air Patrol in high school, Compton played flute, harp and oboe. She hopes to go on to design aircraft and gain the knowledge so that “any aircraft I will design is as safe as possible for its pilots and passengers,” she said.
For Compton, music and aviation are a generational mix. Her mother and aunt play the flute, while her grandmother plays the violin and piano. On the aviation side, two of Compton’s great-uncles had military service careers. Buck Compton, who served in the 101st Airborne, was one of the Band of Brothers. Col. Jack Compton flew rescue missions in Vietnam and later piloted Air Force One.
Compton was chosen as this year’s Flying Solo scholarship recipient out of six finalists. The FMA continues to receive applications from across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
The Solo scholarship program is a unique opportunity that looks to provide music students who have an interest in flying a jumpstart on their aviation education. The scholarship covers 15 hours of dual-instruction flight training, online ground school, access to training materials and additional products from sponsors like the EAA and AOPA.
Compton has applied to perform with the USAFA Drum and Bugle Corps and plans to blog about her scholarship experiences.
Flying Musician Scholarship Winner Is Air Force Academy Bound
Lauren Compton will soon resume flight training, along with her musical ambitions.
Key Takeaways:
- Lauren Compton, recipient of the FMA 2025 Flying Solo scholarship, is joining the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she plans to resume flight training and pursue her goal of designing safe aircraft.
- Compton's background features a strong generational blend of music (flute, harp, oboe; family musicians) and aviation (great-uncles with military service, one of whom piloted Air Force One).
- The Flying Solo scholarship provides music students interested in aviation with a significant jumpstart, covering 15 hours of dual-instruction flight training, online ground school, and various training materials.
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Ooo-Rah! With ancestry like that, how could she not follow in their footsteps. Best of luck Lauren!
Fantastic! Yes, best of luck. Sounds like the Academy will have a wonderful student for them to train to become a great leader.
Lauren is honored and grateful to receive the FMA solo scholarship! She looks forward to completing her first solo in the coming months. Although she could not attend Airventure 2025, her younger brother, also a musician, is attending the UAS4STEM drone championship there and he is proud to share the good word about FMA! Aim High!