AOPA High School STEM Program Earns FAA Grant

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) announced on Monday that it has received a grant from the FAA for its You Can Fly High School initiative. The $498,000 grant will be used to train additional educators on the program’s free high school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum, which offers an aviation-oriented course of study for students in grades nine through twelve. Funding for the grant came from the FAA’s Aircraft Pilots Aviation Workforce Development Grants program.

“The FAA’s understanding and appreciation of our award-winning STEM curriculum and the impact it is having on high school students across the country is further validation of our commitment and dedication to introducing and educating young men and women to aviation,” said AOPA President and CEO Mark Baker. 

According to AOPA, more than 49,000 students have participated in the You Can Fly High School program since it launched six years ago with “70 percent of the most recent graduates saying they are actively pursuing an aviation career.” The organization reports that over 16,300 students in 43 states are taking part this school year. AOPA’s You Can Fly High School Aviation STEM Curriculum provides four years of study options via two pathways—pilot and drone—and is available to schools free of charge.