Arkansas Civil Air Patrol issued the following announcement on May 5.
When Cadet 1st Lt. Mason Rowe of the Kentucky Wing’s Owensboro Composite Squadron earned his private pilot certificate through Civil Air Patrol March 24 – his 17th birthday – he became the first cadet to do so with an official mentor.
In 2019, the U.S. Air Force provided initial funding for, and continues to support CAP’s Youth Aviation Initiative Cadet Wings program, whose goal is to increase the nation’s pilot population.
More recently, a donation by the James C. Ray Foundation provides an additional funding source to open training slots for 30 Cadet Wings pilots. These training slots also include a dedicated mentor CAP calls a “navigator.”
he Ray Foundation scholarship focuses heavily on the added-value benefits of local mentorship for the CAP cadet. The student pilot and mentor relationship are how the local squadron engages with the cadet to ensure success by removing barriers that could potentially slow progress.
Cadets may qualify for up to $10,000 through the James C. Ray Flight Training Scholarships to train for their Federal Aviation Administration private pilot certificate.
As part of the arrangement, cadet student pilots who receive a Ray Foundation scholarship select a “navigator” – an adult CAP member who acts as a mentor to help the cadet navigate the challenges of flight training and stay on course.
Rowe’s navigator was 1st Lt. Mark Briner, a pilot in his squadron. “We talked a lot on the phone and in person about what was most important to be studying, and he helped talk me through some of the possible questions for my oral [exam],” Rowe said. “I have flown with him in the past; he always teaches me something every time we are in a plane.”
Original source can be found here.
Source: Arkansas Civil Air Patrol
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