ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is launching a new scholarship program aimed at helping Clayton County students become pilots, as the aviation industry continues to face a global pilot shortage.
For the first time this spring, the Delta Air Lines Foundation will award scholarships to qualified students enrolled in the airline’s dual enrollment aviation program with Middle Georgia State University. The program allows high school students to earn college credit while beginning pilot training.
Delta’s Director of Pilot Outreach Eric Hendrick says the program is designed to reach more than just top academic performers.
“We’re not just looking for ‘A’ students,” Hendrick said. “There are people like myself who were born wanting to fly, and then there are people who are exposed and then they want to fly. We want to support both of those types of people.”
Hendrick says the scholarships are competitive but interest is already strong. More than 70 Clayton County high school students are currently enrolled in the dual enrollment program and earning college credit.
“A lot of times kids take the aptitude to do this, they don’t try because the financial component of it is so daunting,” Hendrick said.
The scholarships can help cover both tuition and flight fees, lowering one of the biggest barriers to entering aviation training.
“This is a very good exposure platform, to expose kids to aviation,” Hendrick said.
Delta says the program is part of a broader effort to build the next generation of pilots as demand for air travel continues to grow. Consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimates the industry could face a shortage of about 17,000 commercial pilots by 2032, despite recent improvements tied to higher salaries and faster career pathways.
The firm also points to a decline in military flight training and increased focus on drone training as contributing factors to the shortage.
Hendrick says the early success of the Clayton County program shows its potential.
“There are 70 students already enrolled between their junior and senior year, so that’s success in itself,” he said.
The first scholarships will be awarded this spring, giving students what Hendrick calls a clear entry point into aviation careers.
“For a person that says, ‘I know I want to be a pilot, I always wanted to be a pilot,’ well this is your pathway to the pathway — that’s what we like to call it,” Hendrick said.
WSB Radio’s Jennifer Perry contributed to this story.
