By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Nathan Dunker, who will be a senior at Geneseo High School, has received a unique full-scholarship opportunity for flight training, thanks to EAA Chapter 410 of Geneseo, and the Ray Aviation Scholarship program, administered by the Experimental Aircraft Association, Oshkosh, Wis.

The Ray Aviation Scholarship program provides up to $11,000 scholarships to young people who are seeking to learn to fly. The Ray Foundation has provided $1.8 million to fund the scholarship program, which seeks to improve the flight training success rate from the current industry standards of 20 percent to 80 percent for program participants.

Local EAA chapters are responsible for identifying youth for the Ray Aviation Scholarship program and mentoring them through flight training. The Ray Foundation is furthering the legacy of James C. Ray, an EAA lifetime member who was dedicated to aviation and youth education.

Since its introduction in 2019, the EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship program has allowed over 350 youths to complete their flight training and receive their pilot licenses. The program has consistently been meeting and exceeding its expected 80 per cent success rate each year.

Dunker will be training at REVV Aviation, based at the Davenport, Iowa, Airport. The scholarship is designed to support a flight student through both written and practical segments of flight training that are part of successful FAA pilot certification.

EAA chapters play a critical role in the success of the Ray Aviation Scholarship program. Chapters interested in participating are prequalified by EAA through an application process. If selected, they mentor and support the scholarship recipient throughout their flight raining journey. Once selected as a Ray Aviation Scholarship participant, candidates also commit to volunteer service with the local EAA Chapter.

EAA Chapter 410 is one of 900 local chapters of the Experimental Aircraft Association, the world’s largest organization for recreational flying. It meets at the Geneseo airport on the first Saturday of each month. More information about EAA Chapter is available at https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa410 and on face book.

Geneseo High School student Nathan Dunker is the recipient of a scholarship for flight training. At the presentation are, from left, Kyle Ganson, a member of the Chapter 410 Ray Aviation Scholarship Nominee committee, Keith and Tina Dunker and their son, Nathan, who received the scholarship; Kent Johnson and Bob Swint, also both members of the Scholarship Nomination Committee.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT LOCAL EAA CHAPTER 410, as supplied by Kent Johnson.

The EAA Chapter 410 in Geneseo began when the chapter members decided to move their home base from the Sterling/Rock Falls area to Geneseo.

Kent Johnson said he attended a few of the meetings of the group that were held at the Sterling airport and found that half or more of the members attending the meetings were from the Geneseo area…”There was a small group of people who held the Chapter together through several lean years,” Johnson said. ‘Dion and Mary Carr, Mark and Barbara Bauer, and Harold, Venita and Laurie Pritchard from the Geneseo area and Galen and Debbie Johnson from the Morrison area were the primary people in that group.”

The pilot lounge and educational facility that was completed just a couple of years ago at the Geneseo airport provides an ideal gathering place for Chapter 410 members. The chapter began to grow and become more active, Johnson said, and added that membership has doubled in size since of December of 2022 to its current 61 members. He said the 10 high school age student members are from the Geneseo area with the exception of one from Manlius.

“Our student members were introduced to our EAA Chapter through EAA Young Eagle flights offered by Chapter 410 pilots to prospective members of a Geneseo High School Club that was started about one year ago,” Johnson explained. “These rides are offered free of charge to young people ages 8 through 17. The EAA Young Eagle program was introduced in 1992 with a mission to inspire kids in the world of aviation with their first airplane ride. Over the last 30 years there have been more than 2.3 million Young Eagle rides given. I personally have given over 100 rides and I

‘m sure that Dion Carr and Bob Johnson have given more than that, and may of the local Gen-Air pilots have donated numerous rides.”

Johnson said for high school age students who take one or more Young Eagle flights and continue to follow the Young Eagle “Flight Plan,” they can register for a complimentary student membership in the EAA. This also makes them eligible for a complimentary student membership in local Chapter 410….”There are also other benefits including access to a free online video private pilot training course ($279 value). Most of our student members have following the “Flight Plan” and four of them are currently taking flight training.”

In explaining the Scholarship Program in the local area, Johnson said EAA Chapter 75 of the Quad-Cities became involved a few years ago and have had a few Quad-City area students get a private pilot’s license with a Ray Aviation Scholarship…”I really did not think that our little EAA Chapter 410 had done enough promoting youth in aviation locally yet to be approved to participate in the Ray Scholarship Program,” Johnson said. “But I knew that best way to guarantee that we would not get to participate was to not apply to the EAA to participate. As the recently-elected President of Chapter 410 and with counseling from our friends in Chapter 75, I submitted an application and we were selected. Because of the excellent students who have become involved in the GHS aviation Club, we had several great candidates submit scholarship applications to Chapter 410.”

Chapter 410 used a selection committee composed of Kyle Ganson, Kent Johnson, Doug States and Bob Swint to deliberate and select the Chapter’s Ray Aviation Scholarship Nominee.

“The committee ultimately selected Nathan Dunker who then had to submit a final application to the EAA Headquarters,” Johnson explained. “Our Chapter was notified that Nathan was approved as an Aviation Scholarship Recipient. Nathan began his flight training at the Davenport Airport just over a week ago.”