Luke Nunez recently passed his check ride and received his Private Pilot’s License from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Luke has been involved with the Experimental Aviation Association Mid Florida Chapter 534 for four years.

While a member of the aviation youth group, Squadron 534, he progressed steadily from Young Eagle to Ray Aviation Scholar and now has his Private Pilot License.

Luke was the fifth Ray Scholarship recipient for Chapter 534. 

During his time in Squadron 534 he has been active in their program about aerodynamics, working with chapter mentors repairing and building aircraft projects.

He does not intend to stop learning and is currently working on his Instrument Flight Rule rating at Sunair in Leesburg where he took his flight training. He has also landed a full-time job working at the Fixed Base Operations ( FBO ) run by Sunair Aviation.

 He looks forward to a career as an airline pilot, which will require even more advanced ratings and flying hours before earning the coveted Airline Transport Certificate. This will become his lifelong vocation born of an insatiable interest in wanting to fly.

Luke also wants to get experience flying some of the older Warbirds he sees flying in and out of the Leesburg International Airport.

Many pilots say getting a Private Pilot License is really a license to continue studies in aeronautics. This is very true if you plan to continue flying as a career, or even if you plan to fly recreationally.

EAA Chapter 534 has recently been approved by their national organization to name a new Ray Aviation Scholar for 2024.

The Ray Aviation Scholarships are a financial grant of $11,000 to help young people pay for their initial flight training at a flight school of their choice. The grant is supported by The Ray Foundation, managed by EAA National but administered through qualified local EAA Chapters.

EAA Chapter 534 is proud to play a part helping young people realize their dream to fly.

If you are the parent of a child who looks to the sky every time a plane flies over and seems to have an above-average interest in aviation, you might want to get them hooked up with your local EAA Chapter.

If you want more information about EAA, explore further at the following website, < www.eaa.org > .

For more information about EAA Chapter 534 go to this website < www.chapter534.org .

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The classes are designed to provide knowledge about aircraft, weather and navigation, as well as put students on paths to earn industry certifications, college credit and possibly pilot certificates while still in high school.

Dave Cohen, the instructor for the courses and Lake County Schools’ new Aviation Program Specialist, describes the venture as the first steps toward preparing Lake County’s students for the growing aerospace industry.  “Over 200,000 new pilot seats will need to be filled in the next couple decades,” Cohen said.  “If we can prepare our students for these opportunities in high school, they’ll be light years ahead of their peers when they graduate.”

These first courses will include Introduction to Aerospace for freshmen, Introduction to Flight, Aircraft Systems and Performance for sophomores, and a dual enrollment course for juniors and seniors through Embry-Riddle, Private Pilot Operations.  This course will prepare students to take their Federal Aviation Administration Private Pilot Written Exam, the first of two tests required for a private pilot certificate. The dual enrollment course also allows students to earn five credit hours at Embry-Riddle, a value of over $7,000.

Joining similar courses offered through the Navy JROTC program at South Lake High School and the unmanned aircraft operation courses at East Ridge High School, the Eustis High School program will aim to not only expose students to aviation, but also develop in them the concepts of responsibility, attention to detail, and critical thinking.

Eustis High School is expecting more than 100 students to be enrolled in these courses next school year and opportunities to grow more courses with increased enrollment in the near future.

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