Congratulations to our 5th Sterling Pilot Scholar
Jon Platt, CEO Air BP (centre), Sonya Adams, MD Northern, Central and Western Europe, Air BP (left) and Olivia Stone, Global Operations Standards Manager, Air BP and current JIG Chair (right) with scholars (left to right) Kristoff Ahlner, Zoё Burnett, Stephen Daly, Robert Norris and Alex May.
With the aviation industry facing a global pilot shortage, we are delighted to reveal that 18-year-old aviation-obsessed Kristoff Ahlner has been named our fifth pilot scholar.
Valued at around £10,000, the scholarship demonstrates our commitment to supporting aspiring young pilots in the UK. It has already assisted four young candidates in achieving their Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL). Kristoff Ahlner, who has had aspirations to become a pilot since his early teens is from Shenfield in Essex. He joined the Royal Air Force Cadets aged 13 and simultaneously began gliding at Essex and Suffolk Gliding Club. He completed his flight training in September having finished his A Levels and now intends to study aeronautical engineering at university prior to pursuing a career as a pilot.
Commenting on being awarded his scholarship, Ahlner said: “I am incredibly excited but also very grateful to Air BP for their generosity, without which I simply could not have pursued my dream career to be a pilot.”
Around 790,000 new civil pilots are needed to fly the world’s fleet over the next 20 years. Our scholarship programme is just one example of how we are encouraging young people to gain a better understanding of the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education for both their futures and the future of the wider aviation industry.
Meanwhile Jon Platt, Air BP’s CEO underlined his enthusiasm for the scholarship saying: “We will continue to invest in this programme in support of aspiring pilots and in support of the industry.”
To find out more click here.