AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship

The COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship promotes Canadian pilot development by providing annual scholarships to a student pilot in an ab-initio flight training program. Created to honour one of Canada’s foremost aviators, the scholarship has helped many Canadian pilots get their wings.

COPA’s Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship provides up to $14,000 toward eligible training costs associated with obtaining a Private Pilot License (PPL). (See eligible expenses section below for details)

COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship Photo

Apply for the scholarship

Applications for the 2026 COPA Scholarship Program are open from December 15, 2025 until 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, March 13, 2026

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Make a donation

Interested in contributing to the future of General Aviation? Since the COPA Scholarship Program was first introduced, over 60 selected candidates have received flight training funding through the generous contributions from friends and family of Neil J. Armstrong, COPA members, and the Canadian General Aviation community. To make a donation and to support a new generation of deserving flyers, please visit the following link:

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Criteria & Conditions

Eligible Applicants

  • Normally, applicants and nominees must be residents of Canada and members of COPA. In some cases, it might be appropriate to honour an individual or organization with an award where the recipient is not a member of COPA. The  Selection Committee members shall make this decision. 
  • Any individual or organization, public or private, is eligible to receive an award. The recognized contribution may be a single incident of an outstanding nature or continuous service to aviation, piloted and remotely piloted, over a period of time. 
  • Currently serving members of the Board and Staff are not eligible for an award. 
  • Nominations for the Flight Instructor of the Year and the Flight School of the Year have to be certified and registered as per CARs and TC regulations.

Ineligible Applicants

  • Normally, applicants and nominees must be residents of Canada and members of COPA. In some cases, it might be appropriate to honour an individual or organization with an award where the recipient is not a member of COPA. The  Selection Committee members shall make this decision. 
  • Any individual or organization, public or private, is eligible to receive an award. The recognized contribution may be a single incident of an outstanding nature or continuous service to aviation, piloted and remotely piloted, over a period of time. 
  • Currently serving members of the Board and Staff are not eligible for an award. 
  • Nominations for the Flight Instructor of the Year and the Flight School of the Year have to be certified and registered as per CARs and TC regulations.

Recipient Conditions

The winning candidate(s) may select the facility at which the flight training is to be taken, subject to the approval of COPA. The training facility shall be a licensed Flying School or educational institute in Canada with facilities satisfactory to COPA and shall agree to the conditions of the scholarship. COPA will pay the Flight Training Unit directly and may disburse funds to cover instructional materials and other course costs at the beginning of training. The recipient of the COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship will be given a 1-year complimentary COPA membership as part of the award and will need to maintain their membership in good standing for the entirety of the training period.

Winning candidates agree to participate in future COPA promotional activities.

Training shall be completed in a reasonable period of time, usually not longer than one year from commencement. In the event the recipient does not make satisfactory progress or does not conduct himself/herself in a manner consistent with the intention of the award, COPA shall have the right to revoke the award and to cease paying any further costs of training. Progress reports from the training facility will be provided to COPA as required.

Eligible Expenses

  • Normally, applicants and nominees must be residents of Canada and members of COPA. In some cases, it might be appropriate to honour an individual or organization with an award where the recipient is not a member of COPA. The  Selection Committee members shall make this decision. 
  • Any individual or organization, public or private, is eligible to receive an award. The recognized contribution may be a single incident of an outstanding nature or continuous service to aviation, piloted and remotely piloted, over a period of time. 
  • Currently serving members of the Board and Staff are not eligible for an award. 
  • Nominations for the Flight Instructor of the Year and the Flight School of the Year have to be certified and registered as per CARs and TC regulations.

Costs Not Covered:

  • Non flight training tuition costs at secondary or post-secondary schools, including colleges and universities. Those seeking assistance with such costs should apply to the Scholarship and bursary programs usually available through those institutions. (E.g., Scholarships cannot be used to pay any part of the tuition of a college or university program where flight training costs are subsidized).
  • Personal meals or transportation to and from the training facility.
  • Clothing.
  • Aviation equipment or supplies which are not required for the program (ex: headsets, flight bags, e-tablets, etc).

Funds will only be disbursed to the flight school, not directly to the recipient, and can only be used to cover training costs incurred after the awarding of the scholarship. Training completed prior to the scholarship award is not eligible for funding.

Payments will be disbursed directly to the flight school based on the following milestones completed by the scholarship recipient:

  • First Solo Flight: $2,500
  • Cross Country Flight: two payments of $2,500 each
  • Solo Cross Country Flight: two payments of $2,500 each
  • Private Pilot License (PPL) Completion: $1,500

Any funds remaining at the conclusion of training or should the recipient not complete their training within 12 months of the award will be reinvested in COPA’s Flight Safety Foundation for future scholarship awards.

Past Recipients

2025

Adam El-Sakhawy, White Rock, B.C., COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship

2024

Jacob Isotalo, Kingston, Ontario, COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship

2023

David He, Burnaby, B.C., COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship

2022

Savannah Albrecht, Whistler, B.C., COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship

2021

Emilie Perron, North Bay, Ontario, COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship
Mark Pua, Greater Vancouver Region, B.C., COPA Neil J. Armstrong Advanced Scholarship

2020

Brock Csada, Regina, Saskatchewan, COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship
Maxwell Riemers, Stoney Creek, Ontario, COPA Neil J. Armstrong Advanced Scholarship

2019

David Wentland, Bowmanville, Ontario, COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship
Larissa Chiu, Vancouver, B.C., COPA Neil J. Armstrong Advanced Scholarship

2018

Erik Yaremkewich, Squamish, B.C., COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship
Cody Lincoln, Seven Sisters, Manitoba, COPA Neil J. Armstrong Advanced Scholarship
Erik Urquhart, Vernon, B.C., COPA Neil J. Armstrong Advanced Scholarship