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Carlos Salas Scholarship - For young pilots

Carlos Salas scholarship to finance your type rating course

Deadline closed: We will soon open the registration period for the IV Edition of the Carlos Salas Scholarships for young pilots

Following the great success of the previous three editions of the Carlos Salas Scholarships for Pilots, the Official College of Commercial Aviation Pilots (COPAC), the Spanish Airline Pilots Union (Sepla), and Global Training Aviation (GTA) are launching the III EDITION of the Carlos Salas Scholarships for young pilots.

This initiative aims to support future pilots in entering the profession by helping them overcome the financial barrier of the high training costs. At the same time, it honors the legacy of Carlos Salas (1961-2021) and his dedication to the pilot profession.

We continue to grow, and this year we have expanded the number of scholarships. From two scholarships in the first edition, we now offer ten: 4 Gold Scholarships and 6 Silver Scholarships, which will fully or partially fund the type rating course for the aircraft chosen by the winners (Airbus A320, Boeing 737, ATR 72-500, or ATR 72-600).

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"The only scholarships in Spain that allow young pilots to finance their type rating"

The ultimate goal of these commercial pilot scholarships in Spain is to facilitate access to type rating courses, involving both the government and private companies.

This initiative aims to promote excellence by offering scholarships and eliminating financial barriers that currently prevent many extraordinary young individuals from entering the fascinating world of aviation and becoming airline pilots.

Enrollment requirements​

  • To have obtained the CPL (A) – ATPL (A) “frozen” AESA pilot license in the 36 months prior to the call date 2024.
  • To be in possession of the certificate certifying the MCC.
  • Be in possession of the EASA Class 1 medical certificate.
  • The maximum age to apply for a scholarship is 35 years at the time of the opening of the call.
  • Letter of recommendation from the school where he/she was trained.
  • Have passed the university entrance exam (EVAU), or equivalent.
  • University entrance exams from other countries will be admitted, but will not score without the official certificate of conversion to Spanish qualification.
  • Fulfill the prerequisites for access to an HT of type in GTA before the start of the selection process for the scholarships (see Annex I).
  • Have Spanish nationality or nationality of a country of the European Union.
  • Authorize the organizations to share the applicants’ data with each other for the purpose of supervising the documentation provided.
  • Important: Applicants who do not present their complete documentation within the deadline and in the format established in Annex III will be excluded from the selection process.

Training locations

The entire selection process, including the personal interview and flight tests in the simulator (FFS*), takes place at the Madrid headquarters of GTA España.

  • *Full Flight Simulator. All our flight simulators are state-of-the-art and certified at Level D, the highest possible certification. This means that one hour onboard is equivalent to one hour of real flight for training purposes.

GTA Madrid is conveniently located near the airport, with a range of hotels and residential apartments nearby, offering easy access and comfort for all our visitors.

GTA Bogotá is conveniently located near the airport, with a range of hotels and residential apartments nearby, offering easy access and comfort for all our visitors.

GTA Jakarta is conveniently located near the airport, with a range of hotels and residential apartments nearby, offering easy access and comfort for all our visitors.

Frequent questions

Below you will find specific questions about Carlos Salas scholarship program.

What is the maximum age for a pilot to be eligible to participate in the Scholarships?

The scholarships are aimed at young pilots; therefore, the maximum age is 35 years.

The winner of a grant will have one year from the date of the jury’s decision to make use of it.

No, only winners who make a new type rating within one year of the jury’s decision will be able to take advantage of the scholarships.

The scholarships are named after Carlos Salas, dean of the COPAC who passed away in 2021, always committed to working for the improvement of the pilot profession and excellence in our training.

Testimonials from scholarship pilots