Director Mark Flynn of the DOAV announced:
"These programs include the largest-ever pool of money available for teachers' grants and scholarships for aviation in Virginia."
Submission are being sought by the DOAV for the International Art Contest. Those students who wish to participate must submit their pieces based on “Flying Yesterday and Tomorrow”, this year’s theme, prior to January 13. Winners will be chosen at the state, national and international levels. Second place last year at the national level went to a McLean student.
Through a teachers’ grant program, every classroom’s teacher is eligible for funding regardless of the subject being taught in grades K-12, so long as the lesson involved aviation. A sum of $500 is available to reimburse teachers for the materials purchased for aviation-related lesson plans. Specific incidents from past years include money to study coastal erosion via drones, subsidies for students from low-income households to go on field trips to visit wind tunnels, and flight simulation time reimbursement.
Another of these programs is the Virginia Aviation Scholarships, the purpose of which is to enable students to acquire aviation education and pilot training. Funding for this comes from the DOAV and its five partner organizations.