Five students receive $3,000 scholarships and two additional student pilots receive inaugural $1,500 Honorable Mention awards.
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — The South County Airport Pilots Association (SCAPA) has announced the recipients of its 2026 aviation scholarships, awarding a record $18,000 to seven aspiring aviation professionals pursuing careers as pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians.
SCAPA selected five students to receive $3,000 scholarships and, for the first time, awarded two additional outstanding student pilots $1,500 Honorable Mention scholarships.
The awards follow the most competitive application cycle in the program’s more than 15-year history. Eighty-six students applied for the 2026 scholarships, representing an exceptional group of aspiring pilots, mechanics and other aviation professionals from the area.
“The quality of this year’s applicants was incredible,” said SCAPA Scholarship Chair Niki Britton. “Aviation has a very high financial barrier to entry. Becoming a pilot or aircraft mechanic requires hundreds of hours of education and training, along with testing, equipment, and other expenses before someone can begin their career. These scholarships are one way our airport community can help talented, hardworking students continue moving toward those goals.”
Funding for SCAPA’s scholarship program comes in large part from the aviation community and the annual San Martin Airport Food Truck Fly-In and Community Airport Day. Vendors, sponsors, and attendees help support the scholarship program through their participation and donations. Additional support comes from generous contributions from CalPilots and individual SCAPA pilots and members of the aviation community.
This year, Swift Fuels and Bruce’s Custom Aircraft Covers each sponsored a full $3,000 scholarship.
2026 $3,000 Scholarship Recipients
Corbett Thomas — Bruce’s Custom Covers Scholarship
Corbett Thomas is a professional flight student at San José State University and is also pursuing a minor in aerospace engineering. He has earned his private pilot certificate and instrument rating and is currently working toward his commercial pilot certificate.
Thomas serves as treasurer of the SJSU Precision Flight Team and was recognized as the Outstanding Team Member at the 2025 NIFA Region II SAFECON. He has also earned both his Advanced Ground Instructor and Instrument Ground Instructor certificates, allowing him to provide and endorse ground instruction as he continues working toward becoming a flight instructor.
Thomas received the Bruce’s Custom Covers $3,000 Scholarship.
Will Lucchetti — Swift Fuels Scholarship
Will Lucchetti is a fourth-year Professional Flight student at San José State University with a 4.0 GPA. He has earned his private pilot certificate and is currently completing his instrument training.
Lucchetti has distinguished himself through extensive leadership and involvement in the aviation community. He serves as president of SJSU’s Alpha Eta Rho aviation fraternity and as a Lead Mentor in the university’s aviation mentorship program, where he helps guide peer mentors and incoming aviation students. He has also participated in the SJSU Precision Flight Team and ALPA ACE program.
Through EAA Chapter 20, Lucchetti helped build an experimental aircraft from the ground up. He is also beginning work as an Aviation Safety Analyst Assistant with Delta Computer Solutions supporting NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, giving him professional experience in aviation safety while still an undergraduate.
Lucchetti received the Swift Fuels $3,000 Scholarship.
Lauryn Stewart
Lauryn Stewart is an aircraft maintenance technology student at Gavilan College preparing for a career as an aviation maintenance technician.
Stewart has gained extensive hands-on experience beyond her formal education, spending a year working under the mentorship of an experienced A&P mechanic and machinist. Her practical experience has included aviation maintenance, avionics, automotive systems, and other mechanical work.
As one of only two women in a class of approximately 25 students, Stewart is also helping increase female representation in a traditionally male-dominated aviation field. She hopes to combine her maintenance background with a future education in aeronautical engineering, bringing practical field experience into aircraft design and engineering.
Alexander Manou
Alexander Manou is an aircraft maintenance technology student at Gavilan College pursuing his Airframe and Powerplant mechanic certification.
Manou has successfully completed his oral and practical examinations and earned his FAA Airframe mechanic certificate. He is now approximately halfway through the Powerplant portion of his training as he works toward completing his full A&P certification.
His passion for aviation and mechanics has driven him to develop the technical knowledge and hands-on skills necessary for a professional career maintaining aircraft.
Sophie Lee — Santa Clara County Airports Scholarship
Sophie Lee is a Professional Flight student at San José State University. She has earned her private pilot certificate and is currently working toward her instrument rating while training at Nice Air.
In addition to flight training, Lee is gaining firsthand airport industry experience as an Airside and Terminal Operations Intern at San José Mineta International Airport.
Lee serves as historian and outreach officer for SJSU’s Women in Aviation chapter and as treasurer of the university’s newly established Professional Asian Pilots Association chapter. She has also volunteered at Girls in Aviation Day at Reid-Hillview Airport, helping introduce young people to aviation opportunities.
Lee received the Santa Clara County Airports Scholarship.
Inaugural $1,500 Honorable Mention Scholarships
The extraordinary strength of this year’s applicant pool, combined with the generosity of SCAPA’s supporters, allowed the organization to do something new in 2026.
After selecting the five $3,000 scholarship recipients, the scholarship committee identified two additional student pilots whose accomplishments and commitment to aviation stood out among the 86 applicants. SCAPA was able to award each an inaugural $1,500 Honorable Mention Scholarship.
Dong Nguyen — Honorable Mention
Dong Nguyen is an aviation student at San José State University with a 4.0 GPA who is working toward his Private Pilot License at Trade Winds Aviation.
Originally from rural Vietnam, Nguyen has built his aviation career through education, flight training, and professional experience within the airline industry. He currently works as a supervisor at Pacific Aviation and has gained experience as a turnaround coordinator for EVA Air, coordinating with pilots, cabin crews, ground handling personnel, and load-control teams to support international airline departures.
His experience has given him a broad perspective on aviation operations while he continues working toward his own goal of becoming a professional pilot.
Elisa Coyle — CalPilots Honorable Mention Scholarship
Elisa Coyle is a senior at Homestead High School who has already accumulated approximately 30 hours of flight training at Nice Air at Reid-Hillview Airport and is approaching her first solo flight.
Coyle has immersed herself in the local aviation community. She serves as vice president of her high school’s Future Pilots Club, participates in EAA Young Eagles activities, and has flown Pilots N Paws animal-rescue missions with her father.
She also advocates for Reid-Hillview Airport and the opportunities it provides aspiring aviators throughout the South Bay.
Coyle plans to study aerospace engineering and hopes to design general aviation aircraft, using her experience as a pilot to inform her future work as an engineer.
Coyle received the CalPilots Honorable Mention Scholarship.
Investing in Aviation’s Future
SCAPA has provided aviation scholarships for more than 15 years, helping local students overcome some of the substantial costs associated with entering the aviation industry.
The program is made possible by a community that comes together each year to support San Martin Airport and the next generation of aviation professionals. Proceeds and donations associated with the San Martin Airport Food Truck Fly-In and Community Airport Day, combined with contributions from sponsors, Swift Fuels, Bruce’s Custom Covers, CalPilots, Santa Clara County Airports Department, SCAPA pilots, and other supporters, directly help students continue their education and training.
With 86 applicants and $18,000 awarded in 2026, this year marks the largest and most competitive scholarship cycle in the program’s history.
“These students are the future of aviation,” Britton said. “Whether they are flying airplanes, maintaining them, designing them, or working to make the aviation system safer, we want them to know that there is an entire airport community behind them. Every vendor, sponsor, pilot, and community member who supports the Food Truck Fly-In or contributes to this program is helping make these scholarships possible.”
The 2026 scholarship recipients will be recognized during the San Martin Airport Food Truck Fly-In and Community Airport Day on October 17 at San Martin Airport.
