Local teen awarded scholarships towards private pilot certificate

GRAFTON, MA -- Grayson Logan, a rising senior at Grafton High School and a member of Civil Air Patrol at Goddard Cadet Squadron in Worcester, has been awarded flight scholarships totaling $11,000 to be used towards his private pilot’s certificate and ratings.

Logan’s $10,000 You Can Fly High School Flight Training Scholarship was awarded by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and an additional $1,000 Cadet Flight Scholarship from Civil Air Patrol (CAP). “This $11,000 will probably pay for the remainder of his flight training and allow him to earn his Private Pilot certificate and probably get him started on the instrument rating,” offered Maj. Kent Hartig, Goddard’s unit commander.

Logan is no stranger to an aircraft cockpit already. Through Civil Air Patrol, he has flown orientation flights in both CAP’s powered aircraft and glider aircraft, and even in some military aircraft. Last summer, he attended CAP’s National Flight Academy, where he started his official flight training and within the week completed his first solo flight in a single-engine airplane.

Cadet Logan is a Cadet First Lieutenant at Goddard Cadet Squadron (GCS) of Civil Air Patrol, based in Worcester. Among numerous other awards, he was named Goddard Squadron’s Honor Cadet for the past year. He is currently serving as a flight commander at the unit and is also a member of the unit’s Color Guard and CyberPatriot competition teams. Recently, Goddard’s CyberPatriot team earned third place in the state in the Platinum division, the highest division there is.

Logan is also one of the top students in his class at Grafton High School, a class officer, and a leader on his varsity soccer team. He recently returned from a 5 day long US Naval Academy Summer Seminar and will be attending the US Coast Guard Academy’s summer program next month. He hopes to attend one of the United States service academies after high school with the plan to become a military pilot.

“Cadet Logan is one of the most self-motivated, dedicated, and professional people I have worked with. I have no doubt he will make an excellent pilot,” added Cadet Captain Samuel Houle, Goddard Cadet Squadron’s Cadet Commander.

As the U.S. Air Force auxiliary and a nonprofit agency, CAP performs missions for federal government agencies and assists states and local communities. As such, CAP is an organization of “national interest” to Congress. Last year was a record year for CAP, with 158 lives saved and over 89,000 hours flown on a wide range of Air Force-assigned missions, including emergency response, disaster relief and support for state as well as local programs and youth orientation flights.

In Massachusetts, nearly 1000 hours were flown, including aerial photography of the entire Massachusetts coastline, which is used by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and other state agencies to compare before and after photos of coastal damage from storms. CAP also aided the state with aerial photography of the damage caused by the Lawrence gas line explosion, so agencies could assess where the most heavily damaged areas were. Together, it is estimated that CAP saved the state several hundreds of thousands of dollars through their volunteer efforts.

In addition, the organization helped 320,000 cadets and non-CAP students across the nation learn more about aerospace and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers. Eighty percent of those young people have expressed greater interest in seeking STEM careers because of CAP’s efforts.

Goddard Cadet Squadron is a very active squadron. It offers STEM programs to schools and after school programs. Its members go on a variety of educational trips throughout the year. Over the summer, members will be traveling to various CAP activities around the state, the country and even internationally.

With over 500 aircraft, CAP also plays a leading role in aerospace education and adult members serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. Cadets can join from age 12 to 18. Goddard Cadet Squadron was named in honor of Dr. Robert Goddard and meets in the Worcester area most Sunday’s from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The unit has been awarded the Quality Cadet Unit Award for the past 7 consecutive years, recognizing them as one of the top units in the entire country. For more information, visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.GoddardCadetSquadron.com.