Meet Our 2026 Scholars: Aashish Dubay

A young aviation leader from Birmingham, Aashish has completed his Helping Dreams Take Flight gliding scholarship on the Long Mynd.

How it started

Aashish grew up in Handsworth, Birmingham, where aviation felt like a distant world. That changed at 14, when a 30-minute introductory flight in a Cessna 152 sparked a passion that has shaped everything since.

"The moment I sat in the Cessna, the environment somehow felt instinctively right. I had total focus on the air, the aircraft and the moment – it was an unforgettable feeling!" – Aashish

Opening doors for others

Since that first flight, Aashish has thrown himself into aviation. He founded Career Crowd, a free online platform supporting more than 100 students with aviation opportunities and webinars with industry experts. He is Events Coordinator for his school's Aviation Society, and has taken part in the Open Skies Pathways programme and work experience with Leading Edge Aviation.

As a finalist in the Air League's Global Innovators' Challenge, he and his team are presenting research on algae-based sustainable aviation fuel.

His scholarship – completed

When Aashish applied, he had just half an hour of flying time and was balancing his A-Levels with a clear goal of gaining his Private Pilot Licence. He has now completed his gliding scholarship at Midland Gliding Club on the Long Mynd. We visited him during his training and saw his progress first-hand in a fantastic place to learn to glide. It was brilliant to see what he achieved and the confidence he gained.

What's next

Aashish wants to become a commercial airline pilot, inspired by his mentor, an easyJet Senior First Officer. He saw gliding as the perfect first step, building the stick-and-rudder skills that will make his powered training more efficient, and plans to work his way up in ground operations after Sixth Form to fund the rest of his journey.

Every one of our 2026 scholarships was made possible by the generosity of our supporters, including SkyDemon. Thank you for helping dreams take flight.