Meet Our 2026 Scholars: Lucas Cox-Freeman

From the Air Training Corps to the cockpit at North Weald, Lucas has completed his Helping Dreams Take Flight powered flying scholarship.

How it started

Lucas, from Kent, first flew with the Air Training Corps at 14 and fell in love with it straight away. At university he carried on with a University Air Squadron, building around 20 hours, including aerobatics and his first solo – a milestone he says truly tested his preparation and judgement.

"The views and that feeling of take off and landing are simply unrivalled." – Lucas

Learning from the best

Lucas holds a Master's degree in Mathematics and works full-time as an accountant. Before that, he worked with 2Excel Aviation as a sensor operator and spotter, and was on board when the aircraft suffered an engine failure in flight. Watching the crew respond with calm communication, clear task-sharing and strong leadership left a lasting impression on him, and showed him exactly the kind of professional he wants to become.

He went on to fly 13 hours at Stapleford while working full-time, and is an active member of the Air League, volunteering at their events and writing blogs for their website.

His scholarship – completed

Lucas has now completed his powered flying scholarship at Aviation Academy, North Weald. We visited him during his training and saw his progress first-hand. From meeting him during selection to watching him fly, it has been brilliant to follow his journey all the way through.

What's next

Lucas's goal is the airline flight deck. He plans to take the modular route, studying for his ATPL theory while he keeps working, then building hours, followed by his Instrument Rating, CPL and Multi-Engine Rating. It's a steady, structured approach, and we have no doubt he'll get there.

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