Vertical aviation career opportunities inspire VAI scholarship winner Colin Crader Discover how VAI scholarship recipients have turned opportunity into achievement—and how you can do the same—in this new VAI Daily series. Are you ready to give your aviation education a boost? The VAI scholarship program is back for 2026, with scholarships available in aviation maintenance, commercial helicopter pilot ratings, and pilot safety. A benefit exclusively for VAI members, the scholarships help vertical aviation pilots, mechanics, engineers, and aspiring professionals cover the costs of their education and training. Not a VAI member? Join the association and enjoy access to the VAI scholarship program as well as a host of additional educational, safety, and other benefits. Then, learn more about the program and submit your application for a 2026 VAI scholarship by the submission deadline of Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. As the submission deadline approaches, we are highlighting past VAI scholarship winners in a series of articles in VAI Daily. In this installment, Colin Crader, 42, recipient of the 2025 Maintenance Technician Certificate Scholarship, shares his thoughts about how the scholarship has helped him meet his education goals, what his career goals are, and more. Colin Crader, winner of the 2025 Maintenance Technician Certificate Scholarship. VAI Daily: What inspires you about the idea of working within the vertical aviation community? Colin Crader: I find the predicted future developments in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft market incredibly inspiring, as the potential market for air taxis and package deliveries is enormous. We’ve seen how technology powered the Industrial Age, the Information Age, and the Internet of Things, creating massive amounts of wealth and opportunity. I believe we’re on the verge of “the Age of Drones,” and it will create another economic revolution. The potential opportunities that await are my motivation. How has the VAI scholarship helped you meet your education goals? The VAI scholarship gave me the chance to stay in school this summer. Between paying for my FAA airframe testing and purchasing the tools needed for my job, I was going to have to take a year off from school to save the money needed to continue with my powerplant classes. The VAI scholarship arrived at just the right time to keep me in class, and I’ll be able to test for my powerplant rating in early 2026! What are your short-term and long-term career goals? In the next three to five years, I plan to obtain an inspection authorization and finish my master’s degree in logistics and supply chain management. Over the long term, I hope to start a business in aircraft composites. Who is your greatest mentor and why? My greatest mentor is probably my dad, Kelly. I have learned many valuable lessons from him—frugality, working hard, treating others as you would like to be treated, and most importantly, the value of knowing what’s important in life. Of course, my mom, Donna, and brother, Bo, deserve mention here too; my family has been the greatest reason for my success. What do you view as the biggest challenges facing the vertical aviation profession? The biggest challenge for vertical aviation, specifically in the eVTOL arena, is developing energy sources with enough power to keep these aircraft in flight for distances that make them a viable economic alternative to traditional modes of transportation. When this problem is solved, you can be sure the world will be a different place!
