Lauren Compton, recipient of the Flying Musicians Association (FMA) 2025 Flying Solo scholarship program, is set to join the next Freshman class at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The La Plata, Maryland native, has already begun basic training at the Academy. Once she is established as a cadet, she intends to resume her recently-started flight training.

A member of the Civil Air Patrol in high school, Compton played flute, harp, and oboe. She hopes to go on to design aircraft and gain the knowledge so that “…any aircraft I will design is as safe as possible for its pilots and passengers,” she said.

For Compton, music and aviation is a generational mix. Her mother and aunt play the flute, while her grandmother plays the violin and piano. On the aviation side, two of Compton’s great-uncles had military service careers. Buck Compton, who served in the 101st Airborne, was one of the Band of Brothers. Col. Jack Compton flew rescue missions in Vietnam and later piloted Air Force One.

Compton was chosen as this year’s Flying Solo scholarship recipient out of six finalists. The FMA continues to receive applications from across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The Solo scholarship program is a unique opportunity that looks to provide music students, who have an interest in flying, a jumpstart on their aviation education. The scholarship covers 15 hours of dual-instruction flight training, online ground school, access to training materials, and additional products from sponsors like the EAA and AOPA.

Compton has applied to perform with the USAFA Drum and Bugle Corps and plans to blog about her scholarship experiences.
Parris Clarke
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