Wengert Receives SDWG Flight Scholarship

The CAP South Dakota Wing Scholarship Committee selected Cadet 2d Lt. Byron Wengert of Tea to receive a $500 flight scholarship.

Wengert is a member of CAP’s Lincoln County Composite Squadron, where he serves as cadet flight commander.

“My goal is to obtain my private pilot’s certificate next summer, attend the Air Force academy, become an Air Force pilot, and potentially an astronaut,” said Wengert in his scholarship application. “This scholarship will help my career by paying for some of the flight hours required to obtain a private pilot certificate.”

Wengert soloed in a CAP aircraft during CAP’s National Flight Academy earlier this summer. He has 10.5 hours toward his private pilot’s license. He has attended three Civil Air Patrol cadet program encampments and received the Air and Space Force Association Cadet of the Year award for 2024 in his squadron.

“Cadet Wengert is an active member of the Lincoln County Composite Squadron,” said his squadron commander, CAP Maj. Ben Shafer. “He is very studious and has taken his aviation studies seriously, as evident in his ability to achieve solo flight at a recent National Flight Academy. This scholarship will allow him to continue his training. He will not only be an asset to CAP for years to come, but also shows great potential to be a member of the world's finest Air Force.”

The South Dakota Wing flight scholarships each year are funded from the state-level CAP budget. They are separate from national CAP flight scholarship programs.