A 16-year-old Morse High School student has earned a scholarship that will allow him to spend a week living on a simulated aircraft carrier.

Kai Nascimento accepted the $2,000 National Flight Academy scholarship on May 11 at the Brunswick Naval Aviation Museum at Brunswick Landing.

Morse High School junior Kai Nascimento tries out a biplane flight simulator after receiving his $2,000 scholarship from the National Flight Academy at the Brunswick Naval Aviation Flight Museum. Courtesy of the Brunswick Naval Aviation Museum

The simulation is held in a 102,000-square-foot facility in Pensacola, Florida, where future pilots train with flight simulators and virtual reality games to spark learning opportunities. Nascimento will be doing a new mission every day on a six-story replica of an aircraft carrier that includes air traffic control, radar work and flying in the simulators.

“I was super excited about winning the scholarship,” Nascimento said in an email to The Times Record. “I didn’t think I had a good chance against the other competitors but wanted to prove something to myself.”

Nascimento found out about the scholarship halfway through the school year and thought it would be a good opportunity to expand his knowledge in the aviation world.

“I applied for the scholarship because I wanted to widen my understanding in aviation,” Nascimento said. “I am fascinated with everything to do with flying.”

Nascimento hopes to have some kind of flying career, whether it be military or civilian.

He plans on attending the Civil Air Patrol program at the Brunswick Aviation Museum after his training with the Flight Academy, which will put him six months ahead of other pilot trainees if Nascimento were to decide to join the Navy.