Maple Creek, Sask. native Chris Holmes, 29, died while travelling as a passenger in a float plane that crashed Aug. 1 in Tyaughton Lake, B.C. A pilot himself, Holmes’ father and grandfather were both pilots too. A scholarship has been set up in Holmes’ honour by his family to help others obtain their pilot licence.

In setting up a GoFundMe account to create the scholarship, Holmes’ cousin Derek Burt says “The financial costs for training and gaining experience are high. The funds from this campaign will be used to establish a memorial scholarship fund to help those from Maple Creek and southwestern Saskatchewan follow in Chris’ footsteps and realize their own dreams of flying.”

The original fundraising goal of $10,000 was quickly surpassed and was subsequently upped to $20,000. As of Aug. 23, the account has raised $17,365.