About us
By exposing their minds to the realm of aviation and the many job opportunities encompassed within, we will bridge the gap between the importance of education and the tangible results they can achieve.
The foundation and core principles within our organization are dedication, responsibility, and pride. Instilling these mantras in our students are not only pivotal to aviation but also to all other career paths and choices they may pursue.
It is our mission to offer guidance through training, coaching, and mentoring on the importance of their education from the start and the tangible connections they have between job opportunities and the early decisions they make in life.
The Program is divided into three phases. Each phase is designed to build on the previous one, establishing a solid foundation for success.
Upon acceptance into the program each participant starts their Project Takeoff journey here. The focus of Kickstart is to assess and establish and initial baseline of where each individual is currently at in their lives. We look at:
- life struggles
- dreams and goals
- talents and passions
By matching their initial thoughts and aspirations to a field within the aviation sector we establish a goal and develop an initial plan for them to reach it. We incorporate basic life skills in the plan that can transfer to any goal they want to achieve in any area of life.
Participants who have shown the desire and ability to succeed in the Kickstart program can progress to the In-Flight stage of Project Takeoff. This portion of the Project introduces the participants to the joy and more importantly the responsibility of flight. Certified flight trainers follow a detailed curriculum where students will experience the importance of each step in the flight process:
- pre-flight work
- in-flight duties
- post-flight checklists
In flight the students will be able to see how a plane can maneuver and why certain things are done behind the controls. They will experience most of all what a student pilot would learn from slow flight to cruise flight, radio communications, landing patterns and more. Although the students will not be on course to obtain a pilot’s license through this program, they will gain exposure to the possible career choices available to them in the aviation industry.
This portion of the program is based on a traditional distance-flight student pilot course. The key principle behind distance flight is the breaking up of the entire flight into smaller segments and navigating from point to point. Participants accompany instructors on flights that are a few hours in length to see the navigational techniques in action and discuss how what they have learned throughout the program can apply to their individual lives.
Classroom time during the Cross Country portion of Project Takeoff will also be used for mentorship and discussion around topics including:
- skills learned in the program in addition to aeronautical and navigational subjects
- self discovery
- goals for the future
During the program, individual sessions will be held with each participant to discuss potential goals and strategies for reaching them.
13 year old Project Takeoff student lands airplane by himself with
instructor and mentor Ken Gibson at his side.
we launch livelihoods!