Final stretch for You Can Fly Challenge

By raising $2 million in donations by Aug. 31 and receiving the $2 million matching grant, the AOPA Foundation will receive a total of $4 million for the You Can Fly program to build a stronger pilot community through its high school, flight training, flying clubs, and rusty pilots initiatives.

“Every gift counts,” said AOPA Foundation Vice President Jennifer Storm, “and for the next few months, your donation will be matched, doubling your personal impact on helping more people become pilots, continue flying, or get back into flying.”

The Ray Foundation honors the legacy of the late James C. Ray, a pilot, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who was deeply devoted to aviation, especially youth programs.

“James was proud to be an early ‘angel’ investor in the You Can Fly program, and we’re pleased to continue to support the work because AOPA is leveraging the resources to get even better results than James could have imagined,” said Chuck Ahearn, president of the Ray Foundation.

Through the You Can Fly program, AOPA is reaching high school students with an aviation curriculum featuring professional pilot and drone pathways. Its flying clubs initiative helps pilots find, join, and create clubs, making flying more affordable and enjoyable. It is improving student experiences at flight schools across the country with its flight training initiative, and makes it easier for lapsed pilots return to pilot-in-command status through its rusty pilots initiative.

Donations are making a difference in the aviation community: You Can Fly has inspired more than 3,500 high school students through its aviation curriculum, helped launch more than 100 new flying clubs, and made it easier for more than 6,500 formerly inactive pilots to complete their flight reviews.

“When I think about how becoming a pilot changed my life, it’s incredibly heartening that the Ray Foundation and other generous donors are investing in creating those same life-changing opportunities for others,” Storm said.

To take advantage of this opportunity to double your donation’s impact, your tax-deductible gift can be made online through the AOPA Foundation’s You Can Fly Challenge through Aug. 31.