8/1/2014

Signature Flight Support awards Able Flight with Scholarship

Signature Flight Support, a BBA Aviation company, announced today at EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI that it has awarded Able Flight with an $8,000 sponsorship for pilot training scholarships.

Able Flight’s mission is to offer people with disabilities a unique way to challenge themselves through flight and aviation career training, and in so doing, gain greater self-confidence and self-reliance.

“The Able Flight award is part of Signature Flight Support’s charitable giving program whose aim is to bring our mission and values to life by making real and sustainable differences in the industries and communities where we live and work,” stated Maria Sastre, President and Chief Operating Officer for Signature Flight Support. “This award to Able Flight will allow a new pilot to get their wings, a challenge even for those without disabilities. We are delighted to be part of Able Flight’s mission.

” Now in its seventh year of providing full-ride flight training scholarships and mentoring for people with physical disabilities, Able Flight has 40 licensed pilots. And, in the fifth year of Purdue University providing instruction, Able Flight has a 100% success rate to date with student pilots who have trained at the University.

“Our students are grateful for the support of industry partners like Signature Flight Support. Their dreams become reality at the controls of an aircraft with the freedom of flight – this simply wouldn’t be possible without our supporters,” commented Charles Stites, Executive Director for Able Flight.

Able Flight was created by pilots who believe that the life-changing experience of learning to fly is best shared, and who designed the Able Flight Scholarships to enable people with disabilities to pursue that experience along with careers in aviation. Members of the Able Flight Board of Directors and Advisory Board include a flight instructor, an Aviation Medical Examiner, a veteran who flies his own plane with the aid of a prosthetic device, and a previous scholarship recipient. Able Flight is incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, and is supported by the generous donations and sponsorships of individuals, foundations and corporations. For more information, please visit www.ableflight.org