TEACHING THE BASICS
You fly an airplane with your head not your hands
To fully embrace the beauty of human flight, one should seek to first understand the physical, and learn the essential disciplines, while still on the ground.
field of flight foundation (FFF)
Investing in the Future of Aviation
Making Aviation Affordable
Now, more than ever, learning how to fly has proven to be a very expensive proposition; especially for our nation's youth. The FFF aims to change that through greatly reduced aircraft rental expense, and free flight instruction, but indeed, this is not made available without a cost.
Skin in the Game
Built upon the premise that investments of "sweat equity" can pay the greatest of dividends, the FFF program offers youth (aged 14-20) with an opportunity to exchange their non-flying participation into actual flight hours. By assisting in the process of aircraft maintenance, participating youth aviators will not only have benefited from their time investment, but will have gained a broader, and more in depth, understanding of aircraft repair and operation.
Contribution Cost Savings
Through the preliminary formation of charitable financial and in-kind relationships with benefactors, organizations, and aviation enterprise, and by way of volunteer instructor pilot and maintainer contributions, the FFF seeks to leverage the access or acquisition of a Cessna 172 (or similar) training aircraft, support equipment, instructional materials, and a storage/training facility planned first to be located at a suitable Southern California airport in order to draw from pools of suitable youth organizations and staffing.
The Donation Difference
By also accepting donations of aircraft and other material assets, in usable condition or not, the FFF can also potentially underwrite operational expenses by way of either employing, repairing, or selling said contributions.
Application to Learn
In order to simplify the management of youth organizations, and mitigate underwriting considerations, the FFF will establish a working relationship with youth aviation organizations (I.e., Aviation Explorer Scouts, Young Eagles, Youth Aviation Adventure, etc.) by way of an application process where FFF leadership regularly convene to award learning grant support.
George Field
As an aeronautical engineer working at McDonald Douglas in Long Beach California beginning in 1974, George Field saw a way to teach youth about aviation by way of the formation of a new Aviation Explorer Scout post based at Los Alamitos Naval Air Station. George began by first teaching ground school essentials followed up by offering flight training in a friend's Cessna 150 at a greatly reduced rental rate for the student. As a certified flight instructor, George donated flight instruction to post members free of charge; the only actual cost to the student was the cost of the aircraft rental plus the cost of fuel.