mile high flight program

Nichole Davis was the first African American female to solo with the Mile High Flight program.  She writes, “I don't know if you remember me, but I remember you. You brought me into the Mile High Flight Program many years ago. I was the first African American female to solo in the program. I am extremely grateful for all that you have done for me.  Had it not been for you, I might not be where I am today. On December 16, 2006, I graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as an aerospace engineer.”

nichole

davis

Jasmine Searuggs is another Mile High Flight superstar who is bound for greatness.  She’s a standout athlete and scholar from Cherokee Trail High School.  She worked hard to build an outstanding academic record, earning college credit from the IB and AP courses that she mastered.  One of our most important messages is that life is all about choices.  Jasmine took that message to heart, and she’s got plenty of choices to make now.  She graduated from United States Air Force Academy and serves her nation proudly.

jasmine

searuggs

Hans Anderson is a quiet, unassuming young man who we were proud to have in our program.  His mother contacted us to bring us up to date on his progress.  Flying airplanes wasn’t his passion.  More likely, designing airplanes or perhaps the Mars orbiter will be his field of excellence.    An interesting detail is that Hans was only 16 years old when he entered MIT!  He graduated from MIT with a bachelors in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and an A average, and is currently working towards his PHD.

hans

anderson

Dominique Robnett’s great uncle was an original Tuskegee Airmen, and he’d be proud of his niece.  She soloed in minimum time and will one day make an outstanding captain for a major airline. 

dominque robnett

2015 Solo Student, and MHF superstar Kamia Bradley reports that she’s achieved her goal of attending Embry Riddle University to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional pilot.  As an added benefit to Kamia, we were able to reconnect with our first MHF solo student (and Embry Riddle graduate), Casey Irving, who agreed to take Kamia under his wing to ensure her success during her transition to campus life.

kamia 
bradley

We received some wonderful news from MHF student Jessica Martinez.  Jessica was informed that she was selected for a summer study program at Princeton University.  Jessica and her mother asked for MHF Crew input, as they made difficult choices about which program to participate in. We were proud to provide our recommendations as they made their decision.

jessica

martinez

We were thrilled to receive an update from 2001 MHF Phase 2 Solo student Rich Vaynshteyn.  Rich’s story is one of hard work, perseverance and a “never say quit” spirit that continues to impress us all.  After soloing in our program, Rich joined the United States Marines and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.  Since then, he’s had several overseas combat tours and is about to be promoted to major!  Rich is currently stationed in San Diego, married and has a baby daughter.  He truly reflects the 6 defining Tuskegee Airmen principles and we wish him continued safety and success.

rich

Vaynshteyn

Mychol Alexander is another one of our shining stars.  As do many of our students, he repeated our program for several years.  (The FAA requires that a student be at least 16 years old in order to solo, and Mike was determined to do just that).  With the support of his parents Mychol participated for four years.  He was selected for “Phase 2” flight training and we taught him how to fly.  His ambition was to be an Air Force pilot, and after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy he was selected to fly global missions and is now a C-17 Aircraft Commander.

mychol

alexander

The notion of “giving back to the community” comes to mind when we remember A.J. McCullough.  A.J  also was one of our MHF solo students.  He enrolled in Metro State University’s Aviation program.  Metro’s flight program is one of the top three in the nation, and A.J. was one of its most promising students.  What’s most impressive, is how this “seed” has blossomed so beautifully and is now baring its own fruit.  In between work and classes, A.J. founded his own flight program for minority students and seeks to expand even further, opportunities for our youth.

A.J.

mccollough

Cassey Irving was our very first student to solo, and a true go-getter. After graduating from Embry Riddle he took a position with Lockheed-Martin and is pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities as well.  Marcus Keliiholokai and Blake Stoffel both attended the United States Naval Academy and Richard Vaynshteyn graduated from C.U. and was selected for Marine flight training.

cassey

irving

MHF 2015 solo student Bendie Minu informed us that he was selected to attend both the United States Air Force Academy and West Point.  With choices such as these, he’ll go far!  After long thought, Bendie has decided to attend West Point.  We wish him good luck and God’s speed.

bendie

minu

Former MHF student Dallas Toon was just selected to attend training to become an Air Force Air Traffic Controller.  This has been Dallas’ goal for many years, and we’re proud to have mentored and encouraged him throughout his quest.  His mother writes, “Thanks always for being a positive influence in a little boy's life, and please continue to pray for him as he continues his journey into manhood.”

Dallas toon

We take great pride in all of our MHF students, but one in particular warms our hearts each time he updates us on his rapid progress.  Shay, (now First Lieutenant) Farrell, USMC is a student that holds a special place in the hearts of all MHF Crew members that know him.  He participated in our program for several years, during which, each of us had an opportunity to support and encourage him through some very challenging times.  In 2011 he was one of our Phase 2 Solo Students and he continues to thrive.  Shay informed us that after completing training at Quantico, he plans to start flight school at NAS Pensacola.  We wish him good luck and blue skies!

shay

farrell

Exciting news to report from MHF student Jireh Pulley.  Jireh is one of our superstars, and we’ve been working with her to provide additional tools to help her reach her goals.  She recently told us that she’s just received a nomination from US Representative Mike Coffman to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.  We’re very proud, as she continues to move through this extremely competitive selection process.

jirah

pulley