Able Flight

04/22/2026

YOUR GIFT TO ABLE FLIGHT WILL BE DOUBLED TODAY!!!
Thanks to a generous donor who will match any gift until the next $10,000 is donated, your gift in honor of Able Flight's 20th Anniversary will be doubled! Your $20 in honor of the 20th becomes $40 and so on! See the impact when you give.

Join me and make a gift to Able Flight 20th Anniversary

04/09/2026

Your $20 donation today will automatically become $40 thanks to a generous donor who is matching the next $3000 donated! Donate now and you'll double your impact. https://give.siu.edu/able-flight-20th-anniversary/?a=1

04/07/2026

HELP CELEBRATE ABLE FLIGHT'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY!
Your $20 donation today will automatically become $40 thanks to a generous donor who is matching the next $3000 donated! Donate now and you'll double your impact. https://give.siu.edu/able-flight-20th-anniversary/?a=1

03/31/2026

IT'S ABLE FLIGHT'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY!

On May 6th we’ll celebrate Able Flight’s 20th anniversary of using the power of aviation to make it possible for people with physical challenges to become pilots.

With our friends at Southern Illinois University, we have already raised nearly $200,000 towards our goal of building a $2,000,000 endowment to fund Able Flight at SIU forever, and we are adding to that impressive beginning with a special campaign to celebrate our first 20 years. We now have a special donation page where you can make your gift of $20 or more to the endowment fund. https://give.siu.edu/able-flight-20th-anniversary/?a=1

07/15/2025

THIS YEAR ABLE FLIGHT WILL PIN PILOT'S WINGS ON OUR 100TH PILOT!
Join us at a special ceremony on Tuesday July 22nd at 10am at Theater In The Woods. It's the time when we recognize our new pilots who have overcome physical challenges such as paralysis and amputation to become licensed pilots in Able Flight's one-of-a-kind nonprofit program based at Southern Illinois University. Everyone is invited!

12/03/2024

Here's a great way to help Able Flight on Giving Tuesday and beyond. Our friend Dana of Dana Tyler Jewelry has created this beautiful necklace to support our scholarship fund, and we have already received donations from the sale of the necklaces over the past few months. These will make a great holiday gift at only $59, and Able Flight receives $20 from each sale!

Here's a direct link to the necklace on her store website:
https://danatyler.com/collections/gifts-under-100/products/amelia-aeroplane-necklaces

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDHvbFvumkf/?igsh=MWR2cjl5a24zbDlqNA==

07/17/2024

Natallia Mirashnichenka was very young when doctors operated to remove a tumor on her spine. That illness, and the surgery, left the very physically active teenager paralyzed. Later, she was told by a New York area flight school that she would never be able to become a pilot. Then she learned about Able Flight. Just days ago Natallia passed her check ride at Able Flight's program at Southern Illinois University and is now a licensed pilot.

Natallia and the other members of the "Able Flight Class of 2024" will receive their pilot wings in a ceremony at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday July 23rd at 10 am at Theater In The Woods. Everyone is welcome!

07/16/2024

Omar Duran of FL was serving in the Army when he was injured due to an explosion. During this May and June, he trained at Purdue University with his instructor Reyna Dodd, and on June 26th he passed his check ride to become a licensed pilot.

Omar and the other members of the "Able Flight Class of 2024" will receive their pilot wings in a ceremony at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday July 23rd at 10 am at Theater In The Woods. Everyone is welcome!

07/12/2024

Jake Robinson of NC was seventeen when he became paralyzed in an auto accident. Since then he has earned college degrees, and participated in spinal cord injury research while building a career in the medical technology field. Active in charitable work and adapted sports, Jake has now fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming a pilot.

This year Jake trained at Able Flight's program at Purdue University in an adapted Sky Arrow. He and the other members of the "Class of 2024" will receive their pilot wings in a ceremony at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday July 23rd at 10 am at Theater In The Woods. Everyone is welcome!

07/11/2024

Not very long ago, Andrew Daigneau of Indiana was on his way to finishing college when a motorcycle accident cost him his right leg above the knee. With an extraordinary effort, he graduated from Notre Dame this past May. And with an Able Flight Scholarship, just two months later he has become a licensed pilot!

Andrew is one of the first to train at our new location at Southern Illinois University. He and the other members of the "Class of 2024" will receive their pilot wings in a ceremony at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday July 23rd at 10 am at Theater In The Woods. Everyone is welcome!

07/11/2024

Tim Riney, Jr., a disabled veteran from Florida, is a new pilot thanks to his hard work, the instruction of Billy O'Connor at Purdue University, and of course, thanks to his Able Flight Scholarship. Tim and the other members of the "Class of 2024" will receive their pilot wings in a ceremony at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday July 23rd at 10 am at Theater In The Woods. Everyone is welcome!