Thanks to sales of his book, YIKES! 100 Smart Pilots and the Dumb Things They Did Yet Lived to Tell About ‘Em, former General Aviation News Human Factors columnist Jeffrey Madison recently gave out another flight training scholarship.
This one, for $10,000, was presented to Spelman College sophomore and private pilot Kamora Freeland at Republic Executive Airport (KFRG) in Farmingdale, N.Y.
According to Jeffrey, like many of the hundreds of applicants for the scholarship the Victor Kilo Fund reviewed, Kamora is not only driven, thoughtful, and focused on building an aviation future rooted in purpose and impact, but also is intent on using her success to help others be successful, too.
“That’s the type of leadership quality that stands out — the kind Victor Kilo Fund looks to support,” Jeffrey said.
The Victor Kilo Fund is the aerospace education non-profit foundation he co-founded with his wife.
“We named our foundation Victor Kilo because that’s Greek for a thousand victories,” Jeffrey explained. “Whether it’s your commercial pilot rating, your A&P, or your ATC certification, each big dream takes about a thousand little victories to achieve.”
“Kamora is an amazing young lady and I am so proud of everything she’s doing,” said Brian Worthington, owner of Flight King NYC Flight Training Academy and an NYPD helicopter pilot. Flight King NYC Training Academy is where Kamora earned her private pilot certificate and where she will use the scholarship to work on her Instrument Rating.
Jeffrey’s goal is to sell 1 million copies of his book, which would provide more than $10 million in training scholarships or buy flight simulators for dozens of Civil Air Patrol squadrons, flight schools, and STEM programs all around the country.
“The U.S. alone will need over 38,000 commercial pilots, over 15,000 airplane mechanics, and the same number of Air Traffic Controllers in the next decade. We need to encourage anybody with an interest in aviation and aerospace, whether urban, suburban or rural. The No. 1 reason people don’t pursue careers in aerospace is lack of financial support. Our goal is to help folks clear that obstacle,” he said.
“It is truly humbling and gratifying that YIKES! resonates enough with pilots that more and more of them are buying it, and that its success is actually helping launch aviation careers,” he added. “I am extremely appreciative that our mission is attracting generous donors.”
Autographed copies of YIKES! 100 Smart Pilots and the Dumb Things They Did Yet Lived to Tell About ‘Em are available at YikesTheBook.com. The book is also available in Kindle and Audible format on Amazon.
For more information: VictorKiloFund.org
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