Mission Aviation Academy prepares underserved youth, veterans, and families for high-income careers in aviation, aerospace, STEM, and AI — through hands-on training, FAA credentials, and scholarship funding.
Every Saturday · 8am–6pm · X39 Lutz / Wesley Chapel — Drone certification, AI app building, PPL simulator, free open house.
"To impact ONE MILLION LIVES by 2030 through aviation, STEM education, and entrepreneurship — honoring the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen." — LCDR Ricardo "Tattoo" Foster, USN (Ret.) · Founder & CEO, Mission Aviation Academy
Friday Preview Sessions: Join us online the day before Saturday — every Friday at 11am or 4pm. We cover the schedule, answer every question, and get you enrolled. Zoom sends your link instantly.
✓ Step Up For Students Approved Provider · Accepting PEP & FES-UA Scholarships · Direct Pay — No Out-of-Pocket Cost for Eligible Families · Check eligibility →
7 Career Families
Every path below leads to a real, high-income career. None of them require a four-year degree. All of them are short of people right now.
FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot. Test prep from age 14. Certificate from 16. Seven industries hiring now.
Up to $215K · Defense sector rolesStudent Pilot through ATP. Ground school, simulator, and real flight time at X39. Every certificate on the ladder.
$226,600 median · Airline Captain (BLS 2024)A&P certification, LSRM, and the 30-month OJT clock. National mechanic shortage means hiring is immediate.
$78,680 median · #1 no-degree job (CNBC 2026)ATC, FAA safety inspection, flight service, and airport operations. Age-capped entry — start early.
$144,580 median · $228,000 supervisors (BLS 2024)Build real apps with Claude Code. GitHub, Vercel, prototype to launch. Four parts — earn a certificate.
Starting $99 · Beginner through AdvancedEngineering, intelligence, cyber, program management. CubeSats, rocketry, Space Guardian Academy.
$134,830 median · Aerospace Engineer (BLS 2024)Dispatch, airport ops, logistics, curriculum development, insurance. The careers that run the airfield.
Growing demand · Entry through executiveFrom the Academy
Written by the people who built this program — for the students who are about to take flight.
How to launch a $1M aviation career without a college degree. By LCDR Ricardo "Tattoo" Foster, USN (Ret.) & MAJ Bruce "BOMBER" Blashka, USMC (Ret.). Foreword by Jamail Larkins, AviationStart.org.
Pre-order & Career Guide →A Tuskegee Airmen tribute story for young aviators. Book 1 in the Ricky the Explorer series. By Ricardo Foster. For the student who is just beginning to look up.
Learn More & Pre-order →7 career families · BLS-verified salaries · Every credential · Every cost · Updated Fall 2026
Flight Plan 2030
Everything at MAA — every Saturday class, every scholarship family, every book — feeds one campaign: 1,000,000 youth impacted and $10,000,000 raised by 2030.
Hidden Treasures Tour, Red Tail Roost, books, discovery flights, school visits, museum partnerships across 4 countries.
Drone certification, Part 107, flight training, A&P pathway, entrepreneurship, AI innovation, career placement.
Board, funding, corporate partnerships, grants, operations, HR, marketing — building the capacity to serve 1M youth.
Phase I — "Takeoff" · $200,000 Goal
$102,000 raised · $98,000 to go · Active since Q4 2025
Fly With UsThe Legacy
"The 332nd Fighter Group proved that Black pilots could fly, fight, and lead with the same skill and courage as anyone else. Their baton is in our hands now."
Ricardo Foster was personally mentored by Tuskegee Airmen. That mentorship shaped a leadership philosophy built on six traits: Courage, Perseverance, Excellence, Teamwork, Discipline, and Service. MAA carries that same standard into every classroom, every Saturday, every flight.
"The Tuskegee Airmen didn't just break a barrier — they redefined what was possible and proved that excellence has no color. Red Tail Roost exists so every generation after them gets to dream as big, fly as high, and do more."
The Red Tail Roost doesn't sit in a hangar. She flies — carrying the Tuskegee legacy into communities, schools, and airfields so every young person who sees her knows the sky was made for them too. One of 50+ aircraft and 100+ volunteer pilots and CFIs contributing to 1,380+ students on their first flights.
Two Named Scholarships
Tuskegee Airman "1st Top Gun Trophy" Scholarship ·
Brave Bess "Never Stop Learning" Scholarship
Apply or donate →
Red Tail Dispatch
Specific students, specific partners, specific flights — never vague nonprofit language. First-person. Every week. The real story of what's happening at X39 and beyond.
Published by Hidden Treasures Network (HTN) · hiddentreasuresnetwork.org · No spam. Real content.
The Ecosystem
Every site serves a different audience. All of them advance one mission.
The 501(c)(3) parent. Flying club, legal infrastructure, all financial and grant operations. EIN 85-1110607.
infinityaeroclub.org →Academic division DBA of iACT. Programs, enrollment, catalog, scholarships. Not a certificated flight school.
missionaviationacademy.orgPartner schools, JROTC units, housing authorities. Publishes Red Tail Dispatch. Global reach.
hiddentreasuresnetwork.org →The aircraft, the tour, the Tuskegee tribute, the one-million-lives campaign. Donors and sponsors.
flightplan2030.org →Every dollar puts a student in a cockpit, a drone in young hands, or a book in a community that needs it.
501(c)(3) · EIN 85-1110607 · All donations tax-deductible