GOLD STARS TO BLUE SKIES
From the passenger seat to the pilot's seat.
The Mission
Raider Air was established in 2015 as the air wing of the Brothers in Arms Foundation (BIAF), a 501(c)(3) Service-Disabled Veteran Operated Nonprofit with a proven record of serving military families since 2009. Our mission: rapid air transport for military families after tragedy strikes. Since then, our volunteer crews have flown more than 840 family members and service members across the country, every mission at no cost to the family. On those flights, something kept happening. Sons, daughters, and spouses of the fallen looked toward the flight deck and asked how they could learn to fly.
Raider Air conducts its transport mission under official Memoranda of Agreement with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The GSBS program is separate from that mission: it is funded entirely by private donors and is not sponsored or endorsed by the Department of War or any military service.
Gold Stars to Blue Skies (GSBS) is our answer. The program places qualified Gold Star family members into FAA-approved flight training and funds them through the one certificate the Department of Veterans Affairs will not pay for: the Private Pilot Certificate. Once a student earns that certificate, VA education benefits can cover the bulk of advanced training, from instrument through commercial ratings. Your gift funds the gap the government does not.
The 2027 Goal: $84,000. Three Students. Three New Pilots.
Eighty-four thousand dollars carries three Gold Star family members from their first lesson to their Private Pilot Certificate. The FAA sets the legal minimum at 40 flight hours, but the national average to checkride readiness runs 75 to 80 hours. We budget 80 hours per student so no one runs out of funded time short of the certificate.
$0 raised of $84,000 (0%)
| Cost to Train One Student | |
|---|---|
| Flight instruction and aircraft time (80 hours at $300 per hour, aircraft and CFI) | $24,000 |
| Training equipment (headset, flight bag, study materials, chart subscriptions, logbook) | $1,200 |
| FAA medical exam, written exam, and checkride examiner fee | $1,100 |
| Insurance and direct program administration | $500 |
| Contingency reserve (weather re-flies, additional hours, rate changes) | $1,200 |
| Total per student | $28,000 |
| Full 2027 class of three students | $84,000 |
Figures are based on current rates at our approved flight school. Unused contingency funds roll forward to the next class of students.
Why Fund GSBS
The VA Multiplier
The VA does not cover any cost of the private pilot certificate, the mandatory first rung of every professional aviation career. Once a student holds it, an assigned mentor familiar with the G.I. Bill and VR&E enrolls them in VA-approved advanced training, where the VA covers the bulk of instrument, commercial, and follow-on ratings. Your $28,000 unlocks tens of thousands of dollars in federal education benefits the student could not otherwise access.
Separate Accounting
All GSBS donations are accounted for separately within the BIAF accounting system and used exclusively for this program. Electronic navigation equipment remains BIAF property and passes to the next student. Unfilled slots, unused hours, and unspent funds roll over to the following program year. Nothing is diverted.
100% Volunteer
Raider Air and BIAF are a 100% volunteer force. No one draws a salary. BIAF is a 501(c)(3) Service-Disabled Veteran Operated Nonprofit, and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Flight School
Initial training is conducted at an FAA-approved flight school near Wilmington, North Carolina. Consistent with the security posture we maintain for our students, we do not publish the school's name. What we will say is this: the school has invested heavily in a modern fleet of new, well-equipped aircraft backed by an impeccable maintenance operation, and it runs a simulator-based syllabus that prepares students before they ever leave the ground, saving both training hours and donor dollars.
Mentorship
Every student is paired with a prior-service mentor who has completed similar training in or out of the military. As students progress, we introduce them to Raider Air supporters across the aviation industry.
Upon completion of their commercial certificates, Raider Air assists each student in finding meaningful work as a commercial pilot, building hours toward Airline Transport Pilot certification.
Cirrus Training
We have partnered with a certified Cirrus Training Center. Once a student completes their private pilot and instrument training, they can pursue official Cirrus training in both the SR20 and SR22, advanced platforms equipped with integrated glass avionics.
Every Cirrus is protected by the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), a whole-airframe parachute that comes standard on every aircraft.
Who We Train
Each fiscal year, GSBS opens training slots to select applicants in prioritized order. Unfilled slots cascade to the next category, and unused resources roll over to the following year.
- 1Gold Star children, 14 years or older, of U.S. service members from any branch or component, lost to combat actions, training, or other accidents. Applicants must be able to obtain an FAA Class 3 medical certificate.
- 2Gold Star spouses pursuing active careers in aviation. Applicants must be able to obtain an FAA Class 1 medical certificate.
- 3Recurring flight training, certifications, and proficiency sustainment for prior GSBS students.
- 4CFI training for the Raider Air volunteers who run the program. Every in-house CFI directly reduces instruction costs for future Category 1 through 3 students.
- 5Children of Raider Air volunteers who run the program, 14 years or older, considered only when Category 1 through 4 slots go unfilled. Applicants must be able to obtain an FAA Class 3 medical certificate.
Sponsor a Student
A single gift of $28,000 puts one Gold Star family member in the cockpit and carries them to their Private Pilot Certificate. $84,000 funds the full 2027 class of three. Sponsors receive direct updates on their student's progress, from first lesson to first solo to checkride. For the security of these families, updates will not include the names or photographs of children in the program.
Every gift is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Contact Us About SponsorshipRaider Air, the air wing of the Brothers in Arms Foundation
