MHFP Quarterly Update - July 2024 | |
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"Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something because of who you are or where you come from. Prove them wrong with your excellence and determination."
— Lt. Col. Charles W. Dryden, Tuskegee Airman
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Hello MHF Students and Supporters
We couldn’t be more proud of the Mile High Flight “Crew” for their flexibility during the second quarter of 2024. Weather and host scheduling conflicts continued to test our resiliency, but in the end, we delivered a quality experience for our students.
We’d like to express our deepest appreciation to our supporters, event sponsors, students, parents and Crew Members for another great year. We look forward to kicking off another group in October.
Tailwinds,
Captain Mosley and the Mile High Flight "Crew"
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Soaring Beyond Limits - MHF Events | |
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CU Aerospace/Engineering - April 6th
We moved our CU Aerospace/Engineering tour to April 6th. This has regularly been one of our most highly rated tours by students and parents, and this year’s tour didn’t disappoint. Captain John Frazier put in a tremendous amount of work to ensure that this event went off without a hitch, featuring briefings about cutting edge technology in robotics and AI, detailed presentations for parents on admissions, scholarship opportunities, college life and hands on projects where students were challenged to team up and create workable human prosthetics that they then demonstrated to fellow students. Hats off to Crew Member Willy Martinez for helping to ensure that the CU event ran smoothly and on time.
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United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) - April 27th
We moved the United States Air Force Academy tour to April 27, with the expectation that the weather wouldn’t be an issue. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided not to cooperate. In spite of the rapidly deteriorating conditions, the tour was very well attended. Crew Member (and AFA grad) Rob Robison, demonstrated why “flexibility (truly is) the key to air power”, as he had to quickly pivot and revise our tour schedule to save the event. Though the snowy weather forced us to confine the tour to the USAFA Visitor’s Center, the presentation was sharp and informative, student/parent participation was high, and the event was a success. Next year we look forward to resuming the full campus tour experience that we’ve enjoyed over the years. | |
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Orientation Flights - May 11th
Willy Martinez expertly coordinated one of our most challenging tours, pulling off what many have said was “the best orientation flight event ever!” Because of the size of our group this year, Willy arranged for 5 aircraft, to ensure that everyone got a great chance to fly…many for the first time in a light aircraft. In spite of myriad threats—such as weather, aircraft maintenance, and mass flight operations from the new Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport—the event was completed well under budget. As our students were enjoying experiences of a lifetime, Captain John Frazier, Andrea Martinez, and Cedar Miera, were given the monumental task of interviewing those students who qualified to compete for Phase 2 flight scholarships. It was a challenging process, with many well qualified and eager students.
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Glider Flights - June 1 & 2
Our last event, our thrilling glider flight at Owl Canyon Glider Port, was the perfect way to celebrate another triumphant year. Due to the size of our group, we had the pleasure of extending the excitement over two exhilarating days. The weather, graciously on our side, held up just long enough to ensure every participant enjoyed a breathtaking and unforgettable experience.
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Honoring Heritage, Igniting Promise | |
The Tale of the Tuskegee Airmen Is Told in a New Documentary | Harvey recalls that even after establishing himself as a qualified pilot, he had to practice twice in a training plane just to prove he could fly, while white servicemen were not made to jump through that same hoop. | | | |  |
First Black Woman to Fly in the US Air Force takes Final Flight | For over 40 years, Captain Theresa Claiborne has been flying military and commercial planes, breaking barriers along the way. She made her final landing at Newark Liberty International. | | |
Phase II: Ascending to New Heights | |
We deeply appreciate the enthusiastic participation and interest from all the students who applied for the Phase 2 scholarship of the MHFP. Despite the highly competitive and challenging selection process, we are thrilled to announce that four exceptional students have been chosen. Congratulations to Anna James, Kelsy Placio, Jacob Kalema, and Alijah Sawyer! We are also excited to share that Captain Frazier has coordinated with Jeppesen to generously donate Private Pilot Flight Bags and ForeFlight Pro software for each of our Phase 2 students. | |
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Deion Hardy
We just received tremendous news that former MHF student Dion Hardy was recently promoted to Major in the United States Air Force (AF). Dion was one of our most gifted students, graduating from the Air Force Academy and now continuing as an outstanding AF officer. Keep up the great work Major Hardy.
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Traye Jackson
We recently caught up with superstar MHF grad Traye Jackson, who updated us on his progress. Traye writes:
“Hello MHF “Crew”. I've been doing good. I just got back from doing a check out flight with a new instructor at Red Tail. But other than that, I've been getting used to flying on the line for Lyon Aviation. I've been flying the 50EX since last October and the chief pilot said there will be an opening on our gulfstream fleet in the fall that I will apply for. I've been very grateful for the opportunities that I've had and how much life has changed already.”
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Celebrating Achievements & Successes | |
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Hamid Seid
We’re ever grateful for the continued support of MHF friends. During our glider flight event at Owl Canyon we were approached by their leadership team, who offered us a “FAST PLUS” scholarship for one of our students. FAST + offers the recipient three glider lessons and additional perks as well. We selected MHF student Hamid Seid to receive this opportunity.
Hamid wrote to describe his feelings about MHF: “The Mile High Flight Program has greatly helped to further fuel my passion for aviation through the tours that we went through this year and sights we saw. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in aviation, and even some who aren't, because this program can easily light a flame and passion leading to an amazing career ahead for students.”
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Roman Wilkerson
MHF student Roman Wilkerson scored an amazing success, facilitated by MHF. Roman was selected from a wide field of candidates to receive a $15,000 flight scholarship from the Wings Over the Rockys organization. The scholarship includes all necessary training and culminates with earning his Private Pilot’s License. This is a hard earned, life changing opportunity and we couldn’t be prouder of Roman for this wonderful achievement.
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Noah Underdown
We are excited to recognize outstanding long-time MHF student Noah Underdown. Noah was selected for a highly competitive Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic training program. Upon completion of his training, Noah will be a certified A&P mechanic, and will be offered employment with Frontier Airlines. Congrats to Noah, and we look forward to updates on his progress.
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High School Graduates
Congratulations to our esteemed senior class members! Your dedication, hard work, and achievements have been truly remarkable throughout your academic journey. As you prepare to embark on the next chapter of your lives, we celebrate your accomplishments and the impact you've had in our program. Here's to your bright futures ahead!
- Demarion Breaux - MSU Denver
- Jacob Kalema - MSU Denver Aerospace
- Angelina Chum - CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering
- Saul Gutierrez - CU Boulder Electrical Engineering
- Than Sar - CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering
- Noah Underdown - A&P Mechanic School
- Nizar Biyad - MSU Denver Aerospace
- Zakariah Mohamed - MSU Denver Computer Science
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Captain Darryl Searuggs
Captain Darryl Searuggs was recently honored by Denver Public Schools as Coach Mentor of The Year. Darryl is an indispensable member of the MHF “Crew”, but his influence goes well beyond our program. Darryl earned this prestigious recognition for his tireless work encouraging our youth at MLK Early College. Well done, Captain, for your invaluable contributions!
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Jack & Jill of America
On April 20, Captains Mosley and Frazier provided an enlightening tour for Jack and Jill of America students at the Lowry Wings Over the Rockies Museum. The pilots talked about their many unique experiences and enjoyed a great dialog with these young people. The organization expressed immense gratitude for this opportunity, recognizing the value it added to the students' educational experience. The captains are highly commended for taking time out of their busy schedules to inspire and educate the young minds.
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Make a Charitable Donation to the MHFP - Click Here
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