Vision & Mission

By 2030, the aviation industry will need:

• over 30,000 new pilots in the U.S. and over 250,000 new pilots globally
• over 130,000 new aviation mechanics in the U.S. and over 400,000 new AMTs globally
• over 24,000 new Air Traffic Controllers in the United States alone, and
• over 3,800 aerospace engineers

If it can’t attract a pool of talent from all areas of society to fill those jobs by 2030, the pace of retirements in all aviation industry sectors will stall the industry, possibly irreparably. To assist in that endeavor, it is the

VISION

of the Victor Kilo fund to employ creative and innovative fundraising solutions to

• Ignite interest in aviation and aerospace careers
• Develop tomorrow’s aviation and aerospace leaders and
• Provide opportunities for all ages and backgrounds of people willing to learn resilience, develop tenacity and put in the hard work to become highly skilled aviation and aerospace professionals.

That vision first appeared after JJ watched a Ron Mott NBC News report on  Eagle Flight Squadron  out of East Orange, NJ.

“I wondered how I could help them. It took a minute, but it finally sunk in that I could use my skills to write a book and sell it, with all the proceeds going to buy Eagle Flight Squadron an airplane. That’s when the idea of curating the best of my “Human Factors” columns into YIKES! 100 Smart Pilots and the Dumb Things They Did Yet Lived to Tell About ‘Em” came into focus.

It took a few years to have published enough columns to be able to pick the best of the best. While crafting his columns, JJ realized five things:

1.) Donating an airplane wasn’t the best idea. After all, it could only be used for flight instruction when weather conditions were ideal for the student.

2.) Buying a full motion flight simulator was the best idea because the ones used in General Aviation now were so technologically advanced they rivaled the detail and feel of those used by the airline industry

3.) Full motion sims could be used any time of day or night, in any kind of weather plus

4.) The FAA recently increased the number of hours a pilot can log in full motion flight simulators towards their licenses, and

5.) The cost to buy one was now less than the cost of a new GA trainer, making a sim over a plane a no-brainer!

That’s when his vision, through Victor Kilo Fund, evolved into its

MISSION

To provide equipment, scholarships, education and programs to support diverse, under-resourced populations, individuals, inclusive aviation and aerospace-focused groups and STEM organizations seeking to launch and sustain careers in the aviation industry. Specifically to provide equipment to under-resourced flight schools, Civil Air Patrol squadrons, and other STEM organizations in under-represented communities.

CURRENT PLAN and INAUGURAL CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Write and publish YIKES! 100 Smart Pilots and the Dumb Things They Did Yet Lived to Tell About ‘Em”. Then connect with and engage in strategic partnerships with at least one hundred aviation/aerospace training and STEM organizations focusing helping under-resourced individuals in under-served communities seeking careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. Rally those strategic partners around supporting a wide-reaching campaign to spark interest creating sufficient positive momentum around the book such that at least one million copies are sold by December 2026.

The proceeds of those sales will go to purchase Redbird full motion flight simulators or to provide $50,000 scholarships for eligible, under-resourced individuals, flight schools and Civil Air Patrol squadrons in under served communities, regardless of age or background. Additional proceeds will also go toward providing fiscal support to the aforementioned aviation/aerospace training and STEM organization’s strategic partners.