Our Mission
The Importance of Accessible Aviation
The airplane flies, for there are individuals who appreciate the beauty of flight; individuals who, through an intense culmination of various literature, training, and flight hours, gain an awareness of the machine that carries hundreds of millions of people around the Earth.
Unfortunately, it seems that the number of those professionally trained to fly aircraft is dwindling, and the number only grows more.
Why?
There are a variety of factors, but as best explained by Danny Perna, founder of Epic Flight Academy, the problem is "not a pilot shortage" but rather a shortage of "funding or finance... the inability for young people to be able to afford training."
Aviation is expensive! Receiving a private-pilot certificate can incur costs upwards to $10,000, and the culmination of flight training towards becoming an airline pilot can incur costs of over $70,000! Students are at a disadvantage when it comes to paying for aviation, as banks are no longer to make loans for the training.
What is the Solution?
The solution is to combine our efforts in making aviation education much more accessible to the common population. This is what Learn From the Ground Up aims to do.
We aim to deliver free airman knowledge to a variety of target audiences so that YOU - whether an interested student or an aspiring aviator - can learn accessible aviation material.
We have partnered with Heart of Virginia Aviation and its flight school manager to deliver broad options to you. We have created both theoretical-knowledge and pilot-practical knowledge courses for you to explore and enjoy.
Our Mission
Simply said, our mission is to spread the love of aviation. For those aspiring pilots out there, we hope that our online course curriculum will expose you to ground school material, and in turn, prepare you for it. For those new or interested in aviation, we have courses dedicated to explaining the very basic fundamentals of flight, its applications, and of course, how FUN it is!
Furthermore, we have provided a variety of local current aviation events and resources for new, young aviators who are just getting started. Take a trip to your local county/municipal airport, and you'll find many friendly faces who would love to talk to you about the opportunities in aviation!
Note that you don't need prior experience to learn from our courses! If you're here to learning the very basics, we have modules for you to explore and learn from from!
Our Team
Rishi Patel: Founder and Developer of Learn From the Ground Up. Rishi attends Virginia Tech and is an aspiring aviation professional majoring in Aerospace Engineering, while also studying Astronomy & Mathematics. If you have any questions about course content, please contact Rishi at [email protected].
Wayne Bullock: CFII, ATP, MEI & Flight School Manager of Heart of Virginia Aviation