Outlaw Aviation to reorganize

Every July 4 Sisters Eagle Airport Rumble on the Runway is also the occasion to fundraise for the aviation program at Sisters High School. Interested students can get a head start on a piloting career. For many years the school’s aviation curriculum has included the opportunity for hands-on flying in partnership with Outlaw Aviation located at Eagle Airport.

The outfit is owned by Sam Monte and Walt Lasecki, both veteran military pilots. Founded in 2013, Outlaw Avaiation’s vision was to help students obtain a private pilot license while still in high school.

Following COVID, and for other reasons, Outlaw Aviation could not sustain the partnership with the school and it became more difficult and expensive for Sisters students to get actual flying experience.

Now it is planned for Outlaw Aviation to be converted to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whereby it can accept donations and seek grant funding. Proceeds from the pancake breakfast and car show registrations will be donated toward this reconfiguration, Julie Benson, Sisters Eagle Airport co-owner, told The Nugget. “We hope to acquire a light-sport plane as our first goal,” Benson said. “Light-sport aircraft (LSA) and the corresponding sport pilot certificate make flying easier, more affordable, and more accessible — not to mention fun! “The sport pilot certificate enables new pilots to learn to fly in about half the time and for as much as half the cost of previous alternatives, while existing pilots can transition to a simpler world of recreational flying that’s free from hassles and red tape,” Benson elaborated.

The LSA category encompasses a wide variety of aircraft including two-seat ultralight-type designs.