Philanthropy
Able Flight
One of the most meaningful elements of aviation is sharing the magic of flight with others, and beginning in 2015, I found an immensely rewarding way to do just that. When I learned of a not-for-profit organization called Able Flight that enables people with disabilities, many of them military veterans, to become pilots, I arranged for the Ricci Family Foundation to team up with Purdue University and form a partnership to accelerate and expand their efforts.
We began with financial gifts via The Ricci Family Foundation and by holding a benefit at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Those efforts ultimately raised enough money to enable Able Flight to purchase a Sky Arrow L600 aircraft, outfit it with custom hand controls for those who have lost the use of their legs, to initiate flight training at Purdue.
We then funded scholarships, which enabled recipients to earn their pilot certification in 6-7 weeks. Today, nearly 100 individuals have completed the program, and some have gone on to become commercial and airline transport pilots. It’s been a massive success by any measure.
Able Flight enables people with disabilities, many of them military veterans, to become pilots
The Living Legends of Aviation &
Kiddie Hawk Air Academy
While it is fun to get dressed up in a tuxedo each January with my fellow Living Legends of Aviation for the annual awards ceremony, the event is the primary vehicle for supporting the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a 501(c) 3 organization, whose mission is to educate and inspire today’s youth and create tomorrow’s aviators.
As a baby boomer myself, our industry faces a shortage of talent as our large generation hits retirement age (something I never plan on doing). It is more important than ever to give the aviation bug to those who can turn into tomorrow’s pilots, aircraft technicians and innovators.
It is more important than ever to give the aviation bug to those who can turn into tomorrow’s pilots, aircraft technicians and innovators
University of Notre Dame
No place has been more impactful in how I approach my life than The University of Notre Dame. My ongoing involvement with the University convinced my wife Pam and me that Notre Dame genuinely makes a difference for the betterment of society, constantly championing the causes of underdogs. They not only are educators but also influencers who instill an ethos of problem-solving.
In Notre Dame, we have a trusted partner in which our $100 million unrestricted commitment through lifetime gifts and a Philanthropic Succession Partnership can help to achieve things like expanded access to the school via financial aid and continuing to solve for societal challenges through expanded research opportunities.
No place has been more impactful in how I approach my life than The University of Notre Dame
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
In the past, those interested in aviation careers have looked to the airlines and the military. However, business aviation employs more individuals than the U.S. airlines, the Air Force and the Air National Guard combined, and offers a wide range of opportunities to build challenging and fulfilling careers.
Through the Flexjet Innovation and Career Center, we hope to offer educational and training opportunities to students at one of America’s leading aeronautical academic programs while exposing them to careers in business aviation.
The partnership itself expanded in April 2024 when I was appointed to the Embry-Riddle board. After seeing the new facilities succeed and meeting some of the students in person, this latest opportunity affords me the ability to become more involved with students, faculty and stakeholders to build even more bridges between emerging talent and the business aviation industry.
It has allowed me to become more involved with students and faculty, building a stronger bridge with this new generation of aviation talent
University Hospitals
My son Austin has lived with Cystic Fibrosis since he was born, leading our family to endow the Austin Ricci Chair in Cystic Fibrosis at University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.
Overseen by Michael Konstan, MD, he was one of the seven founders of the CF Foundation’s Therapeutics Development Network. Now 91 centers strong, this network has led clinical trial participation for nearly every approved CF drug. The Austin Ricci Chair has led several of the seminal clinical trials towards the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. Due in part to these efforts, the predicted survival age of patients with CF nationwide has increased from age 30 to 50 years over the last two decades and is growing with each breakthrough.
CF is an incurable genetic condition affecting approximately 70,000 people worldwide and 32,000 people in the U.S.
The Austin Ricci Chair has led several of the seminal clinical trials towards the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis
