Projects & Ways to Help

AMCAI is the nonprofit that supports youth and wider community STEM opportunities in South Florida. We are not a school. Our educational partner is American High School Academy (AHSA), established in 2003, currently Cognia®-accredited, and a 2025–2026 Everglades Champion School.

Below are the projects our students are working on and the specific things each one needs. If your business is clearing serviceable stock, repowering a boat, or upgrading a hangar, this page is the list.

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity should be, too.
Why these projects exist, and what a contribution actually changes. Read the feature →

Where we stand today: AMCAI has received a 1947 Navion — a substantial gift, and the centerpiece of our restoration program. It is not airworthy, and returning it to flying condition is a multi-year student rebuild. We are separately seeking a usable training aircraft, compatible outboard support for the Sea Fox, and additional sponsors. Student flight and on-water operations remain subject to readiness and approved arrangements.

1. Flying STEM Lab — aircraft partner needed

Students learn aircraft systems, principles of flight, simulation and maintenance concepts as part of the student pilot pathway. What they do not have is an aircraft of their own to learn on.

We are seeking a donated usable two- or four-seat trainer — Cessna 150, 152 or 172, Piper PA-28, Diamond DA20 or DA40, Cirrus or comparable — or sponsorship to acquire and prepare one. Condition, mission fit, operating cost and qualified review matter more to us than model. An airframe that is tired for commercial work can still be an outstanding teaching platform.

Aircraft ownership and student flight operations are not yet secured.

What this project needs

• A donated four-seat trainer, or sponsorship toward acquiring one
• Donated discovery flights for students
• Qualified aviation mentors
• Inspection support
• Operating sponsorship

2. AMCAI–AHSA Ultralight Cross-Country Challenge — proposed project

A student-led project covering engineering, aircraft preparation, weather and route planning, ground logistics and technical storytelling, guided by experienced educators and aviation professionals. Students plan to produce a documentary and podcast alongside it: build updates, mentor interviews and engineering explanations in their own words.

A single-seat Part 103 vehicle supports this hands-on lab. It does not replace the dual-instruction trainer above.

The cross-country flight is a proposed later milestone, subject to an approved operating plan, a suitable aircraft, pilot arrangements and applicable requirements. We are not announcing student flights, a route, a record attempt or a launch date.

What this project needs

• A donated Part 103 ultralight, suitable demonstrator, or a complete or partial kit
• Engine and components, tools
• Transport and storage support
• Project funding
• For the documentary and podcast: cameras, microphones, audio recorders and interfaces, headphones, editing computers and storage

3. Floating STEM Lab — engine first

A donated Sea Fox 217 — a 21-foot open fisherman center console — is the foundation of this project. Installation, mechanics and maintenance are all part of the supervised STEM learning, not just a means to an end.

Once ready, it connects students to Biscayne Bay, the Keys and the Everglades: conservation, marine science, debris monitoring and restoration learning.

Actual on-water operations await readiness.

What this project needs

• A compatible 150–200 HP outboard, new or serviceable refurbished, supplied with controls, rigging and propeller where possible. 200 HP is the current campaign maximum.
• Compatible rigging, controls and gauges
• GPS / chartplotter and marine communications equipment
• Required safety equipment
• Water-quality and underwater monitoring equipment
• Tools

Before we can accept an engine

So nobody wastes a trip: before accepting a donated or sponsored outboard we verify the boat’s title and HIN, the capacity plate, the required shaft length, the engine weight against the transom rating, and rigging and control compatibility. An engine that fails any of those is not usable on this hull, however generous the offer. If you are considering a donation, tell us the make, model, year, horsepower, shaft length and condition and we will check the fit before anyone moves anything.

4. Student outdoor and conservation equipment

Equipment held in common and used by supervised student groups for shoreline, paddling and marine-science activity.

• Kayaks and paddles
• Correctly sized flotation equipment
• Snorkelling equipment
• Reusable cleanup supplies
• Fishing-learning equipment
• Safe storage

5. Innovation and emerging-technology lab

Tools that let students design and build their own aviation and maritime learning equipment.

• Laptops
• 3D printers and consumables
• Drones
• Robotics and rocketry kits
• Electronics, sensors and tools

Suitable working refurbished equipment is welcome, subject to compatibility and condition review.

6. Code Club — supported by the Raspberry Pi Foundation

AMCAI’s Code Club programme gives young people a place to learn to program. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has agreed to support two Code Clubs run through AMCAI.

• Serviceable desktop or laptop computers for club sessions
• Raspberry Pi boards, accessories and peripherals
• Volunteer mentors who can code and can commit to a regular session

Suitable working refurbished computers are welcome, subject to compatibility and condition review.

7. Science lab equipment — a dissection for 70 students

Help complete a science activity for 70 kids. We already have cow-eye specimens for a student dissection and are seeking help with the remaining lab equipment.

Donated supplies, suitable equipment loans, or introductions to a science partner are welcome. Contact admin@amcai.org for the current equipment list and quantities before arranging a contribution.

Help preserve a 1947 Navion and teach the next generation of aviation professionals

A 1947 Navion has been donated to AMCAI, and we are keeping it. Rather than selling it on, we are restoring it as a supervised student learning project — the kind of work where a teenager learns to read a maintenance manual, handle a control surface, and document what they did and why.

Our immediate objectives are a professional condition assessment and a phased, costed restoration plan built around supervised student tasks. We are not promising a flight date or a guaranteed return to service. Our first milestone is specific: we are looking for a Navion-experienced A&P/IA willing to carry out a condition assessment and help shape a phased plan.

Ways to take part

• Lead restoration sponsor — underwrite the assessment and an agreed, costed restoration phase.
• Shop partner — qualified technical oversight, assessment time, and donated or sponsored labor.
• Parts and tools partner — suitable documented components, manuals, tools and safety equipment.
• Student learning sponsor — instruction, supervised workshops and project documentation.
• Community supporter — any contribution is welcome. Even $1 helps.

Recognition for sponsors may include acknowledgment on the project page, workshop signage, and student-produced progress stories — discussed and agreed in advance, with appropriate permissions.

How to take part

Donate equipment. Tell us the item and model, its condition and location, how complete it is, and how to reach you. Use our contact form and choose “Donating equipment or an aircraft”. This starts a conversation — it is an inquiry, not automatic acceptance, since compatibility and condition matter.

Become a sponsor. Cash, equipment, services or employee mentoring, directed to whichever project you choose. Email admin@amcai.org.

Volunteer, or introduce us to a donor. See volunteering, or simply make an introduction — several items above came from conversations that started with someone saying they probably had nothing we could use.

Give financially. Use our donation page. Please note: our online checkout cannot currently record which project you want your gift to support. If you are giving toward a specific project, email admin@amcai.org and we will record the designation properly rather than leave it to guesswork.

American Center for Aviation Innovation, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 99-2049468. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law; your eligibility and the value of any benefits you receive can affect deductibility, so please consult your own adviser. Read more about our status and financial oversight.

Our educational partner, American High School Academy, reports over 500 students enrolled, 88% of them economically disadvantaged — figures that describe the school’s programs as a whole, not any single project on this page.