To strengthen aviation in the San Juan Islands by supporting pilot training and access to aircraft — including scholarships for youth to earn their Private Pilot certificate.
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Airhawks is a Washington 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to keeping general aviation thriving across the San Juan Islands.
The club began in 1994 with a simple goal: to foster interest in aviation among young people in San Juan County, with educational programs for kids from nine to eighteen. In 1999, the board chose a more direct path — focusing the club’s efforts on flight-training scholarships for island youth.
Earning a Private Pilot certificate is rigorous and challenging. Along the way, student pilots discover the practical value of what they’ve learned at home and at school — the way math, science, communication, and decision-making all come together in the cockpit. Airhawks board members provide continuous mentoring for each student throughout their training.
Many of our scholarship recipients have gone on to careers in aviation — in the military, in commercial flying, in instruction, and in medical and mercy missions — and to study at schools like Embry-Riddle and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
We don’t expect every recipient to make a career of flying. We simply hope that learning to fly enriches their skills, their confidence, and their sense of what’s possible.
Reaching that mission means supporting the infrastructure for flight training. Airhawks owns and operates aircraft within the club — used for instruction and available to members for rental — so that learning to fly never requires leaving the island.
Join a friendly, member-owned club and fly our aircraft right here at Orcas Island Airport — no off-island commute to log your hours.
Train with patient, experienced island instructors who’ll take you from a first discovery flight all the way to your Private Pilot certificate.
Lunches, fly-outs to neighboring fields, hangar gatherings, and an annual summer barbecue. As much a community as a flying club.
Two well-loved Beechcraft Sundowners, hangared at Orcas Island Airport and cared for by the members who fly them.
The club’s original Sundowner, in classic brown and cream. A steady, forgiving airplane that has carried many island students through their training.
A near-twin in club purple, and the newer addition to the line. Ready for training days close to home or longer weekend trips across the region.
Airhawks awards scholarships to help young people on Orcas Island cover part of the cost of flight training toward a Private Pilot certificate.
If you’re a student committed to learning to fly — or a parent of one — we’d love to hear from you. Reach out and we’ll walk you through how it works.
The best part of the club happens on the ground — shared meals, stories from the pattern, and a standing excuse to wander down to the field on a good-weather Saturday.
Frequent gatherings with an emphasis on continuous learning — safety topics, guest talks, and shared experience from the pattern.
Short hops to neighboring island and mainland fields for breakfast, lunch, or just the view.
Members, families, and guests gather in the hangar for the club’s biggest day of the year.
The club turns out each year for the Orcas Island Fly-In — one of the highlights of the island’s aviation calendar.
Whether you’re a licensed pilot, a curious beginner, or a parent asking about scholarships — the best first step is just to say hello.