Support Captain Ariél Weiss in Rebuilding Dreams

Meet Captain Ariél Weiss, a true aviation hero on a mission to make dreams take flight in the Caribbean.

Ariél has dedicated his life to training aspiring pilots on the island of Sint Maarten. His dream is to provide affordable flight training opportunities to young talents, regardless of their background.

Ariél Weiss was born in New York in July 1967. His journey has been filled with determination and challenges. He overcame a lack of financial resources to become an FAA-certified flight instructor, teaching both prominent figures and those from modest backgrounds. His dedication even led to search and rescue missions and helping the community in the aftermath of the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake disaster. Eventually, his endeavors led him to the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin where he has been instructing and also flying for local regional airlines.

In the Caribbean, aviation is often seen as a luxury for the wealthy, and flight training costs are prohibitively high. For example where aircraft insurance in the U.S. would typically cost $800, in the Caribbean you can expect to pay $5,000. Despite these challenges, Ariél believes in giving everyone a chance to pursue their aviation dreams. However, a devastating setback struck when a hurricane destroyed his aircraft in October 2014. Legal battles and slow justice in the French system delayed the repair process. The repair project was finally started in 2022 and after 15 long months Ariél managed to restore the aircraft in 2023 using up his life savings in that process.

Unfortunately, fate had more challenges in store, leading to a forced emergency landing in the sea off the course of Nevis while flying enroute from Antigua to St. Maarten.

Now, Ariél needs our help to rebuild what was lost. He is the only FAA-certified flight instructor in St. Maarten/St. Martin and Anguilla, and the dreams of his waiting students hang in the balance. We are raising funds to help him purchase a used aircraft, already in flying condition, to avoid further delays in flight training as the experience of how difficult it is to put a plane back together in the Caribbean, let alone to find and import parts and finding consistent reliable mechanics and helpers was a major bottleneck.

Funding Breakdown:

Average of a used Piper Cherokee aircraft (controller.com): $92,667

Contingency for possible sales tax (10% assumed) : $9,267

Insurance : $5,000

Contingency for ferrying to Sint Maarten (fuel, travel & lodging, airport, etc) : $3,600

Miscellaneous and buffer : $3,500

Subtotal : $114,034

Gofundme pricing and fees estimate (2.9% +$0.30 each donation) : $4,456

Grand total: $118,490

Your generous contribution to this GoFundMe campaign will directly support Ariél in his mission to make aviation dreams a reality for aspiring aviators and the youths of the Caribbean. Let's be part of this extraordinary journey and ensure that the wings of dreams continue to soar high in the Caribbean skies.

Join us in supporting Captain Ariél Weiss and be a part of this incredible mission. Thank you for making a difference!

For those interested in seeing the longer version of Ariél's journey video see below.