Flight Club 502

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
812565221
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2018, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Louisville, KY, USA
Phone
5026480911
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,728,849
Expenses
$1,187,398
Assets
$2,191,962
Liabilities
$34,433

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

People named in this filing

  • LAURA BENSON JONES (DIRECTOR)
  • CLYDE ENSOR (CHAIRMAN)
  • JIM YONTS (DIRECTOR)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The organization promotes the empowerment of our youth, by correlating stem (science, technology, engineering and math) and practical living lessons and by teaching responsibility, entrepreneurship, creative thinking and by incorporating patriotic values with learning to fly, and by introducing aviation to younger students through summer flight camps and after school programs.

What it reported doing in 2025

Summer camp and after school program: this program provides flight club 502's core youth development, aviation education, leadership, and member engagement programs. Through year-round activities including new member classes, youth officer leadership development, ground school, guest speaker presentations, member events, community outreach initiatives, and signature organizational events, the department connects youth and families with aviation, stem, and career exploration opportunities. The department also administers junior flight club, summer camps, and fridays at flight club, serving youth ages 8-18 through hands-on aviation experiences, educational programming, mentorship, and leadership development. In addition, the department coordinates partnerships with educational institutions, industry organizations, military and aerospace professionals, and community groups to expand access to stem learning, aviation experiences, career exploration, and workforce development opportunities for youth throughout the region.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 53
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 49%; rating input score 49
  • Program expense ratio: 71%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 31.3%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.85; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 25.3% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 31.3% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 32.7% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 49% of revenue deployed · 71% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $843K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 49/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.