The Bronze Eagles Connection

The founder of the Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club (RTH), Jesse D. Hayes IV, grew up in our sister BPA chapter the Bronze Eagles Flying Club, TX. Mentored by Bronze Eagles since 1968, Hayes’ fruitful aerospace career and passion for the BPA mission are rooted in those early seed-planting experiences.

The legacy extends from the Houston-based Sky Ranch Flying Service, founded in 1946 by pilots who were original “Tuskegee Airmen” long before the term was coined. In 1967, Jesse D. Hayes, Jr. MD teamed with those three Tuskegee Airmen and another private pilot to form the Bronze Eagles Flying Club (BEFC). For over a half-century, the BEFC has been a leading organization in NAI and BPA. After a career in the USAF, Jesse D. Hayes IV served as the BEFC Waco, TX Region leader.

It was in Waco, TX where Hayes proved the program concepts implemented in the RTH Youth Program and RTH Aviation Day Camp. From 2010-2014, Hayes led bi-monthly youth program meetings at McGregor Airport and founded the Waco Youth Fly-In (WYFI) at the Texas State Technical College.