pilots and other rotary aviation people we bring out, and to check out the helicopters. For most of our kids, it’s the first time they’ve ever seen a helicopter up close or thought about possibly flying or working with helicopters.
Have you seen any positive results? Yes, a little. And it’s growing. Just this year we were able, with the support of Airbus Helicopters, to provide two full scholar- ships for students to go to Airbus’s facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, and get their type ratings there in an Airbus helicopter. That was generous of Airbus. Those two scholarship slots were filled within a week of our first announcing their availability, so demand was surprisingly high. There are lots of opportunities in the rotary world between the military, police, medical, and offshore operators. And I now have more and more students coming to me who are interested in helicopters.
Are there still barriers for minority kids trying to get into aviation? Definitely. Aviation is something minority kids usually don’t think much about. And even if they do, they don’t know how to be involved in it. That’s why we started the APIS pro- gram: to introduce elementary kids to the idea that there’s this whole big field that they’ve never thought about before in which they can, if they put their minds to it, build a very nice career.
But getting that career isn’t easy, and it’s not cheap. Once students get serious about it and dis- cover that becoming a pilot is going to cost $150,000, OBAP is here to help them think through the options. Are there ways to help them pay for it? Do they want to start look- ing at working in management instead of flying? Things like that. And that’s really our No. 2 focus: mentorship. We talk with them about their
options: going into the military sector, the cargo sector, aerial survey work, flying for police departments or medical operators, or engineering or management. OBAP is here to open their eyes to all the possibili- ties and opportunities available to them in the aviation world. At the end of the day, it’s important to
black students—especially those who don’t see others like them doing this, who begin thinking that maybe there’s not a place for
them in this world—to see that there are people who do look and speak like them who are doing it. That communicates that they can do it too.
Not long ago, 80% of our students who entered college aviation programs wanted to be pilots. Now the split is about 60/40, with about 40% of them looking to become engineers, executives, or air traffic controllers or to get some other challeng- ing and good-paying jobs in aviation.
OBAP Outreach to Minority Youth OBAP has four primary initiatives aimed at encouraging minority participation in
aviation careers. Learn more or get involved at
obap.org.
School Events. OBAP volunteers visit with about 60,000 students during each school year through the Aerospace Professionals in School (APIS) program. APIS has materials designed for all ages, ranging from a basic introduction to aviation for children ages 6–10, often with a helicopter landing on the school’s playground as the “wow” moment of the visit, to more in-depth education on aviation and related careers aimed at middle-schoolers. The high school curriculum includes mentoring students and extracurricular programs on conflict and time management and decision-making skills.
Summer Programs. Working closely with the FAA, OBAP conducts about 30 or so weeklong Aerospace Career Education (ACE) Academies around the United States. To date more than 30,000 minority middle and high school students have attended. Topics range from the fundamentals of aerodynamics to aerospace careers. In addi- tion, around 20 students ages 16–19 each year attend OBAP’s Solo Flight Academy. In this two-week program, students receive 40 hours of ground school and at least 10 hours of flight time. Once they meet FAA requirements, they’re cleared to solo.
Professional Training. The Luke Weathers Jr. Flight Academy, named for the first black air traffic controller for the FAA, offers Part 141 and Part 61 flight training to students from local schools in the Memphis, Tennessee, area. The program is designed to take students from zero time to the airline hiring minimum of 1,500 hours in two to three years.
Scholarships and Mentoring. Each year OBAP helps several dozen black or other minority students attend colleges with professional aviation degree programs, providing scholarships and personal mentoring from OBAP members. Through its Aerospace Professional Development Program, OBAP helps coach around 4,000 mostly minority young adults seeking or already holding jobs in the industry. Participants receive coaching on subjects such as job interview techniques and career planning as well as personal mentoring from OBAP members in defining their career goals and staying on track to reach those goals.
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