100 Black Men of Greater Florida GNV's Aviation Academy soars to new heights
Aspiring young pilots and aviation enthusiasts attended a two-day academy over the weekend teaching attendees about the aviation industry.
5th Annual Aviation Academy
Hosted by 100 Black Men of Greater Florida GNV, about 80 Black youth attended the 5th Annual Aviation Academy held on Friday and Saturday. The two-day event began at Santa Fe College’s Blount Center at 401 NW Sixth St. on Friday where it featured speakers from the organization and guests.
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On Saturday, the aviation academy took place at the University Air Center at 4701 NE 40th Terrace where attendees learned how to fly a plane through flight simulators and had the opportunity to fly in a plane with flight instructors such as Clinton Cunningham, owner of a 1975 Hybo Archer plane.
“Each year we continue to grow,” said Ray McKnight, president of 100 Black Men of Greater Florida GNV. “Everything we do is not for us, but for the glory of God and to give back to the kids.”
SF College supports aviation academy
Ed Book, chief of the police department at SF College and a Gainesville city commissioner, welcomed those in attendance on behalf of Paul Broadie II, Ph. D., president of the college.
“He wanted you to know that you all inspire us,” Book said. “These events help to shape your future vision to see what you can become.”
Youth encouraged by leaders
Tina Certain, Alachua County School Board chair, gave words of encouragement to the youth.
“Believe in yourself and take advantage of this opportunity,” Certain said. “Things you may not know about opens up your mind to something you never experienced.
Certain suggested the youth read the book titled “The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream” by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt and Lisa Frazier Page.
The book tells the story of how three young men from Newark, New Jersey made a pact to become doctors despite adversity.
“Have the attitude to work hard,” Certain said. “Face every obstacle and know that you can do it. Have zeal for knowledge and read over the summer.”
McKnight thanked Jamar Hebert and Matt Bowman, co-founders of the 100 Black Men of Greater Florida GNV, for their leadership.
“Aviation is one of the most freeing fields to be a part of,” Bowman said. “It is a great career to take care of your family. These men worked really hard to make sure Black males are great in the area. We are about experience, exposure and expansion for the child in the greater Gainesville community.”
“This is amazing — we have a full house,” Hebert said. “We got it to full capacity and we want to make sure we keep it going year after year.”
Exposure leads to expanded opportunities
David Bridges, aviation academy chair, talked about how he became a pilot.
“There is no such thing as can’t,” Bridges said. “What our children see, they will be.”
Bridges said he went airplane sightseeing with his father when he was six or seven years old at the JFK airport in New York and saw the TWA (Trans World Airlines) airplane.
Fast forward years later, through hard work and determination, he was a pilot on the TWA plane flying from New York to Belgium.
“All of that happened from a trip to the airport,” Bridges said.
Bridges said he grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, and said during his career he has been working on planes during his time as a Marine and had to drive tractor trailers to get through school at the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Oklahoma.
“I was focused and determined,” Bridges said. “I’m living proof of being that knucklehead in school who grew up to be a pilot and fly around the world. You might not be the best student or the star athlete, but you can overcome any obstacle.”
Opportunities in aviation industry
Courtland Savage, co-founder of Fly for the Culture, talked about his experience as a pilot in the aviation field.
Savage said he flew airliners and fighter jets and said he was scared of heights .
“I was afraid of heights,” Savage said. “But you’re not afraid of heights, you’re afraid of falling.”
Savage said he started flying planes when he made a bet that if former president Barack Obama won his 2008 election, he would learn how to fly a plane.
“When I went up in the air, I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Savage said.
Savage said there are other jobs in the aviation field besides becoming a pilot.
There are jobs such as aircraft fuelers, avionics technician, aircraft cleaner air traffic control and others.
Family travels from Tampa to the event
Yaziria Garcia-Santiago, who attended the event for the first time with her two children, said it is important for her children to see more Black role models.
“I love it,” Garcia-Santiago said. “I love that more Black men are here to steer them in the right path and to prepare them for a better future.”
Collin Joseph and Libra Joseph attended the event and traveled from Tampa with their 13-year-old son Collin Joseph Jr.
“Us as a people, we take time to explore the ocean, but not enough about the air,” Collin Joseph Jr. said.
The couple said they took time off to travel to Gainesville.
“My wife looked it up online and my son is really into planes,” the father said.
The mother said her son was born on an Air Force base in England and that she was happy to see her son’s reaction to the event.
“For us to find an event he’s fixated about is awesome,” she said. “I love to see his expression.”
For more information about the organization, visit 100blackmenfl.org.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: 2-day aviation academy for Black youth held in Gainesville last weekend
