Pilots for the Future
Col King and Student
How Colonel Raymond King Transformed a Georgia High School that will Change the World
By Annamarie Buonocore
Here at In Flight USA, we are well aware of the pilot shortages and the concerns for the future of general and commercial aviation. While we saw some relief during the pandemic, the pilot shortage came roaring back with a vengeance, and we must ask ourselves how we can get more talented youth into aviation. Some of the reasons people opt out of aviation careers include expense barriers, fears, or ideas that aviation is a “good ‘ol boys club.” While there is nothing wrong with being a good ‘ol boy, we are all aware that aviation has expanded to underserved groups and needs to continue to do so. Our future depends on it. It is important that we get more women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals flying. One colonel in Georgia is working with a local high school district and their ROTC program to make this happen.
On a recent trip from Arizona to Georgia, our colleague Jaime J. of the DigitalDesign LLC. met with Colonel Raymond King, originally from Leavenworth, Kansas, and toured the simulator center that he has set up for these inspiring young people to learn how to fly. Jaime travels all over the world and builds warbird replicas for institutions, schools, and museums. He was impressed with the colonel’s work and reported to In Flight USA that this story had to be told. “I sure wish this had been around when I was a kid… I’d a jumped in with both feet,” said Jaime. So, we called the colonel to get his exciting story.
The story began like many, with a dream. “I wanted to provide a good program for the kids so that they didn’t have to step in a lot of the potholes and experience the same prejudices in flying that I had to go through,” said King. The colonel himself is a Black man who came from a disadvantaged background. He was fascinated with flying from the time he was young. After serving in the military, he excelled in his career and did well. He knows first hand how great a career in aviation can be. He got back to his roots and began working with the Georgia public high schools. The first school on board was Morrow High School in Ellenwood.
“We have 16 kids in our program. They are all part of JROTC. It is a very rigorous program that includes ground school, flight instruction on a simulator and a Cessna 172, and additional education in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Thanks to a partnership with that Brock Foundation and its founder Omar Brock, the students have access to a lab full of simulators and flight training devices as well as Cessna 172s. While many of the students aspire to have military careers, that is certainly not the only option. “This is by no means a military recruiting program. We want to help these kids have aviation and STEM careers. More importantly, we want them to enjoy flying for the rest of their lives.” The program has not only helped youth stay on track but has helped their families as well with career and college guidance. It is rather empowering that the program is not only helping youth in their education and bringing them into aviation but keeping them on a good track to live a healthy lifestyle as well.
When asked where the colonel sees the program in a couple of years, he happily responded, “I hope we’re around for 50+ years!” In addition to traditional flight training, the program also offers drone and aircraft mechanic training, and we all know what a significant need we have for the latter. Students are learning important problem-solving and critical thinking skills that will help them in any career path they choose. That is the huge gift in this program, the choices. Of course, the colonel hopes to expand the program throughout the state of Georgia and into other states as well.
Right now, the program is so new that they don’t even have a website up, but students in Georgia can learn more about it through their local JROTC program. Perhaps one of the most inspiring parts of education is seeing a model that makes one dream big. If you have ever visited the Statue of Liberty or the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, you know the feeling of looking up to something bigger than yourself and feeling inspired and motivated to live up to the value of whatever the monument represents. That is why it is so important to have statues and monuments of aircraft. Statues of warbirds like the P-51 Mustang help us remember our history and heritage and inspire us to keep flying and doing it well. The P-51 Mustang represents the “Legacy of the Black Pioneers” of aviation that made it possible for us to fly. The goal of our students is to continue that journey. That is where Jaime J. comes in at the Digital Design LLC. He is working with educational organizations like this and the US Naval Academy to build aviation wonders and inspire more people. More information can be found at www.digitaldesignllc.com.
