KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A transformative initiative is taking to the skies in Kansas City, aimed at providing Black youth with aerospace education and career opportunities in aviation.
Saturday, the Bruce R. Watkins Center held a “Discover Your Path to the Flight Deck” career exploration program in collaboration with local aviation industry leaders, the Redtail Academy and the Black Aerospace Professionals.
Layla Cranston is an 18-year-old private pilot who just got her license.
“Having role models to look up to. Having these African American people, especially women that have come before me, is very important to me as a motivation and to keep me moving forward and to remind me to reach back and give as much support as I can to the next generation.”
The program seeks to inspire the next generation of pilots, engineers, and aerospace professionals through hands-on learning experiences and mentorship. They aim to serve young people aged 10-18.
Kansas City native and First Officer for United Airlines, Donald Gardner, led the event.
“My grandparents lived in the flight path of KC International Airport,” Gardner said. “And I’d sit out on their basketball court in afternoons or evenings after I got home from school and watch the airplanes land into the KC International Airport. I always wondered where they were going and what it would be like to sit in the flight deck of one of those multimillion-dollar airliners.”
Now, with 18 years of experience in the field, he’s back to encourage the next generation of aviators.
“It means the world to me,” Gardner said. “This is where I’m from. This is where I sat and looked up at airplanes every single day, wanting to be there. To come back and show the youth that they can do that too, means the world to me.”
As the program takes flight, its founders and supporters remain committed to inspiring and empowering Black youth through the promise of aviation.
The initiative stands as a beacon of hope, illustrating the boundless possibilities when determination, opportunity, and community come together in pursuit of a common goal.
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