A program exposes Black, brown youth to aviation careers, allowing them to soar to new heights

Demetrius Harris still remembers boarding a commercial flight and being greeted by two African American pilots in the cockpit.

“There was something powerful about seeing two people that looked like me doing extraordinary things,” he says.  

That flight inspired Harris to follow a lifelong dream of becoming a professional pilot. Today, he's a contract pilot for a private owner, flying Gulfstream GIV and Hawker 800XP aircraft. And he's passing his knowledge on. 

Harris,  along with a group of Black aviation professionals and aircraft mechanics, formed Fly Compton Aeronautical Education Foundation Inc. (FCAEF) in 2020 to train young Black and brown pilots.

“I wanted to do for minority youth in South Los Angeles what those two African American pilots did for me,” Harris says.

The nine-month flight training program for students ages 8 to 18 uses an FAA-approved curriculum for flight schools and university aviation departments, and incorporates real-world scenarios and examples so students will discover the why and how of aeronautical concepts – not just the facts needed to pass a test, Harris says.

“People of color make up less than 3% of all aircraft pilots and flight engineers in the aviation industry,” Harris says. The high cost of training and lack of exposure and access to resources are the main reasons for the low numbers, he says. 

"Our mission is to introduce Black and Brown youth in and around the Compton, California, community to the aviation industry and the many opportunities that it can afford them while also contributing to the diversification of an industry that has long been exclusive to individuals of a higher economic status,” he says. 

Preparing to fly: A logbook, a computer and lessons on a Cessna

The Saturday program alternates between on-site airport and Zoom classes. When students enroll, they receive a pilot kit that includes a logbook, photo ID, syllabus, flight computer and COVID-19 kit.

A rewards program provides additional flight time, plus aviator gifts and apparel.

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Students fly one of two aircraft: a Cessna 172N called “Kim” or a Piper Cherokee named “Billie Jean." At age 15, they are eligible to graduate to a more accelerated program that allots an extra 2 hours of ground and flying time and an opportunity to continue to pursue their aviation career with private lessons from a certified flight instructor.

There is also a Birthday Club, community cleanup events, one-on-one mentoring and an annual Air Fair and Aviation Day.

“Our overall goal is to get students to the point where they can fly the airplane solo,'' Harris says. "By the time that happens, the students would have accumulated approximately 20 hours of logged flight time. We encourage all students to complete the written test for their private pilot license by the age of 16.” 

The cost of the 9-month program is $125 with an additional $25 monthly fee. But financial assistance and scholarships are available for those students who are eligible to receive their private pilot license, says co-founder Ronnel Norman, a 20-year aviation industry veteran and first officer with Alaska Airlines.

A mission to change lives 

Working with young people is an important mission for the program's founders. 

“I have a fascination for working with youth from our neighborhoods and helping to change the trajectory of their lives,” says group co-founder Mike Sherrill, a 767 first officer with FedEx, who adds that he accomplished multiple career goals with the help of friends and mentors he met at Compton Airport.

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 Jonathan Strickland  has set several records at the airport where he now is a mentor alongside Sherrill.

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Strickland’s interest in aviation was piqued as a teen after his parents gave him a flight simulator game. He went on to become the youngest person to fly a helicopter and an airplane on the same day and the youngest to fly a helicopter internationally round-trip.