Farilyn Hurt is, by all measures, a success story.
A recent graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a major in aerospace studies, she is a Certified Flight Instructor with multi-engine and instrument ratings. What launched a teenager from Milledgeville, Georgia, on this trajectory of achievement?
Farilyn credits her mother who, when searching for an opportunity for her to make her way in an industry she could thrive in, came across a summer camp sponsored by the Organization of Black Aviation Professionals. After a week at the camp hosted by Delta Airlines, including an orientation flight in a Boeing 737 commanded by Delta’s first black female captain, Farilyn was hooked.
Inspired by her experience in Atlanta, Farilyn was accepted into the Tuskegee Next class of 2018, which provided the training for her private pilot certificate.
Tuskegee Next is a multi-faceted program that seeks to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, while transforming the lives of at-risk youth through aviation education and career path opportunities.
The program’s flight plan is to provide role models and a clear path toward aviation careers through flight training, life skills, and educational assistance.
It was gratitude for this support that brought Farilyn to Downtown Island Airport (KDKX) in Knoxville, Tennessee, to motivate and inspire youngsters much like herself. The occasion was an EAA Young Eagles rally, sponsored by the Tuskegee Next foundation, and hosted by volunteers and pilots from EAA Chapter 17.
There’s a special reason this location was chosen. Normally, Tuskegee Next Young Eagles flights take place in the Chicago area, where the organization is based. Today is different.
Tuskegee Next Founder Steve Davis wants to give back to disadvantaged youth in his home town. Davis, who believes, “you can’t be what you can’t see,” plans to establish a branch of the program in Knoxville permanently, and today is the first giant step.
Since its founding in 2015, the program has trained nearly 60 young pilots, and the goal is 10 a year through 2025, though Davis hopes the operation will continue well beyond that.
And, he notes, the opportunities are not exclusive to African American youth.
“If they want to understand the history and patriotism of the Tuskegee Airmen, have a genuine desire to be in the aviation industry, and have a financial need — bring them in,” he says.
So on a late summer day in Tennessee, against the backdrop of a gleaming P-51D Mustang and T-6 Texan, nearly 50 youngsters were treated to a day of aviation education and Young Eagles discovery flights.
While awaiting their turns to fly, the Young Eagles were able to tour different training stations set up in the airport’s main hangar. Presentations included drone operations, flight simulation, basic principles of flight, Tuskegee Airmen history, and aviation career information. All of the stations were staffed by Tuskegee Next alumni, who served as enthusiastic mentors and role models.
Besides the eight volunteer EAA pilots, two young men, Marcellus Freeman and Emanuel Prince, each rented aircraft and flew from the Chicago area to support the event.
Marcellus is a graduate of the first Tuskegee Next class of 2015, and aspires to a career in law enforcement aviation. His enthusiasm for flight was evident to all of his young passengers.
Emanuel, though not a graduate of the Tuskegee Next program, is passionate about its mission and eager to lend a hand.
And Emanuel knows about the importance of mentorship and support to a young person starting out in aviation.
As a 16-year-old seeking a path to a better life, he was fortunate enough to find a mentor who offered him an internship at McDonald’s corporate offices. He did so well that, when he expressed an aspiration to be a pilot, he was offered a job in the McDonald’s flight department.
And yes, he was “that kid” who every day took the train to the end of the line, then walked five and a half miles, each way, to the DuPage Airport. There he went to work wiping bugs from windshields, cleaning brake dust off of wheels, servicing lavatories and, as he reflects, “paying my dues.”
His hard work was rewarded with a scholarship to an aviation college where, unable to afford flight training, he majored in aviation management. Now an assistant station manager for Southwest Airlines at Chicago’s Midway Airport, he has earned his commercial and CFI certificates, with multi-engine and instrument ratings. Like Farilyn, Emanuel feels that it is important to volunteer and give back.
Watching the dozens of tireless volunteers and throng of enthusiastic kids, an observer can only feel optimism for aviation’s future, and the future of these newest Young Eagles.
Perhaps the next Farilyn Hurt, Marcellus Freeman, or Emanuel Prince is in their midst. If Steve Davis has his way, the chances are good.