9 Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer SEEKING TO close the diversity gap in the commercial airline industry, Jamaica-born United Airlines pilot Glendon Fraser has launched the Redtail Flying Academy in upstate New York, to train young black men and women to become commercial pilots. FRASER, WHO left Jamaica at the age of eight with his parents and settled in New Rochelle in Westchester County, has been a pilot with United Airlines for the past 36 years. During that time, he said, he has seen widening diversity in the industry and has committed himself to narrowing the gap. “Redtail is an offshoot of 20 years of mentoring young men and women through the Tuskegee airmen programme,” he told The Gleaner. Fraser pointed out that students accepted at the flight academy were selected through the 53 Tuskegee airmen branches spread across the United States. Currently, six students are enrolled in the programme. They have to complete more than 2,000 flight hours, as well as instrumental training. The training programme has two Piper planes and two instructors, including Fraser, who provide the students with all the necessary training. The programme is 10 months long. Fraser said that, in 2019, he, along with others, started a programme at the Newburg Amory for second- to sixth-graders. The students were engaged in standard aviation and STEM programmes. However, the programme got a significant lift with the donation of a helicopter, which was sold and the proceeds used to start Redtail Flight Academy. “We are using Redtail to develop and expose talent. There is not enough people of colour in the aviation industry. In fact, people of colour make up less than four per cent of the industry. We are trying to change the culture as there is a significant shortage of pilots who are people of colour,” he said. Fraser pointed out that commercial pilot tuition fees run above US$100,000. Asked if he would expand the programme to include Jamaicans back home, Fraser said this would be difficult to do, given the restrictions that have been imposed since 9/11. However, he suggested that Jamaicans interested in becoming commercial pilots seek to move to the US and enrol in flight academies. “If they live in the US, it is possible to be recruited through the Tuskegee airmen programme,” he said. The six people currently in training at Redtail are all on full scholarships. However, Fraser said Redtail is considering offering half, not full, scholarships, which would free up resources to woo additional students. Redtail is pursuing partnerships to assist with funding the academy. EXCITING POSSIBILITIES Fraser said that he is excited about the possibilities that the academy offers. “We get to mentor a lot of potential black pilots, provide internships and build a reservoir of talent,” he said. According to Fraser, a lot of kids can only dream of joining the commercial aviation industry. Fraser said that he wanted to become a pilot the first time he laid eyes on an airplane. To fulfil the dreams of others, Fraser said that he is seeking to tap businesses and the private aviation sector for funding. That, in turn, will give them access to the students. The Redtail Flight Academy programme was recently featured on CBS News where two of the students were interviewed about their participation. lester.hinds@gleanerjm.com Judana Murphy/Gleaner Writer GREGORY FFOLKES developed an interest in engineering through his love for mathematics. From solving simple algebraic equations as a youngster to using engineering processes to determine the assembly of parts for space vehicle hardware and systems, his career has been built on a blend of innovation and passion. The 61-year-old Jamaican is now a senior production manager at Boeing, with more than 33 years of experience under his belt. He grew up in Spanish Town, St Catherine, with his grandparents, while his mother worked as a registered nurse in the United States. Ffolkes migrated to be with his mom when he was 10 and recalled that he experienced a bit of culture shock in Brooklyn, New York. “It was a different lifestyle, a different atmosphere in terms of the seasons, and the culture was just different overall. My Jamaican accent was very strong at the time. Over time, I met other Jamaicans who were attending the same school as I did,” he said. He thenmoved to Long Island where he completed junior high school and high school, before moving on to junior college. He spent two years pursuing general studies, with a major in mathematics. “As I was growing up, I just had a knack for mathematics. That’s where my interest in engineering and working in the technical industry developed,”he told The Gleaner. Ffolkes then enrolled in Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering in 1984. His first job out of university was at New York Telephone Company as an outside plant engineer – designing telephone network systems for business and residential areas. After a few years, he yearned to get back into the engineering field he had focused on in university – aerospace propulsion systems. The first foot in the door of what is now his illustrious career was a role at Grumman Aerospace, which built aircraft for the navy. While there, he worked on fighter planes as a flight test engineer. It was only a while before some colleagues he had met in university told him about job openings in a few space programmes. DREAM COME TRUE He was successful in his interview at Rocketdyne, a manufacturer of space shuttle main engines. “I never imagined that I would work on the space programme. I thought I’d be more involved with small airplane companies but never anything as big as this. But, when it happened, it felt like a dream come true,” he said. “That was something that was more exciting to me. I worked there from 1988 to 1997 and that was when Rocketdyne was acquired by Boeing,” Ffolkes added. In 1991, he got married to Sheila, who also worked for Boeing in the finance unit. Their union produced a daughter. Ffolkes’ job required lots of travelling to various states in the US, each of which gave him the opportunity to meet new people, build his network, and gain new experiences. Boeing covered the cost of travelling for him to be with his family every three to four weeks. His wife was sometimes able to get assignments in the same state to which he was relocated. He was awarded a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Central Florida in 1996, which positioned him to move up the ranks. Ffolkes also had a stint in an airport security programme responsible for outfitting X-ray machines for baggage following 9/11. His next post took him to Alabama at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. “I was the systems engineering senior manager for all of the programmes out of Huntsville, Alabama for space, programmes for missile defence, and other secret programmes,” he said. In 2012, he moved to New Orleans where he was instrumental in getting the factory set up and activated for the manufacture of a rocket set to launch to the moon this year. Two years later, he was promoted to senior productionmanager and then in 2020 was called to help with another space-related programme for Boeing. “It’s called the commercial crew programme that is building a space vehicle to go and dock to the international space station that’s currently orbiting. It brings astronauts back and forth and cargo or any payloads back and forth,” Ffolkes detailed. He will retire in four years and join his wife, who is already a retiree. Ffolkes is encouraging young Jamaicans to build their network and seek out mentorship. “You are the only one who has control over your destiny. There will be many obstacles and you can choose to go over themor around them, but keep your eyes on the prize,” he remarked. judana.muphy@gleanerjm.com Jamaican maths prodigy is out of this world Engineer recounts journey from Spanish Town to space engineering Gregory Ffolkes NASA Jamaica-born pilot aims to close colour gap in the skies Captain Glendon Fraser has ambitions of training more black pilots to close the diversity gap in the skies. CONTRIBUTED THE MONTHLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 14 - MARCH 16, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | PROFILE
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUzNTI=