dib20307 Aviation - OBAP Hosts Fundraiser for Scholarships

This article originally appeared in the July 2003 edition of diversityinbusiness.com

by Dan Perkins

Okay, here's a joke: There is this comedian from Cabrini Green, the notorious housing project on Chicago's near North Side - the one that was the setting for the 1970's television sitcom, Good Times - you know the one. Anyway, the show begins and this comedian comes out and suddenly realizes he has to be funny in front a room full of pilots, their wives and dates, and a host of other people who are clearly not from the Cabrini Green or the hood. Hip hop and ghetto jokes are only going to go so far with a crowd that is clearly old school. What does the comedian do? Panic or steal the show?

Panic was clearly not an option for the real life comedian who found himself in that situation last month. For the comedian, who performs under the name Dosman, jokes are serious business.

Sensing that he was performing in front of a "different" crowd, Dosman decided to take charge. He ordered people in the back of the room to fill up the few empty seats in front, and then he proceeded to tell a series of hilarious jokes about dating (or trying to get dates), marriage, and dealing with today's spoiled kids. He finished with an outrageously funny tale about the time he discovered his girlfriend's toilet didn't flush.

Everyone, including the pilots, broke into hysterical laughter as Dosman recalled how he lied to both his girlfriend and her mother after the mother demanded to know who had clogged her toilet.

Perhaps we are all still kids at heart when it comes to embarrassing bathroom moments, but there was no doubt as to whether Dosman had scored with the audience. His performance was part of a great evening that included tours of the DuSable Museum of African American History, dinner and dancing.

The evening was fun, but it had a serious purpose, namely, to help raise funds for scholarships offered by the Organization of Black Airline Pilots to members who aspire to careers in commercial aviation.

The event was organized by Michael Askew, a pilot and OBAP member; and the mix of activities represents an exciting new direction that many Black professional organizations are taking to increase awareness of their services within the community while expanding their funding base. The idea of mixing comedy, culture and fundraising made for a perfect Saturday evening in June.

During the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to meet Jeff Lane, Regional Vice President of OBAP's Midwest Region, and a pilot with Northwest Airlines. Lane flies out of Detroit's Metro Airport, and he had come to Chicago to show support for the fundraiser. I talked with him at length about the organization and its efforts to increase the number of Black and minority pilots flying for major commercial airlines. Below is my interview with Jeff Lane.

One on One with Jeff Lane

I asked Jeff Lane a series of questions to better understand OBAP's role in educating young people about careers in aviation and ways OBAP assists its members in becoming pilots within the industry. Below are my questions and his answers.

Part 1: Educating Educators and Young People

dib: Tell me about OBAP's outreach initiative designed to help increase awareness among young people about careers in aviation?

JL: We have a program called The Pilots in Schools Program. Through this program, we send pilots out to speak to schools and educators. We often speak just to educators - guidance counselors and teachers - and explain to them what we do and give them resources that they can pass on to young people.

dib: Can educators request that OBAP members come to their schools and talk to their students about aviation?

JL: Yes. Matter of fact, we encourage it. We would like for the educator to schedule a time when we can talk with a group of students. We can better concentrate our efforts in a group setting. Some students are interested in aviation, but are afraid to ask questions. When they are in a group setting, they can hear the questions other students ask and they can benefit from the answers that are given.

dib: Is OBAP a national organization and does this outreach initiative extend nationwide?

JL: We are national and we even have members in Caribbean nations and beyond. We are organized into regions and Chicago is part of the Midwest Region. I am the Midwest Regional Vice President and have responsibility for 14 states, which stretch from West Virginia to North and South Dakota. Our Southeast Region includes the Bahamas and some of the others Caribbean Islands. We're mainly a domestic organization, but we have an international flavor. We have pilots who fly for Japan Airlines, so we stretch all over.

dib: Then it's possible for an educator in any state to have an OBAP member come to their school and talk to the students about aviation?

JL: Absolutely. If an educator is interested, they can go to our website at www.obap.org. There's a map there that shows all the states in the country and it shows which region they are in. There's contact information for each one of the regional vice presidents. If the educator contacts the regional vice president, that regional vice president will try to get an OBAP member in that state to come to the educator's school.

dib: Is the focus of OBAP's outreach to educate students about opportunities for commercial pilots or is it to expose the students to a broad array of careers in aviation?

JL: Generally, our focus is on careers in aviation. We will help young people understand the field whether they want to be a commercial pilot or just a private pilot. Obviously, we feel very strongly about commercial aviation and we would like to see more young people in commercial aviation, and more as commercial airline pilots.

When I talk to young people, I liken the field of aviation to professional sports. When a young person tells me he or she wants to be a professional ballplayer, I explain to them that there are only so many teams, and so many players per team. I tell them that if they are not among the top 300 to 400 people, they are not going to make it; and the same thing holds true for aviation. It is a very competitive field; but if you have the right education, the right connections and the right attitude, you can break in. I tell them that it's easier to break into aviation than it is to break into the NBA or the NFL. We feel OBAP offers the right connection for those who want to pursue a career in aviation.

dib: With all the uncertainty in the commercial aviation industry, following September 11th, is commercial aviation still a viable career option for a young person?

JL: By all means, yes. The airline industry is very cyclical. There are times when we're on top of the world, and there are times when there are furloughs and hard times. The bottom line is people are going to fly in this country. Americans - and the whole world - have gotten use to the conveniences of aviation. When the economy is down, people don't fly as much, but when the economy rolls around - and we know it's going to roll around - people are going to start to fly again. The airlines are going to respond by putting more airplanes in the sky, but they can't do that unless there are pilots available to fly. We want our people in positions to take advantage of that turnaround.

Part 2: Assisting OBAP Members

dib: Is OBAP an organization that a young person can join if he or she has an interest in aviation?

JL: Absolutely. We have pilots who serve as mentors. They can talk one-on-one with a young person and tell that person what he or she needs to do to pursue a career in aviation. We can tell a young person what aviation is all about - the good, the bad, the pitfalls as we as all the great things. We can tell them how to go from zero flying time, no experience, all the way through to becoming a 747 captain at a major airline, making a lot of money.

dib: Does OBAP include pilots who fly for the commercial freight companies?

JL: Absolutely. Our national president is a UPS pilot. We have pilots who fly for cargo carriers, passenger carriers and international carriers.

dib: Does OBAP assist individuals who are presently in the military and want to transition into commercial aviation?

JL: We have a lot of associate members who are pilots in the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines. We also have enlisted personnel who are associate members. Through their experience in the military, they recognize aviation as a good thing. Although they can't crack into the private sector while they're in the military, they know that by associating with and participating in OBAP, they can ready themselves for an aviation career in the private sector, even though they are not flying in the military.

dib: Okay, give me the bottom line. What would you like the community to know about OBAP?

JL: OBAP has good relationships with all of the major airlines. They donate money to us and provide a lot of assets and resources to us because of our reputation and what we do in the community. We have friends in the board rooms of many of the major airlines. If a member is interested in aviation, we have and know people who can help them get into positions where they can be hired. Bottomline: OBAP helps position a lot of young people from different backgrounds to assume careers in aviation.

dib: Thanks, Jeff. Good luck to you and OBAP.

The End

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