dib20410 - People on the Move in Aviation

This article originally appeared in the October 2004 edition of diversityinbusiness.com

by Dan Perkins

The motto of the Organization of Black Airline Pilots (OBAP) is “Raising Horizons,” and that is something that its newly elected president, Captain Karl Minter is committed to doing even better during his term in office. diversityinbusiness.com was eager to learn more about this unique organization and the man who will be leading it through what everyone agrees are challenging times ahead.

Meeting a Critical Need

The need for an organization to serve the needs of African Americans who aspired to get into commercial aviation was recognized as early as 1963 when domestic airlines first began hiring Black pilots.

The airlines showed little interest in hiring African Americans prior to 1963, but in a landmark case that year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the airlines could not deny employment to qualified pilots who happened to be Black. That year, Marlon Greene became the first Black hired by a major U.S. passenger airline (Continental). Please see our article on Continental Airlines.

Despite the ruling, the number of Black pilots hired by U.S. carriers remained “appallingly” small. In 1976, Benjamin Thomas, a Black airline pilot with Eastern Airlines decided to establish the Organization of Black Airline Pilots. That year, the organization held its first meeting in Chicago on September 17 and 18. The meeting was attended by 37 of the approximately 80 Black pilots employed by the industry at that time.

Thomas’ idea was to establish an organization that would advance and enhance the participation of Blacks and other minorities in the aviation industry, especially pilots. Thomas also encouraged the organization to place a high priority on preparing young people to pursue career opportunities within the aviation field.

Other Black aviation-oriented organizations, such as the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. and Black Wings in Aviation were actively educating minority youth about opportunities in aviation, but OBAP had the unique ability to offer young people the opportunity to establish relationships with professional pilots of color.

OBAP has also been effective in drawing attention to the poor hiring record of domestic airlines relative to hiring of African Americans pilots. While there were approximately 80 Black pilots employed by the nation’s passenger airlines and freight carriers in 1976, by 1986, that number had risen to nearly 400. Today, OBAP reports that there are more than 670, including at least 14 black female pilots.

Despite the notable improvements, the future of the industry and Black participation within the industry remains uncertain. The generation of Black pilots hired during the 1960’s has begun to reach mandatory retirement age, and the military, which has traditionally supplied experienced Black pilots to domestic carriers has been downsizing. These two trends combine to challenge many of the gains achieved over the last twenty years.

Undaunted by the challenges, OBAP continues to play a vital role in advancing African American employment and promotion within the aviation field. The organization offers three core programs that contribute to Black participation within the industry: The Aviation Career Enhancement (ACE) Program; the Professional Pilot Development Program and the Type Rating Scholarship Program.

Consistent with its mission, a considerable portion of OBAP’s activities seek to increase the numbers of minority youth drawn to aviation and to expanding the opportunities available for them to succeed. To this end, OBAP offers the Summer Ace Academy Program, which gives young people ages 13 to 18 a positive introduction to the field. During the four-day program, participants engage a range of activities including model aircraft building, trips to aviation museums and Air Traffic Control facilities, and aircraft orientation flights – both powered and glider aircraft. The program is offered in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees.

OBAP has also established a scholarship fund to promote aviation education and training. The scholarships are funded through fundraising activities and voluntary contributions. One of the scholarships sends students to a two-week summer flight academy that offers intense aviation education, discipline, and flying. The students get approximately ten hours of flying time and most of them solo. To date, the organization has raised over $1 million for programs that empower youth.

OBAP is directed by a seven member board and has seasoned aviators serving as its president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and committee heads. OBAP is structured around five distinct geographic regions - each with its own vice-president who oversees the administration of OBAP activities within his or her respective region.

In August 2004, at the organization’s annual conference, the members elected Captain Karl Minter as President and CEO of OBAP. It is a position and responsibility that Minter seems well suited for.

About Captain Minter

Captain Minter is Flight Manager, for United Airlines and rated to pilot of the B737 aircraft. His official pilot designation is Line Check Airmen. Captain Minter has over 11,000 hours of flying experience; and as a Flight Manager, he is responsible for supporting 950 Washington domicile pilots.

Captain Minter is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air force Reserves, and serves in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Executive Support Center at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. He holds a B.S. degree from Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and a MBA from Regis University, in Denver, Colorado.

As President and CEO of OBAP, Captain Minter is directly responsible for the development of critical partnerships between industry, educational institutions and the community. The goal of these partnerships is to maximize the exposure of youth to aviation, science and technology career fields. He is also responsible for directing and meeting the needs of OBAP’s 2,500 members.

Captain Minter welcomed the opportunity to talk with diversityinbusiness.com about the issues facing the aviation industry and OBAP and about his vision for the future. Below is a transcript of that conversation, which has been edited for clarity and continuity.

One-on-One with Captain Karl Minter
dib:	Who joins OBAP and why do they join?
KM:	In larger numbers, our demographics are shifting from professional pilots who are already in the airline industry to students who get involved with our youth programs, and young professionals seeking entry into the aviation industry as professional pilots. At one point, we had a large group of members who were already airline pilots, or members who were transitioning from the military looking to become airline pilots. Now we’re seeing a lot more students who are coming to our ACE Programs and the Professional Pilots Development Program. We’re also seeing more young professionals who are in civilian training and wanting more information and mentorship and scholarship opportunities to get into the commercial side of the aviation house.
dib:	When did you join OBAP and why did you join?
KM:	I became a member of OBAP while I was still on active duty, back in 1990 or 1991, because I knew the organization had linkages to employment within the aviation industry, and because of the programs that OBAP had to help young people who were interested in pursuing aviation careers.
dib:	What was your career path?
KM:	My career in aviation actually started very similar to the young people who get involved in our aviation career education camps in the summer time. I grew up in Long Island, in New York, and I participated in a summer ACE Camp Program put on by Negro Airmen International. My dad had seen something about this aviation camp, so he took me out and got me involved in it, and ever since then I’ve had the aviation-bug. Bit-by-bit, I started working towards getting my private pilots license. I also began getting professional training so I could be prepared to go into the industry.
dib:	How old were you when you began pursuing aviation seriously?
KM:	In the United States, you have to be 17 (years of age) prior to getting a private pilot license. You can get your student license at 16. I was about 14 or 15 when I got into the ACE Camp, and then when I was old enough to get my license, I went on and got my license. I went to college at Emery-Riddle University down in Dayton Beach, Florida, and I pursued aviation seriously at that point. When I graduated, I was an engineer for Sikorski Aircraft up in Connecticut. Then I went to the Air Force and flew heavy transport planes, C-140s and Gulfstream aircraft for quite a few years. When I got out, I transitioned over to the civilian industry. There are various paths people can take to get to the civilian commercial industry, and the military is a good vehicle to do that, either through the ROTC or the Air Force Academy, or one of the commissioning sources. The military currently is looking for minority applicants to apply for pilots, and I would highly recommend it.
dib:	Do you feel the military is still a viable option for minorities?
KM:	Absolutely! One of the things that does not get talked about enough in our community is the fact that the educational opportunities provided by the military are quite expansive. Everybody looks at the downside of having to get involved in a conflict, but if you look at the statistics, the years that the military is in conflict, we’re out of conflict more than we’re in conflict. The level of education, experience and responsibility that you get in the military is outstanding. Plus, most corporations and most companies look favorably upon military service.
dib:	How are current economic conditions affecting the demand for commercial pilots?
KM:	It’s a double-edged sword. On one end of the spectrum you have the retirement of senior pilots who are mandated by law to retire at the age of 60 from the major-flag carriers like United, Delta and American. Because of that mandate, there is a natural replacement of pilots. However, in this recessionary economy, there is enormous pressure to reduce costs. Carriers are cutting back in routes, personnel and equipment in order to maintain their competitive edge and solvency. You see airlines like USAir, United and Delta contemplating bankruptcy or in bankruptcy because of the level of competition and because of the high costs of doing business. In a recessionary economy, and in the airline industry since deregulation, the margins are thin. Companies that are not innovative face real challenges. On the other end of the spectrum, you see a greater need for pilots among the regional carriers and the low-cost carriers. Their margins, revenue-profiles, and structures are a little more positive than in the flag-carriers and legacy-carriers. So, while United, Delta and American are furloughing pilots, cargo-carriers and regional-carriers are hiring pilots. But in terms of the earning potential for pilots, there is not an equal balance. The salary structures in a carrier like American Airlines, or Delta, or Northwest, or United are significantly different than with a low-cost carrier because their business models are different and the markets they serve are different. The low-cost carriers are domestic in nature and the larger carriers do international operations, so there are more responsibilities and issues involved. Right now, there’s enormous pressure on pilots. It’s a very turbulent time; and it’s questionable whether young people will want to get involved with an industry that has this amount of instability. However, OBAP’s job is to try to make opportunities available to those who are interested in the field.
dib:	Have African American pilots been uniquely affected by these economic trends?
KM:	You have to understand, even in the boom times, minority pilots - and African American pilots in particular - were hired at a disproportionately low rate. Now you have deregulation, which has created opportunity for some and instability for the rest of the industry. The low-cost carriers, who are taking advantage of deregulation, come in with a different business model and fare structure. The pilots hired by these carriers are either military, or ex-military, or have worked their way up through the civilian ranks as a commuter pilot or corporate pilot or an instructor. The numbers of African Americans who are in those categories are significantly less proportionally because of the cost involved with training. The cost to get a private pilot’s license, and then the cost to get a commercial license and the experience required to be eligible for employment in an airline – either with a regional airline or with a corporate aviation department – is significant. If you don’t have the economic wherewithal to shoulder the costs of getting your ratings and license, you won’t be successful. That cost is a barrier to entry into the marketplace.
dib:	It sounds as though the military might be the best option for aspiring minority aviators.
KM:	It’s a viable option, but it’s not the only option. There are certainly other options, and that’s one of the things that OBAP tries to address. We try to provide alternative methods by which people can get scholarships and funding to help defer some of the cost of training. We have a lot of unique partnerships with carriers and other organizations that sponsor training scholarships for students. Aviation is a journeymen/apprentice career field. Once you get your basic license, you have to have experience behind that license in order to be competitive. OBAP has a wide array of programs that allow students to become competitive in the job market. The programs give the students experience and exposure. We work with all of the major carriers, the regional carriers and the low-cost carriers to develop scholarships for type-ratings and training. These scholarships allow young students to gain the experience needed to become competitive and ultimately successful in the field. That’s one of OBAP’s core competencies.
dib:	So, OBAP has a good relationship with the aviation industry?
KM:	Absolutely! It’s a unique relationship and without that relationship we would not be able to help as many young people to get into the industry as we do.
dib:	How many scholarships does OBAP award each year?
KM:	With our Professional Pilots Development Program, we try to fund between one and two dozen scholarships per year. However, we have found that through mentoring, we are able to have a much larger affect. In a downturn economy, the resources for scholarships aren’t as great, but we do a good job mentoring students so that when opportunities are available, they are able to take advantage of them.
dib:	OBAP works with other Black organizations to reach out to the community. Is this a new approach for the organization?
KM:	It’s the result of a shift in strategy that came about within the last several years, under the previous administrations of Captain Brown and Captain Jones. I am now carrying it forward. As a 501-3c, and as a youth- and education-directed organization, it is our responsibility to come up with strategies that leverage the things we do well. We intentionally focused part of our strategic plan on developing partnerships that leverage our core competencies. This strategy enables us to help more people in the community, help more students, and better help our members. The shift also means we’re not focusing just on pilot careers. We’re focusing on science and technology, as well as broader aviation career goals. The shift allows us to actively partner with group likes National Society of Black Engineers, the National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees, and the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. We tap the best in each group to help the youth in our community. In the last three years, we have collaborated with the Boys and Girls Club of America, the Smithsonian, and the Federal Aviation Administration to educate and mentor those who are interested in careers within the aviation industry.
dib:	OBAP is already doing so much, what is your vision for the future?
KM:	We live in a challenging time, and the hardest part of living in challenging times is navigating change, and navigating the minefield that comes with being a successful organization, and being better able to provide greater services to the community. My goal is to consolidate the programs that we have and leverage those programs to serve more students nationwide. One of the programs that is in development and that I would like to see implemented under my administration is Project Aviator. The project involves the creation of a pipeline of support, mentoring, and training that would begin in elementary school, and continue through college, and all the way through entry into the aviation industry. We would like reach 100,000 students within our community by 2010. In my mind, that’s a significant challenge and a significant opportunity. The more students we have entering the aviation industry, the better OBAP fulfills its mission. We are stepping up to the plate and assuming the responsibility to make sure that those who follow behind us have greater opportunities than we had.
dib:	Thank you and continued success to you and the organization.
KM:	Thank you.

The End

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