Teens from the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi took flight and gained hands-on military aviation experience during a tour of Key Field Air National Guard base in Meridian Wednesday.

Around 60 high schoolers from Lauderdale County toured the base and talked to industry professionals about their chosen careers, how they got started and what they could potentially do in the future. 

The day culminated with a real flight, where students got to fly in an actual plane.

“As part of our intro to aviation, we’re showing them all the ways they can be part of military aviation, whether it’s flying planes, working on planes, or some of the other things like the medical field, air traffic control or civil engineering,” said Col. Britt Watson. “We have all kinds of opportunities here, and we want them to be aware of what they are.”

“We probably have 150 different career fields,” said Col. Edward Evans, the  commander of the 186th Air Refueling Wing. “Those jobs are available to everybody – there’s more than just flying. Folks don’t always consider that.”

The experience was a first for many of the teens, said Whitney Hood, the teen director of the Boys and Girls Club.  

“Our kids have never done anything like this in Meridian or anywhere, period,” she said. “Some of our kids have never flown before, so it’s a tremendous experience getting to do hands-on things.”

“Being on this base feels so good to me because I’ve never been able to get on a plane in my life,” said Rodney Bell, an 11th grader. “This is a first-hand experience, and it’s just an amazing sight.”

“I thought it was a good experience because I’ve seen people take off on planes, but I’ve never been on one or gotten the experience to just walk on a plane and learn about it,” said 12th grader La Diamond Landrum.

The tour was a collaboration between the Boys and Girls Club and the 186th Air Refueling Wing and was facilitated by Charles Robertson.

Robertson is a Meridian native, member of the East Coast Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen and owner and operator of his own private aviation club in Maryland, called Principal Jets.

Robertson said he came back home and thought to organize the event to expose high schoolers to the many opportunities available in aviation.

“It’s been very good. Everyone has enjoyed it,” Robertson said. “The exposure is educational in a field they haven’t been exposed to previously.”

Diversity was another motivating factor for the event, Robertson said.

“Historically, African-Americans have been limited in terms of opportunities in the world of aviation,” said Robertson. “It dates back to the years of the Tuskegee Airman that were told that they could not fly because they didn’t have the mental aptitude to fly, and that was proven to be false.”

Although the numbers have increased, Robertson says that the amount of minorities in the cockpit are still far from an acceptable number.

“To this day the percentage of African-American pilots, commercial, military, etc. is well below seven percent,” Robertson added. “As I travel, you don’t see as many minorities in aviation. We’re trying to do our job to expose these kids to opportunities so we can increase that number even more in years to come.”

The event focused on ninth to twelfth graders because of the unique life choices they’ll soon be making.

“We have a lot of teenagers at the Boys and Girls Club that are trying to get to that next step in life, so I think that it was important in letting the kids know that there’s more in Meridian than what they think,” said Hood. “Not everybody is going to college that first year. Some are going to the Army, military and Navy and I think that they are trying to spark kids’ brains to do that because there are so many resources.”

Many of the students were nervous about flying for the first time, but appreciated the experience and how it has enriched their lives.

“The more that I have been on this base, the more I’ve eased down and been excited to get on an airplane,” said Bell. “It’s opened me up to wanting to ride a plane.”