The OBAP' Project Aerospace

A nonprofit organization established in 1976, the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, or OBAP, is dedicated to encouraging and advancing minorities in the aviation and aerospace professions. To fulfill its mission, OBAP created Project Aerospace, which comprises training, mentoring, and youth-focused education programs, as well as scholarships, to support aspiring aviation professionals while encouraging diversity in the industry.

Project Aerospace impacts more than 100,000 young people each year with opportunities to learn and prepare for their future careers. Besides partnering with carriers and aerospace-related businesses to provide scholarships, Project Aerospace fosters aspiring industry professionals through outreach programs that include Aerospace Professionals In Schools (APIS), the Aerospace Career Education (ACE) Academy, the Aerospace Professional Development Program (APDP), and the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. Flight Academy (LWFA). Additionally, college and university students can visit one of OBAP’s collegiate chapters for more education, networking, mentoring, and career placement possibilities.

APIS focuses on reaching youth in their schools and giving them opportunities to learn about careers in aerospace and aviation. For children ages six to 10, the APIS curriculum aims to pique their interest in aviation through career days and elementary science clubs. Students in middle school can further their knowledge about the industry through community events and career fairs, among other opportunities.

Meanwhile, the APIS high school curriculum connects OBAP mentors to young adults contemplating higher education and demonstrating interest in the available scholarships in aerospace and aviation. Within the high school curriculum, the extracurricular programs "Girls to Women" and "Boys to Men" teach students about conflict, time management, and decision making.

Through all of these offerings, APIS has helped over 500,000 people since its establishment in 1992.

In addition, middle and high school students can join ACE Academy, which OBAP offers in 35 locations across the country. ACE Academies are weeklong summer programs during which students learn about the fundamentals of aerodynamics, the history of aviation, aerospace technologies, air traffic control procedures, and introductions to aerospace careers. Also established in 1992, ACE Academy has reached over 30,000 youth since then.

APDP also focuses on assisting aspiring aerospace professionals. Besides receiving scholarship and career advancement opportunities, APDP participants have access to mentoring, coaching, workshops, and roundtable discussions with OBAP members who are industry veterans. APDP mentorship provides an industry outlook and an understanding of participants’ professional goals and individual constraints on achieving them.

Finally, OBAP created LWFA in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers Jr., the first African American air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as the first African American to receive the key to the city where he was based (Memphis). A fast-track training program, LWFA is dedicated to offering life-changing training for minority students interested in flying. The program aims to transform a person with no experience into an airline pilot within two to three years.

Types of training available through LWFA include private and instrument training, certified flight instructor training, jet transition training, certified instrument instructor training, and both basic and advanced ground instructor training.