KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Blackhawks Chapter of the Black Pilots of America Organization held a meet and greet today to celebrate Rafael Edwin, a United States Air Force Pilot.
Rafael was just accepted to the training program to fly B-2 stealth bombers.
“I never thought that I would be even eligible or qualified to fly such a prestigious aircraft,” Edwin said. “It’s crazy because there have been less than a thousand people who have ever gotten a chance to fly the B-2. Just knowing that my name will be amongst that small community is an honor.”
Edwin contributes his success in the military to the Black Pilots of America organization, saying that a lack of mentorship and financial help “Hinders people from getting into this career field.” The organization hopes that they can inspire young Kansas Citians to pursue a career in aviation.
Tony Stricklin is the Vice President of the local chapter. “I always, as a kid, wanted to fly airplanes. When I was young, growing up, I never heard about aviation through school,” Stricklin said. “We just want [the kids] to know that they can do it too.”
The organizations ‘Chief Pilot’ Albert H. Gaines was in attendance. Now 92-years-old, he said he started flying lessons in 1970, after a friend offered to fly him to Des Moines, Iowa for the afternoon. He said he remembers first leaving the ground: “the instructor pulled back on the yoke and we left the ground, that was really thrilling.”
Edwin said that he credits the Tuskegee Airmen as role models in an industry that lacks diversity. “They put a name out for the African American community, that we can succeed in being involved in aviation.” The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that less than 10 percent of the aviation workforce are people of color, with only 2.6 percent of the entire work force in the industry identifying as black.
Stricklin says that Edwin is now a role model for both kids and adults. “He’s what I wanted to be. And then to hear he’s in B-2 Bomber training to fly the baddest airplane in the world? That was impressive to me and I’m going to do whatever I can to push him towards that goal.”
Edwin says he’s ready to show other kids that have dreams of flying that their dream is possible. “It’s just a true blessing that a kid from Kansas City, born and raised here, is actually getting ready to be a hometown hero and come back and serve in the community by being a pilot.”