Councilor John Hilliard hopes to inspire a new generation of aviators
As a young boy from Birmingham, Councilor John Hilliard was always fascinated with the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first squadron of black aviators to fly for the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II.
Located roughly two hours southeast of Birmingham, the Tuskegee Army Air Field saw nearly 1,000 African American pilots, and an additional 15,000 navigators, bombardiers and mechanics go through training and into active duty.
Hilliard’s dream is to continue that legacy of aviation. “We want to build a pipeline for inner-city kids to get jobs in the aviation industry,” he explained. “The industry will have over 480,000 jobs come available over the next several years, so it’s our responsibility to make these opportunities attainable for our children.”
One of the ways Hilliard hopes to spark a new generation of aviators in Alabama is by helping to introduce aviation programing to local middle schools and high schools.
“That will be a major access points for our students to start building interest in flying, whether that be drones, planes, helicopters or even the engineering that goes into those. We’re working with the Southern Museum of Flight to see if we can get the junior colleges to open up their classrooms to this type of curriculum as well.”
Hilliard is also working with the Birmingham City School system to establish a state-funded aviation program. “Once we can show the need for that program we can start to implement that here,” he said. “The child in me that learned about Tuskegee Airmen said this is my shot to inspire a new generation of inner-city kids to learn to fly.”
On Tuesday, members of the Council toured Sumter Smith Air National Guard base with members of the 117th Air Refueling Wing. The tour was part of a sustained effort to build relationships between the city officials and the Air National Guard.
Located at the northern end of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, the 209-acre base employs roughly 1,100 people, and is responsible for roughly $109 million in annual economic impact throughout Birmingham and the surrounding area. It is one of only 19 air-refueling bases in the United States.
Colonel Robert S. Grant, the Commander of the 117th Air Refueling Wing with the Alabama Air National Guard spoke to the local delegation about the importance of having the base located in Birmingham. “One of the main reasons Birmingham is able to call itself an international airport is because of the missions we fly out of here,” Grant joked.
Because the base boasts a two-mile runway, the 117th is able to provide support (i.e. fuel, cargo, personnel transport) in an area covering 800 nautical miles from the base — a huge swath of the country and Central America. During an unveiling of the updated facility several years ago, the 117th Air Refueling Wing ran a mission to Colombia and back to show state and local officials the capabilities allowed by having such a long runway.
As the aviation industry continues to expand (especially with the Redstone Arsenal being considered as the location for the United States Space Force HQ) having a workforce that is capable of filling these positions is vital. “Let’s give these children a chance to explore the stars,” Hilliard said. “It’s time for a new generation of aviators in Alabama. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to build.”
