Professor Carl Brazelton teaching cockpit instruments and controls in the classroom.
Pictured in the 4 seater Piper Archer airplane are Darvion McGee (front seat), Pilot “ Tony”, Frank Cox III (window backseat) and Solomon Moore (far backseat).
Pictured in classroom (from left to right) are Destyn Maurice, Solomon Moore, Daniel Rivera, Professor Carl Brazelton, Frank Cox III, and Darvion McGee.
On the tarmac (left to right) Larry Rice, Carl Brazelton, Knights and Michael Davis.
Our 2024 Social Lite Knights were all ears as they heard from 2 distinguished professors who would introduce them to a profession they never considered.
Carl Brazelton shared that he, like many of our Knights, had dreams but he was told by his teacher to “choose a different profession because being a “black pilot” was not something he should consider”. Despite those discouraging words Carl found encouragement of his dreams from his father-in-law. He started off attending Bowling Green State University in Ohio with his BA in Education and continued his education at San Bernardino Valley College with a degree in Business. Through that time, he became a pilot for a commercial airline for 20+ years, the former Airforce Base Commander for the Space & Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles, Flight Operations Manager at LAX and the Education Liaison Officer for recruiting future pilots. Currently he is an Aeronautics Professor at SBVC.
Larry Rice, also a Professor and alumni of SBVC earned his A.S. in Business and Aeronautics and moved on to attend Cal State University San Bernardino where he earned a BA and MS in Business. He worked 33 years as a pilot and in management for a private supply company. He is now the Safety Officer of the Redlands Airport Association and was the 2021 recipient of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award which is awarded for flight operations for 50 years or more.
The Knights learned about the dynamics of the cockpit and the importance of how wind velocity plays in flying a plane. They were introduced to an affordable, high impact program that is lacking the attention of young adults with potentially high income salaries. After the lecture, they were able to test their skills on the Redbird flight simulators in the classroom practicing their take-off and landings as they flew over the Inland Empire.
On a later date when our Southern California weather permitted, our Knights took flight in a 180 horsepower Piper Archer airplane over the beautiful cities of Redlands and Yucaipa.
What a day for our young Knights and their families experienced watching the possibilities unfold before their eyes. After landing, Knight Soloman Moore stated, “That was crazy, everything about it was just… crazy, I wanted to take the controls!”. Knight Darvion McGee stated after his first flight ever, “I think I need to stay on the ground for a little bit.” Overall it was a great success thanks to our very own S.B.V.C., professors and the pilot “Tony” who confirmed their knowledge of the lessons they received in the classroom. This truly is a hidden jewel and it’s right here in our backyards.
The Social Lites, Inc. a non-profit organization is a vehicle for senior African American young men to gain skills and exposure to succeed as they enter into college such as learning public speaking skills, volunteerism and confidence as well as raise money for college. To date we have awarded over $3.5 million dollars in scholarships and prizes to our Knights over the 57 years of existence. Our Beautillion theme “Your Moment of Greatness” is quickly approaching as we are planning an exciting night to honor and award thousands of dollars in scholarships to our 7 Knights for 2024 on March 30th at 5:30 p.m. at Cal State San Bernardino. Tickets can be obtained by contacting Marlene Davis at (909) 709-5502 or find us on Eventbrite at ”Social Lites, Inc. of the Inland Empire” for more information.
