The Ivy Center for Education hosted Ken Johnson, chairman of the Pine Bluff Aviation Commission, during the center's Zoom meeting for middle and high school students enrolled in its Future Engineers Program.
During the recent meeting, Johnson, who is also general manager of Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility, spoke to students first about his love of flying and the responsibilities of becoming a pilot.
Johnson spoke to students about the field of aviation, and the engineering, skills and safety training needed to fly and land an airplane.
Scholars asked questions and Johnson discussed different types and the parts of aircraft and their functions, flight planning, and the impact of the historic efforts of the Tuskegee Airmen on his aviation career and others'.
Johnson encouraged scholars to consider a career in aviation and outlined how airplanes support business, agriculture, emergency medical services, law enforcement and firefighting, aerial survey work, sightseeing and air tours.
He also invited them to the annual Black Pilots of America Memorial Day weekend fly-in competition, Operation Skyhook 2022, held today through Sunday at Pine Bluff Regional Airport's Grider Field.
Scholars were encouraged to attend the event and enjoy the aircraft displays, talk to pilots, watch the flying competitions, and enjoy friends, family, and fun. All events taking place at Grider Field have free admission. Grider Field Restaurant will be open today from 11 a.m.to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Also during the Future Engineers meeting with Ivy Center students, Sederick Rice, associate professor of biology at UAPB and Ivy engineering coach, presented a mono-alphabetic substitution Caesar Cipher Challenge to students. The session gave them an opportunity to win $100, as motivation for their ability to code, decode, and use their math and critical thinking skills to solve problems.
Ivy student Kennedy Collins, a high school junior from McDonough, Ga., won $100 for solving the challenge.
There were many questions from the scholars, including Gabrielle Funches, an 11th grader from Ridgeland High School, in Ridgeland, Miss.
"What do you do if the weather is bad?" she asked Johnson.
"You shouldn't fly in bad weather; you should wait until conditions get better," he said.
There were also questions from scholars about opportunities for women in aviation. Johnson supported and promoted opportunities for women to pursue aviation careers and discussed the growing interest of women to become pilots.
"I'm going to learn how to fly!" Funches said.
Over the years, Johnson has provided many local youths with their first airplane ride, with some advancing to professional pilots. Johnson is married to Mary Serita Johnson and they have two daughters, Lauren and Jordan, and a grandson, Jaiden.
The Ivy Center appreciates the grants and support from the Ryland Family Foundation; Eric and Kerin Burdette; Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield's Enterprise Employees' Committee; supportive parents; and all community partners who helped to make the Future Engineers program successful, according to the release.
For details on how students may become members of the Ivy Center for Education, email Mattie Collins, president at mattie1908@gmail.com, Patricia Berry, executive director at Pberry867@gmail.com, visit Ivycenterforeducation.com or follow them on social media.
Ken Johnson