This just in, from the proud parents of MHF graduate, now Captain Deion Hardy, USAF:

“We are overjoyed and excited about sharing this great news about Deion, Captain Deion that is, and his latest accomplishment which includes his career that began in 2009 at the U.S. Air Force Academy to present.

The Career Communications Group's US Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine, the Council of Engineering Deans of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, host Lockheed Martin Corporation, and sponsors Actalent and Jacobs, selected Captain Deion J. Hardy to receive the Most Promising Engineer in Government Award at the 2022 BEYA STEM Conference.

Over BEYA’s 36-year history, thousands of professionals in STEM have been nominated to receive this honor. The BEYA STEM Awards are amongst the most competitive awards in science, engineering and technology management.”

MHF graduate Traye Jackson continues to excel at the Red Tail Flight Academy, based at Stewart International Airport, NY. He sent us an account of his first solo there:

“The week leading up to my solo flight was a week of extreme focus. I have soloed once prior in 2017, but before coming to Red Tails Flying Academy I had not flown in a year. A lot of the experience I had previously was unfortunately forgotten. I was a little down on myself on how much I didn’t remember, and it took some early mornings, long days, and late nights for me to be comfortable with my proficiency level. A decent amount of flying is purely mental and going onto a solo flight is a great leap forward in a pilot’s training and confidence in your own abilities.

As my solo flight approached, I studied and practiced on my home simulator with traffic patterns and perfecting my radio calls and landings. The days quickly counted down and I was extremely excited now having full confidence in my ability. The day had finally come, and we took off and set course to Poughkeepsie. The skies were clear, winds were calm, and it was a perfect day for flying. Once we arrived and completed our three touch n’ go’s with proficiency, we taxied to the terminal and it was time for my instructor to sign me off for my solo. I had a huge grin on my face and when I sat back into the left seat and started the prop up, I could not wait to take off. I taxied to the active runway and opened the throttle. The plane accelerated like it had never before and I could not stop smiling once the wheels left the pavement. It was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had, and I can’t wait to have many experiences alike with the Red Tails Flying Academy.”

The Red Tail Flight Academy experience emphasizes development of leadership skills and mutual support as an essential foundation to helping each of its students not just succeed but excel. Traye is pictured above (standing far left) in a recent team-building exercise, where he and fellow Academy students were part of a “Plane Pull Challenge” at a local airport.