MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE — Some people dream they can fly.
Others work to make such dreams come true.
Donnie Gardner, Floyd Balentine and Vic Smith, Black airline pilots who doggedly pursued opportunities to soar even when their skies weren’t easy to navigate, want to smooth the route. Since 2014, their Twin Cities Aerospace Career Education Academy summer camps are feeding the dream for future pilots, astronauts and engineers of color.
…
After graduating from North High, Balentine knew that if he wanted to go to college, he would have to pay for much of it himself. He chose St. Cloud State because it had an aviation program. Two weeks after graduating from high school, he was in a summer program on campus.
Read more: Black Minnesota pilots seek to spread joys of flight to new generation
