For Ruben Morris, aviation isn't just a profession — it's a lifelong passion rooted in his upbringing in Birmingham, Alabama.
Growing up with a view of the Birmingham airport runway from his window, he dreamed of soaring through the skies. But the path to realizing his dream was fraught with challenges.
“I always wanted to be a pilot,” Ruben says. “I wanted to be a commercial pilot. But when I got to high school, the only option given to me was to go to the military.”
Hindered by limited access to aviation education, Ruben defied the odds and now stands as a testament to perseverance and resolve. A lifelong educator who has worked as a teacher and school leader since 2004, Ruben is combining his love for the classroom and flying.
In the fall of 2022, he founded the Alabama Aviation and Aerospace High School in Bessemer, Alabama, a suburb of his hometown. The public charter school is focused on training students for leadership positions in the aerospace and aviation industries.
With a student body that is 90% African American, AAHS is not just a school, but a beacon of hope for underrepresented communities in the aviation industry. Only a small fraction of pilots — less than 1% — are people of color. Ruben’s goal: to create pathways for the next generation of African American pilots and aviation leaders.
“I didn’t meet a pilot that looked like me until I was over 30. And I didn’t meet a female Black pilot under I was over 40,” he says.
At AAHS, diversity isn't just a buzzword. It's ingrained in the school's DNA.
The school is committed to gender equity in traditionally male-dominated professions, Ruben says. Twenty-eight percent of the student body is female. And AAHS is actively working to increase female participation in STEM fields. The school provides instruction in coding, robotics, cyber security and other STEM disciplines.
In its aircraft mechanics program, 40% of students are girls. In pilot training, 25% are female.
“We want that number to rise. We are intentional in terms of recruiting girls,” he says.
In addition to high school academic courses, AAHS offers students opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials and college credits.
“Our aviation pathway students will have a commercial drone pilots license. Others can secure their aircraft mechanics license or two-year certificate. And aerospace students will get college credit,” he says.
During Black History Month in February 2024, AAHS honored the legacy of Black pilots by visiting Moton Field, the training site for the Tuskegee Airmen.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the armed forces, serving during and after World War II.
“We are in the birthplace of African Americans breaking into flying,” Ruben says.
Beyond honoring the past, AAHS is focused on shaping the future. It has established partnerships with NASA, Tuskegee University and Auburn University. The school is launching a new three-week program for six students this summer with Legacy Flight Academy. It will train for solo flights at the end of the three-week session.
A “pre-K to pilot” program will open to elementary school students in Shorter, Alabama in 2025.
AAHS will also celebrate its first graduating class in 2025. By then, it plans to serve 1,000 students, with ambitions to expand further, reaching up to 3,000-4,000 students within a decade.
“There are only a handful of aerospace aviation high schools in the country and we are the only one founded by an African American, with 90% African American students,” he says.
“The through line is creating the opportunity. We want to continue to create career-connected learning opportunities. We want to take this pathway model and allow industry to help shape and drive it.”
As he helps train the next generation of Black pilots, Ruben continues to pursue his own aviation dreams. He has become a licensed drone pilot and is working on his private commercial pilot’s license.
“Flying allows me to see the world from a higher perspective,” he says. “When I’m in the air, my problems look small.”
