Magic's Wendell Carter Jr. Shares Love of Flight by Inspiring Next Generation

Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. wanted to be a pilot long before he grew into an NBA-caliber center. Through his A Platform Squared foundation, Carter is finding new ways to share his love for aviation by giving back to Orlando's youth.

Mason Williams | Aug 30, 2024

Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. poses by a plane at his "Flight 34" event on Thursday at Orlando Sanford International Airport. / Gary Bassing, Orlando Magic

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SANFORD, Fla. –– Here’s a young Wendell Carter Jr., boarding an airplane and meeting a pilot for the first time in his life. He’s not yet 10 years old.

Each struck by the other’s curiosity, he sees the pilot, who instantly drums up a conversation with the first-time passenger. Soon enough, Carter is being given an all-access tour of the cockpit and controls before takeoff. Each of his parents holding a job at the airport sparked a love for aviation early in his upbringing, and he remembers his first-ever dream job of becoming an astronaut. But in this brand new experience, his eyes are opened to a whole new world.

Carter eventually returns to his seat, and the plane takes off. His peak behind the curtain, however, is not yet concluded. Because here comes one of the flight attendants, ready to take him back to the controls – this time, high in the sky and with an even better perspective than before.

The dream of being an astronaut was over. He was hooked on a different type of flight.

“It was a crazy experience,” Carter said. “‘I started asking my mom, my dad, ‘How can I start working on that? How can I start doing these things?’ They were like, ‘We’ll figure it out. As you get older we’ll find a school for you, an academy or a course for you to take.’”

Although a growth spurt sized him out of the traditional cockpit and put his dreams on pause – ”I started chasing other things in life,” Carter said with a laugh – that desire never truly left him. As a result, the 25-year-old Orlando Magic center is choosing to inspire others to find the same love for the industry that he did.

Through Carter’s A Platform Squared foundation, he hosted “Flight 34” on Thursday – an event aimed to inspire local area high school students to consider careers in aviation. Students from Evans High School and Oak Ridge High School were brought to Orlando Sanford International Airport, where in partnership with L3 Harris Flight School and Microsoft, participating students were provided with a once-in-a-lifetime experience that meshed inspiration and education.

Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. chats with pilots and students participating in his "Flight 34" event Thursday. / Gary Bassing, Orlando Magic

“Flight 34 seeks to inspire students from diverse backgrounds by showcasing the possibilities within aerospace careers and providing them with role models who reflect their own diversity,” Carter said in a release. “By giving students firsthand experience and knowledge, the A Platform Squared Foundation hopes to encourage a new generation to pursue careers in aviation, ultimately increasing diversity in the field.”

Students enjoyed a tour of the facilities, a classroom lecture led by experienced professionals in the field and participated in aviation-themed games. Several students also had the opportunity to take a discovery flight, where for 15 minutes, the students were offered a first-hand experience of flying while creating their own understanding and appreciation for the profession’s complexities. A Platform Squared already supports Evans and Oak Ridge by providing drones, workstations and other equipment and curriculum related to aviation. Microsoft donated five flight simulators to each school as a result of the event.

Each student also was provided a meal and commemorative gifts throughout the day.

“We could’ve made it where were just sitting here learning about words and stuff, but I feel like things like this draws their attention a bit more,” Carter said. “They’re growing up, they’re like, ‘Wow, I can actually do this one day?’ It’s super exciting that they’re able to do this.

“I can just tell from the kids sitting in here how much they’re engaged. Knowing that they’re going to have the opportunity to fly up in the planes, so now they’re going to pay a little bit more attention than if they didn’t have this opportunity… I know this is gonna be something that they talk about at school for maybe the next two or three weeks. But hopefully, it’s something that they want to chase in life, a career path that they want to take.”

The prominence of minority students was abundant Thursday, with one of the main aims of the event being to make a positive change in the statistic that only 3% of currently employed U.S. airline pilots are African American. Thus, Carter put importance on providing the knowledge that such an opportunity is available and accessible so close to home, helping turn newfound dreams into a reality.

Carter feels he can relate to the students because of what life experiences he’s been through to this point. He knows where they come from, what they’ve seen and what they’re used to because it’s not foreign to him. With his mother by his side – someone who helped Carter lean into this love in the first place – he took an opportunity to encourage students who look like him can dream like him, too.

“I want to make this a thing where this is possible – this is what’s cool in school. Everybody loves the athletes, the class clowns or whatever the case may be. I want to make it cool to be a pilot, to tell everybody, ‘Yo, I’m gonna be a pilot when I grow up.’ And then someone may walk on a Delta jet and see one of their classmates flying that plane. I feel like that’d probably be one of the coolest experiences for them.”

Students participate in Wendell Carter Jr.'s "Flight 34" event on Thursday. / Gary Bassing, Orlando Magic

As much as it is an opportunity to provide for others, Carter sees an outlet for his childhood dreams to come to fruition in a different fashion. At least, for now.

Because if his growth spurt never came to be, this might be what he’d have been doing already. Still, he says, don’t rule out his future as a pilot just yet.

“I’m not gonna lie, it was a lot of different career paths I could’ve taken. This definitely would’ve been one of them,” Carter said. “I will. I was just talking to the director of the school here, and I’m going to start working on getting my pilot’s license soon.”

An ear-to-ear smile cracked over his face.

“Y’all might see me flying a Delta jet one day.”

A Platform Squared Foundation is a Fiscally Sponsored Program of Athletes Charitable, a division of United Charitable, a registered 501(c)3. To learn more, please visit www.aplatformsquared.org.

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