Black History Month highlights achievements and contributions that have shaped history and society. It is a time to reflect on progress, innovation, and the impact of individuals across generations. When youth learn about innovators, entrepreneurs, and trailblazers across industries, it reinforces the belief that they, too, can achieve greatness. Witnessing people excelling in fields like technology, aviation, medicine, and business expands their vision of what they can pursue.
“The images we see of successful people that look like us serve as seeds of inspiration to pursue similar professions.”
Hailing from Houston, Texas, Robert Prather ‘05, a Prairie View A&M University alumnus revolutionizing the aviation industry, has never been one to allow limitations to dictate his vision. From building cutting-edge flight simulation technology to obtaining his private pilot’s license in 2024, Prather has paved the way in aerospace and engineering.
Early Breakthroughs: From a Dorm Room to NASA
Not many people have the privilege of discovering their passion as early as Prather. Even before he enrolled at PVAMU, Prather became captivated by flight simulation after reading an article about an Englishman who’d built a Boeing 767 cockpit in his house. When given the choice between a golf and flight simulator in his teen years, he chose the latter, igniting a lifelong fascination with simulated flying. Prather enjoyed exploring the skies with just a few clicks. He also spent countless hours building computers and dismantling TVs, keyboards, and other circuit-laden devices to understand their inner workings.
In 1998, Prather began building a full-scale Boeing 777 flight simulator in his bedroom. Unfortunately, technology hadn’t advanced enough to bring his vision to life, so the following year, he published an article on a keyboard hacking technique that would become one of the first widely used methods for connecting real aircraft parts to flight simulators.
When Prather joined the Panther family in 2000, he brought as much of the simulator as he could fit in his dorm room. Still lacking the necessary technological solutions, he began the process of reverse engineering and developing code. The software was eventually productized, gaining Prather a client base that spanned multiple countries.
Prather continued to nurture his love for circuits and electronics at PVAMU, developing his interests into an artistic outlet of expression—where he could bring his ideas to life, crafting the circuit board’s shape, layout, and color, just as a painter manipulates a canvas.
By the time Prather graduated from PVAMU in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, he had formed Prather Creations and began selling software and aircraft parts. Three years later, the company caught the attention of NASA, and his software was licensed to one of the agency’s research laboratories, laying the groundwork for Cymphoni Solutions.
Engineering the Skies: Solving Beyond Industry Problems
Boeing projects a need for 674,000 new pilots in the next 20 years, increasing the demand for accessible and affordable pilot training programs. Cymphoni Solutions’ mission is to make aviation training accessible worldwide, with primary clients including universities, government agencies, the military, and private customers building high-fidelity flight simulators at home. “Using our technology to reduce cost while maintaining quality, more companies can afford additional flight training devices, allowing more pilots to be trained,” said Prather.
In addition, Cymphoni Solutions simulators serve as maintenance trainers, addressing the estimated shortage of 700,000 aviation technicians worldwide.
In 2009, Cymphoni Solutions launched Virtual Airport, a cutting-edge training program integrating flight simulators, air traffic control simulations, and ground operations. The installations at Texas Southern University (TSU) and Houston Independent School District (HISD) are among the first programs in the nation to provide a collaborative space for pilots, controllers, and drivers that also serves as an interactive distance learning hub for college and high school students.
“One of the highlights was being part of a summer workshop at TSU and watching nearly 50 high school students taxi across the grass and fumble over ATC communication for the first time. Their excitement to learn about aviation careers solidified my mission of spreading this joy to as many people as possible.”
Another notable innovation of Cymphoni Solutions is the development of an electrical interface to convert retired airplanes into flight simulators. After over a decade of scouring the internet for authentic Boeing 777 aircraft parts, Prather successfully amassed a substantial collection. To this day, building a full-scale Boeing 777 flight simulator in his garage, recognized as the world’s most advanced civilian-owned model, is one of Prather’s proudest accomplishments.
However, integrating these parts into flight simulator software proved a significant challenge. In 2013, Prather developed a system capable of reading these signals and transmitting the data to flight simulation software. This innovation led to the creation of Cereal Bytes. By merging aircraft components with flight simulators, Prather’s technology provides an unmatched level of realism. The technology has drawn interest from a cargo airline in Dallas and the United States Department of Defense, allowing them to create an almost identical training environment that aligns with their internal safety procedures while reducing costs.
Cereal Bytes products in a Boeing 767 flight simulator
Cereal Bytes products in a Boeing 767 flight simulator
Through Cymphoni Solutions, Prather is redefining aviation training, a responsibility he willingly understands and accepts as a leader of a technology company.
Pioneering the Future of Flight Simulation
Prather’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Houston Chronicle. His technology is operational in five countries, and the software has reached clients in over 20 countries. For Prather, every accomplishment is a win for Cymphoni Solutions, but most importantly, for engineers industry-wide.
“Representation in technology is about how I choose to show up as an entrepreneur and how we show up as a team. It means establishing a reputation for delivering value and not just being good but being phenomenal.”
Instead of solely following a profit-driven model, Cymphoni Solutions operates on the principles of exceptional quality and customer service, earning the company a 100% repeat business rate among commercial clients.
Since its founding, Cymphoni Solutions industry advancements have exceeded expectations. Amongst the many accolades is the successful conversion of a retired turboprop aircraft into a high-fidelity training device for the U.S. Air Force. Initially, Air Force pilots could only simulate about 10% of emergencies. With Cymphoni’s technology, that number increased to nearly 90%, enabling pilots to train for engine failures, fires, and fuel leaks. The introduction of self-healing technology also significantly reduced unplanned simulator outages.
“By the end of the project, one of the officer’s feedback was, ‘You far exceeded what I thought was possible,’” Prather proudly shared.
Cymphoni Solutions plans to keep pace with the evolving industry by embracing emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), generative AI, and virtual/mixed reality. Beyond training solutions, the company is expanding its impact to research, prototyping, and testing. In furthering Cymphoni Solutions’ mission, Prather looks forward to acquiring more airplanes from boneyards and repurposing them into flight simulators. “An estimated 7,000 airplanes are sitting in boneyards, and we aim to bring them back to life to help train more pilots.”
The company is also preserving aviation education and history by restoring planes to operational use in simulation training. Many of these aircraft have compelling stories, having traveled globally, been involved in historical events, and some even appeared in films.
“We hope to build more simulators to optimize flight routes, air traffic, etc., which will be key as more planes fill the skies to meet demand,” said Prather.
A long-term goal of Cymphoni Solutions’ is to become Africa’s leading provider of aviation training solutions. The company is already working on developmental projects in Nigeria, with plans to expand training availability throughout the continent. Though Africa has the resources and talent to be self-sufficient, many pilots in Africa currently have to travel abroad for commercial flight training, creating an opportunity to develop local infrastructure and reduce costs. Additionally, there is significant potential to collaborate with local governments to enhance airport safety by implementing simulator training facilities for air traffic control and ground operations, furthering aviation development.
Pursuing Passion with Passion
From his many years of entrepreneurship, Prather has learned to embrace challenges as the pathway to success, positioning his team to achieve groundbreaking results. “Although the failures are still frustrating and costly, we capture learnings from every loss. The key is, we keep going and never give up. There is no growth without discomfort.”
Early in Prather’s entrepreneurial career, he worked full-time and grew his business part-time. “I spent a year planning, creating roadmaps, and lining up projects. Once I had a clear plan for at least the first 12 months and a handful of solid projects lined up, I felt ready to take the leap.”
Prather encourages future entrepreneurs to study their market, pinpoint a niche, and develop a business plan before incorporating or registering a company. He advises starting part-time to build a strong foundation, emphasizing the importance of networking and engaging with startup communities to gain valuable insights and potential partnerships that could be key to their company’s growth and bottom line.
For instance, Prather’s biggest challenge was securing sponsorship and finding well-connected industry mentors who could help open doors in aviation. He attended networking events and consistently delivered exceptional work, leading to a high referral rate instrumental to the company’s acquisition of clients.
While Prather believes preparation will go a long way in an entrepreneur’s journey, he said it’s not enough. “Follow your passion with passion. Entrepreneurship takes time, patience, and resilience but is the ultimate expression of authenticity. It is the ability to live your passion as a lifestyle.”
Representation in Action
Prather is grateful for the direction his journey has taken him through the last two decades. He’s proud of all he’s accomplished but doesn’t want his story to be perceived as a phenomenon or an exception to the rule.
By sharing his passion for aviation and positively disrupting the industry, Prather’s work is not just about business success; it’s inspiring a new generation to dream bigger. “As an entrepreneur in the technology industry, my role during Black History Month is to be visible and leverage my work to break down stereotypes,” said Prather.
That commitment took flight—literally—this past weekend when Prather completed his first flight since earning his pilot’s license. Beside him in the cockpit was his 8-year-old son, Nnamdi, who has already expressed interest in attending PVAMU. Aviation runs deep in their family—Nnamdi’s grandfather and great-grandfather were both licensed pilots, and his great-grandfather, C.F. Smith, founded C.F. Smith Electric Company in Houston’s Historic 5th Ward in 1945. Smith was also head of the electrical team that built the Tuskegee Army Air Field, an essential site in aviation history.
Reflecting on his journey, Prather credits this feature story for challenging him to think deeper about his role during Black History Month. “It is because of this article, and the question you asked me—‘What do I see my role this month?’—that I committed to being visible and sharing stories of achievement,” he said.
From engineering flight simulators to earning his wings, Prather continues to show what’s possible in the world of aviation and technology.
Visit pvamu.edu/afam for more on PVAMU’s African American History Month Celebration.
This story is a part of the Excellence Lives Here series led by the Office for Marketing and Communications at Prairie View A&M University.
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