LeRoy Homer Jr., co-pilot of United Airlines Flight #93, was born on August 27, 1965 in Long Island, New York. Homer and his three sisters were raised on Long Island by their German mother, Ilse, and their African-American father who died from a stroke when … Read MoreLeRoy W. Homer Jr. (1965-2001)
St. Louis, Missouri native Wendell Oliver Pruitt, a pioneering pilot of the 15th Air Force, was born to Elijah and Melanie Pruitt on June 20, 1920. Pruitt graduated from Sumner High School, briefly attended Stowe Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State University), and later transferred to … Read MoreWendell Oliver Pruitt (1920-1945)
Eleanor Roosevelt and Charles Anderson, April 1941 Image Ownership: Public Domain Charles Alfred Anderson, often called the “Father of Black Aviation,” because of his training and mentoring of hundreds of African American pilots, was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb, on February 9, … Read MoreCharles A. “Chief” Anderson (1907-1996)
Image Ownership: Public Domain Cornelius R. Coffey was the first African American to establish an aeronautical school in the United States. His school was also the only non-university affiliated aviation program to become part of the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). His pioneering efforts led … Read MoreCornelius R. Coffey (1903-1994)
Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., NASA’s first permanent black administrator, was born to Charles Frank and Ethel Bolden, both teachers, on August 19th, 1946 in Columbia, South Carolina. He rose to the rank of Major General in the United States Marine Corps and was a National … Read MoreCharles F. Bolden Jr. (1946- )
Michael P. Anderson, a former Spokane, Washington resident, was one of seven astronauts who died when Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry on February 1, 2003. Born on December 25, 1959, in Plattsburgh, New York to Robert and Barbara Anderson, Michael Anderson had three sisters, … Read MoreMichael P. Anderson (1959-2003)
Tuskegee Airmen Pilots in Training, ca. 1942, Milton Crenchaw is in the Cap in the Middle Image Courtesy of Edmund Davis Milton Crenchaw was the only civilian flight instructor (of the first class) for the Tuskegee Airmen. He was the first Arkansas African American to … Read MoreMilton Pitts Crenchaw (1919-2015)
Jill Elaine Brown became the first African American woman to serve as a pilot for a major U.S airline when she was hired by Texas international Airlines at the age of 28. Her passion for flying began as a teenager, leading her into the U.S. … Read MoreJill Elaine Brown
Perry Young Jr, an airplane and helicopter pilot, was the first African American person to be hired by a commercial airline with regularly scheduled passenger flights. Young was born to his parents Henry Young Sr. and Edith Lucille Young on March 12, 1919 in Orangeburg, … Read MorePerry Young Jr. (1919-1998)
Barrington Irving is the first African American to fly solo around the world and, as of 2010, the youngest person to complete the feat. He made his flight at the age of 23. Irving was born in Kingston, Jamaica on November 11th, 1983. He was … Read MoreBarrington Irving (1983- )