First airplane
David Harris
flew as a captain
at American
Airlines in 1964
PHOTO COURTESY OF AMERICAN AIRLINES
slowly began to follow suit. In 1957, Ruth Carol
Taylor was hired by Mohawk Airlines as the first
African American flight attendant. In 1965, Marlon
Green won a court battle with Continental Airlines
for his right to a job as a commercial pilot. He was
given seniority retroactive to 1957, when he first
applied for the position. His struggle broke down
barriers for blacks to enter into the commercial
»
1967 Major Robert Lawrence Jr.
becomes the first black astronaut
(a tragic accident cut short his life
before his first flight into space)
1954 General Benjamin
Davis Jr. becomes the
first African American to
solo as an Army Air Corps
pilot. He would later
become the first African
American to reach flag
rank in the U.S. Air Force.
1974 Black Flight
Attendants of America
is created to promote
careers in aviation
African-American
female pilot hired
for a major airline
1983 Dr. Guion
Bluford Jr. becomes
the first black
astronaut to travel
into space
1964 Joan Dorsey is hired as
the first African American
flight
attendant
to work
for
American
Airlines
1978 Jill Bron
Hiltz is the first
1964 Captain David Harris
becomes the first African
American to pilot for a
major commercial airline
- American Airlines
1987 Mae Jemison is
the first black woman
admitted into the
astronaut-training
program and becomes
the first to fly into
space (1992)
1994 Patrice Clarke
becomes the first
black female captain
for a major airline
(UPS)
usairwaysmag.com
FEBRUARY 2014
43
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - February 2014