Page 36 - Appendix A

not have time to participate in weekend studies. But I had established a social network that
allowed me to interact when needed. I actually did not interact very much with the other

blacks except at the bar on Fridays...I was too busy studying! But knowing they were there did
allow for a certain comfort. I also was able to talk with a few black instructors...that helped A
LOT!

In your opinion, does it make a difference what the racial demographic of your training cadre
or leadership team is? Why or why not? Please share any specific examples from your
experience?
Yes…reference above answer. I never had a black instructor personally. But there is one black
instructor who would check in on me, while I was in Air Force pilot training. Just his presence
was enough…and his caring enough to ask how I was doing.

In your opinion, or based on your experience, is there a difference for a black person going
through pilot training compared to a white person? If so, do you feel that the difference
positively or negatively impacts the success of black student pilots?
Yes, there is a difference. A major one in some instances. I’ve seen it from both sides; as a UPT
instructor and as a student. Blacks who “joined in” socially, were very successful…not because
of any racial reason, but because “cooperate and graduate” is a philosophy that worked very
swell at UPT. Whites who separated themselves washed out too. However, I feel there were
certain “expectations” and self-fulfilling prophecies that affected people in pilot training. Blacks

seemed to experience the most negative ramifications of those ideologies. UPT is simply a
microcosm of the world at large. The same dynamics are at play. They are magnified in the
dynamic and varied environment at UPT. You literally could be gone in a week. The Air Force
spends well over a million to train a single pilot. The “machine” deals with elimination quickly.

Describe/detail the flight training you had (if any) before Air Force flight training (ACE camps,
Young Eagles incentive flights, ground school, etc. and describe how it may have impacted
your success in Air Force flight training.
I had an FAA pilots license before going to Air Force pilot training. I earned my private pilot’s
license while in college at a local airport the summer between my junior and senior year. I paid

for it with a loan. The training was handled by a private flight school and was fun and
challenging to me. I learned all the intricacies of the physics and math involved in flying, studied
weather phenomena, and learned all the rules for flying across the country…the environment
though, was a self-paced one. And one that I paid for and one that would not end until I’d
reached my goal, or decided this wasn’t for me. Another reason this worked out well for me is
that the screening program the Air Force had at the time, using mostly civilian instructors, was
notorious for weeding out Air Force pilot candidates...and word on the street was that it was