Page 52 - Appendix A

I am not sure if it makes a difference now or not – however, I believe so still. We have come a
long way, but there is still a long way to go to be considered equal. In my opinion, it is still a

subconscious belief among many people that blacks are inferior. Therefore, there is a negative
impact for a black person going through pilot training. You must excel at what you do to be
considered their equal. I was top gun in two of my Air Force squadrons, yet, when I was hired
by the airlines post-military, I was told they knew I would be hired because I was black and the
th
airlines were looking for blacks at the time. (I was the second black hired by my airlines and 17
overall.) The fellow Air Force pilots who made that statement seemed to forget that I qualified
myself and was top gun in the squadron – they only could see me being hired because I was
black and the airlines needed “one.”

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 didn’t have any of those available at the time. I learned to fly from the AF ROTC department
at my University and entered the military after graduation. The degree in Aerospace
Engineering helped me understand the flight dynamics and that I believe impacted my success.

Sharing your experiences/thoughts. Please use this section to share any experiences or
thoughts on this topic from your experiences, the experiences of others, etc. that you feel are
relevant to the of the experience of black student pilots in Air Force pilot training.

If Black officers were more prevalent and in positions of authority at the time I went through it

would have made life easier and less frustrating. Examples: Post UPT I went to George AFB for
F-4 training. The squadron commander could not understand I was a front seater. He took me
around and introduced me as the new back seater (navigator) and not a pilot. I was in my flight
suit with pilot wings, but he couldn’t understand deep down how that was possible.
Fortunately, the other pilots in training just looked at him and shook their heads because they
knew I was a pilot, not a navigator.

Another example, post-Vietnam, when TAC was determining placements, TAC HQ sent out Stan
Eval pilots to fly with everyone in the squadron. I desired to be Air to Air anywhere (hopefully
the new F-15). We flew 3 air-to-air engagements, 2 as aggressor. In all 3 of our engagements, I

managed to get missile and gun kills on the Stan Eval pilot. I expected a job well done debrief –
instead I didn’t even get a debrief. His ego couldn’t take it. He walked right past me, didn’t
speak, didn’t debrief at all. My assignment came back an OV-10 Forward Air Controller working
with the Army.