Jill E. Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown (center) and her parents stand alongside a T-34B Mentor training aircraft, in 1974 | |
| Born | 1950 (age 73–74) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Maryland |
| Known for | First African-American female pilot to be employed by a US airline |
| Aviation career | |
| Full name | Jill Elaine Brown |
| First flight | 1967 |
Jill E. Brown (born 1950) is a retired American pilot, who is the first African-American woman to become a pilot for a major American passenger airline.
Jill Elaine Brown was born to Gilbert and Elaine Brown in 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland. By the age of 11, she had begun driving a forklift at her father's construction company, and at the age of 17 joined her other family members in taking flying lessons. She was the first of her family to earn her pilot's licence, with her first solo flight taking place in a Piper J-3 Cub. [1] She then began flying the family owned Piper PA-28 Cherokee, [2] named the Little Golden Hawk. [3]
After attending Arundel High School, she went to the University of Maryland, where she studied home economics at the suggestion of her mother. [3] [4]
Afterwards, she began working as a teacher but decided to pursue flying as a career, joining the US Navy in 1974 for flight training. Brown was the first African-American woman to undergo the training. [2] Her admittance, and her swearing in by Tuskegee Airman Spann Watson was heavily covered in the African-American media. [3]
She disliked being in the military, and left with an honourable discharge after six months. [2] Brown admitted that she couldn't "keep her mouth shut" and made some major mistakes. She felt humiliated when she left, and initially refused to leave her home. [3] She convinced Warren H. Wheeler of Wheeler Airlines to give her a job, initially as a ticket-counter clark but Brown as Wheeler had no pilot vacancies. Eventually she worked her way into a pilot's position. [3] From her private hours and working at Wheeler, she managed to amass the 1,200 flying hours required to fly for a major airline. [4] In 1978, she joined Texas International Airlines as a pilot, becoming the first female African-American pilot for a major US airline. [1] However, she felt she was being used for publicity purposes by the airline. [3]
She left Texas after a year, joining the cargo carrier Zantop International Airlines, and worked there until 1985. In 1990, she filed a lawsuit against United Airlines for refusing to hire her on three occasions, but the case was found in favor of the airline even after an appeal. [2]
Southwest Airlines Co. is a major airline based in the United States and the world's largest low-cost carrier. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has scheduled service to 121 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. As of 2018, Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other United States airline. It is currently the third largest airline in North America based on passengers flown.
Bessie Coleman was an early American civil aviator. She was the first African-American woman to hold a pilot license. She earned her license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale on June 15, 1921, and is the earliest known Black person to earn an international pilot's license.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1928:
Capital Airlines was an airline serving the eastern, southern, southeastern, and midwestern United States. Capital's headquarters were located at Washington National Airport across the Potomac river from Washington, D.C., where crew training and aircraft overhauls were also accomplished. In the 1950s Capital was the fifth largest United States domestic carrier by passenger count after the Big Four air carriers.
Ida Van Smith was an African-American pilot and flight instructor born in 1917 in Lumberton, North Carolina and died in that very town on May 13, 2003.
Betty Skelton Frankman Erde was a land speed record holder and aerobatics pilot who set 17 aviation and automobile records. She was known as "The First Lady of Firsts", and helped create opportunities for women in aviation, auto racing, astronautics, and advertising.
Willa Beatrice Brown was an American aviator, lobbyist, teacher, and civil rights activist. She was the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license in the United States, the first African American woman to run for the United States Congress, first African American officer in the Civil Air Patrol, and first woman in the U.S. to have both a pilot's license and an aircraft mechanic's license.
ATP Flight School is the largest flight training company in the United States. The curriculum focuses on airline-oriented pilot programs at locations across the country. ATP is the leading supplier of professionally trained pilots to the nation's regional airlines.
Emily Joyce Howell Warner was an American airline pilot and the first woman captain of a scheduled U.S. airline.
Women have been involved in aviation from the beginnings of both lighter-than air travel and as airplanes, helicopters and space travel were developed. Women pilots were also formerly called "aviatrices". Women have been flying powered aircraft since 1908; prior to 1970, however, most were restricted to working privately or in support roles in the aviation industry. Aviation also allowed women to "travel alone on unprecedented journeys". Women who have been successful in various aviation fields have served as mentors to younger women, helping them along in their careers.
James David Hazelton was an Australian aviator and co-founder, alongside his brother Max, of Hazelton Airlines, a regional Australian airline which later became Regional Express Airlines.
James Henry Carmichael Jr. "Slim" was a pioneering aviator, crop duster, barnstormer, airmail pilot, airline pilot, airline president, Special Assistant to the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA), and one of only ten recipients of the Airmail Flyers' Medal of Honor.
Elaine D. Harmon was an American from Maryland who served in the U.S. Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II. In 2009 she received a Congressional Gold Medal for her service as a pilot during World War II. As a WASP pilot, she has been accorded full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. In 2016, Ms. Harmon was posthumously inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame.
Wheeler Airlines was the operating name of Wheeler Flying Service (WHAA), the first black-owned airline certificated in the US by the FAA, which also helped integrate the pilots at major US air carriers by qualifying a large number of black pilots that were subsequently hired by the nation's major airlines.
This is a timeline of women in aviation which describes many of the firsts and achievements of women as pilots and other roles in aviation. Women who are part of this list have piloted vehicles, including hot-air balloons, gliders, airplanes, dirigibles and helicopters. Some women have been instrumental in support roles. Others have made a name for themselves as parachutists and other forms of flight-related activities. This list encompasses women's achievements from around the globe.
Beverley Bass is an American aircraft pilot and was the first female captain of an American Airlines commercial plane. She was hired in 1976 by American Airlines as their third female pilot. In 1986, Bass became the first female captain of a commercial plane at American Airlines and later that year she captained the first all-female crew in the history of commercial jet aviation, on an American Airlines flight from Washington D.C. to Dallas, Texas. She and pilot Stephanie Wallach founded the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, which began as a group of women aviators but later changed into a program providing career support and mentorship to aspiring pilots.
Tammie Jo Shults is an American retired commercial airline captain, author, and former naval aviator. She was one of the first female fighter pilots to serve in the United States Navy. Following active duty she became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. She retired from Southwest Airlines in 2020.
Robert Ashby was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer and pilot with the all-African American 332nd Fighter Group – Tuskegee Airmen. He was one of the 1007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.
David Ellsworth Harris is the first African American commercial airline pilot and first to achieve the rank of Pilot Captain for a major U.S. commercial airline.
