Shirley Tyus

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Shirley Tyus
BornJune 28, 1950 75 Years Old
Spartanburg, South Carolina
OccupationPilot
Employer
Known forFirst African American female pilot for United Airlines

Shirley Tyus (born June 28, 1950) was the first African American female pilot to fly for United Airlines.

Contents

Early life and family

Shirly Tyus was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was raised by her parents, Martin Bullock and Marcelle Suber in Buffalo New York. [1]

Career

Tyus' aviation career began as a United Airlines flight attendant in 1972. [2] While working as a flight attendant, she took a second job with a commuter airline out of North Carolina. [3] After flying as an attendant for five years, Tyus began spending her breaks in the cockpit, talking shop with the pilot crew. [4] In 1977, she enrolled in flight training at the Professional Flight School in Friendly, Maryland. [2] She received her commercials pilot's license in 1979. Tyus was able to balance the demands of being a United Airlines flight attendant by day with piloting cargo aircraft for the African-American-owned Wheeler Airlines, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, by night. [2] In 1987, United Airlines hired her as a pilot and continued training at United Airlines' Flight Training Center. [5] It was after completing this advanced training that Tyus began flying for United Airlines. [6] Tyus is the vice president of the Bessie Coleman Foundation, Inc. The BCF was founded in 1995 by a group of African American women involved in the aviation industry. [6]

Shirley Tyus has appeared on several television programs and has been featured in a number of newspaper and magazine articles, including the Washing Post, Washington Times, Ebony, Jet, and West African publications. [5] There have been a number of different organization's who have honored Tyus for her contributions towards aviation. Today, officer Tyus spends her free time volunteering with the Ariolina Young Aviators in Durham, North Carolina. [2]

References

  1. ↑ "Shirley Tyus". South Carolina African American History Calendar. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "2019-2020 Bill 4056: Shirley Tyus - South Carolina Legislature Online". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  3. ↑ "PILOT URGES GIRLS, MINORITIES TO SPREAD THEIR WINGS". The Washington Post. 1996-04-19. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  4. ↑ "Black female pilot lifts hope of teens". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  5. 1 2 "South Carolina Legislature Online - Search". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  6. 1 2 "1999 South Carolina AFRICAN" . Retrieved 2025-10-27.
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