The numbers tell the story. A 2020 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey found only 3.4 percent of America’s aircraft pilots or flight engineers were Black, while 94 percent were white. There are fewer than 200 Black female commercial pilots, according to Sisters of the Skies, an organization of Black female pilots.
But the stats are slowly changing. “For decades, the number of female pilots stagnated at about 5 percent, but recently the percentage continues to grow to about 7 percent,” said Kelly Murphy, director of communications, Women in Aviation International. Similarly, said Capt. Robert Williams, who is Black and has 30-plus years in aviation,“We’ve faced adversity but have made slow progress in minority captains.”
What’s the chief barrier to a seat in the cockpit? Money. It can cost more than $100,000 to become a pilot. Scholarships help move the needle.
Williams remains optimistic about the future, especially with the current pilot shortage. “The airlines want diversity. They want warm bodies, as long as they’re qualified,” he said.
There is much in the works. Airline educational initiatives like JetBlue’s Fly Like a Girl program create interest in careers in aviation in under- represented communities. The Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals offers Aerospace Career Education Academy programs for middle and high school students. Major airlines have pilot training programs. Scholarships are available from aviation organizations, and the airlines donate money to organizations like OBAP’s Luke Weather Flight Academy, to which American Airlines announced last year it will donate $1.5 million. Since 2019 Boeing has invested $8.5 million in pilot training programs.
United’s Aviate Academy opened in 2021. There are 340 students, and 100 people have graduated (51 graduates in the inaugural class). “The academy is a significant investment in our hiring strategy and will help us meet our aggressive growth goals in the coming years,” said David Gonzalez, senior media manager, United, which aims for 50 percent of academy students to be women or people of color.
Legislators are taking up the issue. The Flight Education Act introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate this year seeks to increase the limit for individuals taking out student loans to pay for flight training and to increase diversity within pilot training programs.
Williams confidently said, “Ten years from now, things will look different.”
Read This Next
Introducing
FX Excursions
FX Excursions offers the chance for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in destinations around the world.
#globility
Insta FeedNovember 2024
Nov 20, 2024A Fusion of History and Modernity Makes Bangkok a Perfect Meeting Spot
In this city of contrasts, glass skyscrapers stand behind century- old temples. Street food vendors sling steaming noodles along roadways while tucked-away restaurants serve multicourse, Michelin-level cuisine. Roadways jam with cars as jewel-toned tuk tuks whizz through the gridlock. Long considered a tourist mecca, Bangkok also makes for a dynamic, budding location for corporate travelers.
Sponsored Content
Extraordinary Egypt
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME JOURNEY INTO THE ANCIENT WORLD OF THE PHARAOHS
Daily
Nov 20, 2024Le Massif de Charlevoic, Québec, Announces Winter Ski Season Festivities
Ski fever? This year, skip the long flight over the water and stay a little closer to home at four-season Le Massif de Charlevoix resort in Québec. Snow fun kicks off Nov. 30 when skiers and snowboarders carve the first tracks of the season. The resort, about an hour from Québec City and 20 minutes from Baie-Saint-Paul, is the location of North America’s first Club Med mountain village.
Daily
Nov 20, 2024Celebrate the Holidays at This Hotel on Italy’s Amalfi Coast
Spend the holiday season in Italy with a stay at Anantara Convento di Amalfi Hotel. The only 5-star hotel in the area hosts festive experiences from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.
Sponsored Content
Remarkable Medellín
Visiting Medellín in Colombia: The Country of Beauty is like stepping into a fantastic story — literally, as the city in the Western Colombian Andes region inspired Disney’s Encanto. Here, valleys, the world’s tallest palms, vibrant communities, colorful houses, garden-like balconies and more prove reality is more picturesque than anything on film. And it’s especially more tempting following Medellín’s remarkable transformation, shedding its troubled past and reawakening as a city of innovation, art, cultural richness, modern infrastructure, thriving tourism and resiliency.
eFlyer Reviews
Nov 20, 2024Château des Fleurs Review
Just a short block from the Champs Elysées, flower-bedecked window boxes grace the corner and clearly identify Château des Fleurs. This 37-room boutique hotel is one of Vivre-LMB’s five small hotels in Paris owned by Olivier Bertrand and his sisters and affiliated with Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Save Up to 50 Percent Off HX Expeditions
eFlyer Deals
Nov 20, 2024Xanterra Launches Thankful for Travel Sale
eFlyer Deals
Nov 20, 2024eFlyer Lead
Nov 20, 2024Chase Opens 2 New Lounges This Year, More Slated for 2025
This year, both Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and San Diego International Airport welcomed new Sapphire Lounge by The Clubs. These two lounges join existing locations in New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS).
Sponsored Content
Pick Your Paradise: Experience Bali at 3 Incredible Hotels
Bali is a name synonymous with island bliss. But there is more than just one side to this incredible place. Get a sense for the variety of experiences Bali offers by learning about three hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with distinctive opportunities for adventure and relaxation. With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card, earn points for free nights at each of these properties.
Daily
Nov 20, 2024South Africa’s Newest Experiential Safari Eco-Lodge Opens Early 2025
Luxury hospitality brand Few & Far debuts its newest eco-lodge next year, bringing a reimagined safari experience to South Africa. Few & Far Luvhondo will open in Limpopo, South Africa, offering just six cliffside suites within the elusive Soutpansberg Mountains, part of UNESCO’s Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (one of the world’s most biologically diverse regions in the world).
ShareThis