The first Black pilot of a commercial airline has died at 89

Transcript :

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

When American Airlines hired David Harris in 1964, he became the first Black pilot for a major commercial airline. Captain Harris died in Marietta, Ga., on March 8. He was 89. NPR’s Elizabeth Blair has this appreciation.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, David Harris and his brother used to visit the Lockbourne Air Force Base. That’s where the decorated Tuskegee Airmen were stationed after World War Two.

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DAVID HARRIS: My brother and I would run around the base and never paid any attention to the fact that all the people on the base were Black.

BLAIR: In 2022, Harris told NPR he got to know some of the famed airmen. He said they would have been perfect for the commercial airlines.

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HARRIS: But nobody would hire them.

BLAIR: But nobody would hire them. President Truman desegregated the armed forces in 1948. A decade later, Harris was in flight training for the Air Force. After six years in the military, he applied to be a pilot at several commercial airlines. Only American Airlines offered him an interview. With his light skin and green eyes, Harris was often mistaken for white. Michael Cottman, who wrote a biography of Harris, told NPR he went out of his way to set the record straight.

MICHAEL COTTMAN: Just said – hey, look, I just want you to know before we proceed that I’m Black – because he is so proud of his heritage that he didn’t want to pass for white. He said he was stunned because the recruiter just said, look, I really don’t care if you’re Black, white or chartreuse. Can you fly an airplane?

BLAIR: He could, but the skies were not always friendly. In the 1960s, Harris faced overt racism and took inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: The hour has come for everybody and for all institutions, for the public sector and the private sector, to work to get rid of racism.

BLAIR: Not long after King was assassinated, Harris and a co-pilot were flying into Washington, D.C. They could see the black smoke from the riots. As they approached the landing, Harris’ white co-pilot started talking.

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HARRIS: He was making all kinds of nasty comments about Martin Luther King, and I sat quiet in the other seat.

BLAIR: Sat quiet because the two of them were responsible for landing a plane full of passengers.

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HARRIS: You’re in the cockpit with the crew, and you’ve got to get along and work professionally and not to get into verbal fights airborne.

BLAIR: Once he was established at American Airlines, Captain Harris began mentoring young African Americans, men and women, who were interested in flying.

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HARRIS: Reaching back and helping others to succeed – that’s where I’d like for my legacy to be.

BLAIR: In a statement, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said David Harris opened the doors and inspired countless Black pilots to pursue their dreams to fly. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF GOAPELE SONG, “CLOSER”) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.