South African businesswoman Siza Mzimela made history this past September after the launch of her domestic airline, Fly Blue Crane. She is the first Black woman to own and operate her own airline. Sizakele Petunia Mzimela is an airline industry veteran and no stranger to the executive level. She was the CEO for South African Express Airways…
Jonathan Strickland may as well have wings attached to his back as the young pilot already owns several world records in aviation. The Los Angeles native recently achieved another mark by becoming the youngest pilot hired by UPS at just 25 years old. At a very young age, Strickland developed a love of flying via…
Black women are continuing to break down barriers one first at a time. The latest woman representing #BlackGirlMagic is Andrea Lewis, a Delta Airlines flight attendant, who has just been named by the Georgia National Guard as its first Black female pilot. Andrea Lewis is the daughter of a military pilot and a commercial flight…
The inspiration for Fly For The Culture is the friendship of two young men during the Korean War: Jesse Brown and Thomas Hudner. Their story epitomizes the kinship, sacrifice, and love that transcends the boundaries of race and culture. Jesse Brown grew up in Mississippi during the Great Depression. Although his family was far from…
Forty-year old Jared Hodge dreamed of becoming a pilot since the age of six-years old. Hodge’s parents often took him to airshows at a young age, which sparked his interest in aviation and he never looked back. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Aviation Management and Professional Flight from Auburn University. While at…
Twenty-five year old Hunter Maxwell is a private pilot, and currently training to be a reserve pilot with the US Air Force. Given that Maxwell’s grandfather, father, and aunt all worked in aviation, you might assume he has long wanted to follow in their footsteps. However, it wasn’t until college that he decided on becoming…
Twenty-one year old Xylene DeCoteau is a Certified Flight Instructor who aspires to be a commercial airline pilot. DeCoteau’s mother, who was a flight attendant, sparked her interest in pursuing a career in the aviation industry. Originally, DeCoteau wanted to be a flight attendant like her mother. However, after doing more research and participating in…
Christian Cunningham, a senior aeronautical studies major at Kent State University, has been doubted. Some said he would never become a pilot. But Cunningham is already proving them wrong. Graduation is on the horizon, and he and his internship were recently featured on CNN. “People would always say I couldn’t do it because I had…
Lauren Willliams knew she wanted to fly after going to an air show with her parents at the age of four. She described being mesmerized by a F/A-18 at a military air show during Fleet Week in San Francisco. “I was blown away,” Williams said. “I knew then that’s what really sparked my interest.” Now,…
Cosby Washingtion’s life-long dream to become a pilot started in the third-grade with a science fair project on paper airplanes that advanced to the city wide science fair. At thirty-two years old Washington recalls the fateful city wide science fair event that set in motion his career in the aviation industry. “At the city wide…