I was the first Black female pilot in the US Air Force, and captained a commercial jet for 30 years. Some people still questioned if I was qualified to fly.

Sat, 06/29/2024 - 06:43

Captain Theresa Claiborne signed up to the Air Force in 1980, and later worked as a captain for United Airlines.
She was below the height requirement and the first Black woman recruited to the Force.
Claiborne spoke to Business Insider about the hurdles she faced and why piloting is a great career.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Captain Theresa Claiborne, the first Black female pilot in the US Air Force and a captain at United. The following was edited for length and clarity.

I had spent my younger days bouncing all over the world because my father was in the military. But life felt so stationary when we returned to the States.

During college, I applied to the Reserve Office Training Corps (ROTC) in Berkeley. During the six-week training camp, they took us up on a T-37 [a small training plane made by Cessna].