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Warren Wheeler and The First Black-owned U.S. Airline
Manage episode 465297955 series 3592294
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During the first fifty years of air travel in the United States, the airline industry - as a service provider, and as an employer - is largely focused on White people.
Black Americans are usually locked out of many airline jobs until long after the 1940s, and Black households have little exposure to air travel, both because of the high cost, and the segregated nature of many airport facilities.
In a 1976 magazine article I found while doing background work for this podcast episode, a Black airline pilot is quoted saying: “Whites have long ago realized that time is money. Some of us [and he’s referring to Black Americans] are still wondering if it’s safe to ride on trains.”
Then in the early 1960s, a 19-year old from North Carolina opens a small flying school at the airport in Chapel Hill, close to where he grew up. Warren Wheeler loves to fly, he’s determined to make a living doing it, and he’s Black.
Join me for this look at how Warren grew his flight school into the first Black-owned airline in the U.S., while also becoming a jet captain for a major airline, and the impact his work has had across generations.
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