FORT WORTH, Texas (13 Agustus 200) - American Airlines bakal dadi sponsor judhul Konvensi Tahunan Organisasi Pilot Maskapai Hitam (OBAP) kaping 32, ing ngendi Kapten Dave Harris sing pensiun bakal diajeni amarga dadi wong Afrika Amerika pisanan sing mabur maskapai komersial. Harris, 73 taun, pensiun saka American Airlines ing taun 1994 sawise luwih saka 30 taun layanan.

Sawise ditolak saka sawetara maskapai penerbangan utama ing wektu kasebut, Harris pengin ngindhari kesalahpahaman ing dalan. Sawise wawancara karo Amerika, Harris kelingan, "Aku rumangsa kepeksa ngandhani (pewawancara) yen aku ireng." Kepala pilot sing nindakake wawancara mangsuli, "Iki American Airlines lan kita ora peduli yen sampeyan ireng, putih utawa chartreuse, kita mung pengin ngerti, apa sampeyan bisa mabur pesawat?" Harris miwiti latihan karo American Airlines tanggal 3 Desember 1964, nyiapake pilot pesawat DC-6 maskapai kasebut.

American Airlines saiki duwe salah sawijining daftar kru penerbangan sing paling maneka warna ing industri kasebut. American lan afiliasi regional American Eagle Airlines bebarengan makaryakke 163 pilot Afrika-Amerika, sawetara kang uga pilot wadon.

"Kapten Harris minangka panutan ing antarane wong Afrika-Amerika sing wiwit ngetutake lakune kanggo kerja ing industri penerbangan komersial," ujare Kapten Mark Hettermann, pilot pimpinan American Airlines. "Layanan darmabakti 30 taun kudu dadi inspirasi kanggo kabeh wong Amerika - Amerika Afrika lan liya-liyane."

Sawetara karyawan saiki lan mantan American Airlines uga bakal nampa pengakuan khusus kanggo prestasi karir sing luar biasa ing penerbangan, kalebu Joan Dorsey, sing dadi pramugari Afrika-Amerika pisanan. Dorsey pensiun saka American Airlines ing taun 1999 sawise luwih saka 36 taun layanan.

Didegaké ing 1976, Organisasi Black Airline Pilots, Inc. minangka organisasi nirlaba sing darmabakti kanggo nambah jumlah wong Afrika-Amerika lan wanita sing kerja ing industri penerbangan. Berkantor pusat ing Silver Spring, Maryland, misi OBAP yaiku nyiapake wong enom supaya bisa nggayuh masa depan sing sukses ing industri penerbangan liwat kesempatan pendidikan, bimbingan lan proyek aeroangkasa.

APA sing kudu dijupuk saka ARTIKEL INI:

American Airlines will serve as the title sponsor of the Organization of Black Airline Pilots (OBAP) 32nd Annual Convention, where retired Captain Dave Harris will be honored for being the first African American to fly for a commercial airline.
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, the mission of OBAP is to prepare young people to realize a successful future in the aerospace industry through educational opportunities, mentoring and aerospace projects.
The chief pilot who conducted the interview responded, “This is American Airlines and we don’t care if you’re black, white or chartreuse, we only want to know, can you fly the plane.