Photo By Tech. Sgt. Kentavist Brackin | The crew of the 89th Airlift Wing’s first African American Heritage Flight pose for...... read more read more
“Only 2% of Air Force pilots are black. I didn’t meet a black pilot in the Air Force until I was in college and that same pilot encouraged me to fly when I wouldn’t have otherwise. That is why representation is paramount in inspiring young dreamers to take on a career in aviation,” said Maj. Saj El-Amin, a 99th Airlift Squadron pilot and coordinator for the heritage flight. “We wanted to accomplish great training with the crew, celebrate Black history along our flightpath through American history and show representation in an underrepresented career field.”
El-Amin and his team of 15 SAM Fox Airmen flew the wing’s first-ever African American Heritage Flight for a 3-day training mission, Feb. 19 – 21. The crew complement consisted of a variety of flying and support units within the 89th AW to include the 99th and 1st Airlift Squadrons.
The flight’s purpose was to celebrate Black history in aviation and the Air Force by flying a mission with an all-Black crew.
El-Amin noted the heritage flight was something they always wanted to do, but have not been able to until recently.
“We’ve never had Black Airmen in all of the required crew positions at the same time to conduct this type of celebration,” he said. “This year we did, so we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity.”
During the flight, several of the crew remarked on the range of emotions and expressions they felt throughout the heritage flight, and how they didn’t want the moment to end.
“In my 17 years, until now, I’ve never been in an all-African American aircrew. It felt humbling, exciting and natural to be around such high-speed individuals on the aircrew,” said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Bailey, a 99th AS flight attendant. “Being around so much experience shows you that you can always strive for more.”
From the pilots.
“It was incredible. I’m thankful our entire leadership team gave their full support. When you’re the first of anything, you don’t quite know what to expect or how it will be perceived. But that comes with the territory of making history,” El-Amin said. “From the moment we took off and our wheels left the grounds of [Joint Base Andrews], we knew we had just made history.”
The trip’s first day included a stop at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina where they met four other African-American aircrews from various wings/bases. The five aircrews were split into enlisted and officer elements to join cross talks about experiences like overcoming adversity, operating in an environment where you’re the ‘only one’ in the room and aircrew techniques and procedures.
The gathering of more than 70 African American aircrew members then met on the flightline for a group photo alongside their Tuskegee Airmen predecessors, celebrating the 80-year legacy of America’s first Black pilots. The first day concluded with each aircrew giving tours of their airframes before departing.
“It was surreal that I was able to be a part of such a wide-reaching, historic event. I got the opportunity to communicate with all of the different aircrews from the KC-46 and C-17 teams, and learned more of the history of the Tuskegee chapters,” Bailey said.
Day two of the trip, the historic crew landed in Fulton County Airport in Atlanta.
This stop wasn’t about appreciating how far aircrews have come. Instead, it looked toward the future to inspire Metro Atlanta minority youth by having them engage pilots they could visually identify with.
“There are thousands of pilots that minority kids see when they get on the aircraft, but when you see a pilot that looks just like you step off that plane, it impacts you in such a deeper way,” said Maj. Kyle. Foley, a 99th AS pilot and coordinator for the second day. “I was able to come here years ago, but when I came I was the only African American member of the crew. This time, the impact was much greater because I was able to come with an all-African American crew and help the students see visual representation like themselves.”
SAM Fox aircrew gave tours of the C-37B Gulfstream aircraft, which normally supports special airlift missions worldwide for high-ranking government and Department of Defense officials, to local Civil Air Patrol cadets, Aviation Career Enrichment (ACE) students, eager parents and others in attendance.
The event was very emotional for the parents and older generations, Foley noted.
“For the older generation, older than us, they truly understood what we were doing here with an entirely black aircrew responsible for flying our Nation’s most senior elected and military leaders,” he said. “The parents were emotional and ecstatic their kids got to see and be part of something like this.”
“I hope people understand celebrating Black history is a part of celebrating American history.,” El-Amin said. “We are all talented with an unlimited amount of potential to do something great. So when our talents are matched with opportunities, only then are we able to showcase our fullest potential. I’m hopeful these opportunities will continue and we all can be on the forefront of accelerating our legacy and making history.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2021 19:26 |
| Story ID: | 389782 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 1,340 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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