1942 First African American officer in the Civil Air Patrol

Brown was one of few women who attended Curtiss–Wright Aeronautical University where she studied aircraft maintenance and earned an aircraft mechanic's license in 1935. She earned a private pilot's license in 1938 and a commercial pilot's license in 1939, becoming the first African American woman to earn either type of license in the United States. Together with Cornelius Coffey and Enoch P. Waters, Brown formed the National Negro Airmen Association of America, later renamed to National Airmen's Association of America which was incorporated in 1939. Their primary mission was to attract more interest in aviation, help develop a better understanding in the field of aeronautics, and increase African American participation in both fields. She co-founded with Coffey the School of Aeronautics in Chicago, located at Harlem Airport, with the purpose of training black pilots and teaching aviation mechanics. Nearly 200 students from the school went on to join the Tuskegee Airmen. In 1942, she attained the rank of Lieutenant in Civil Air Patrol Squadron 613-6, becoming the first African American officer in the Civil Air Patrol.

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Category:
Aviation - Civil Air Patrol

Completion Status:
yes

Patent Number:
N/A

Co-Inventor:
None