Little-Known History Fact: Mildred Carter, Alabama's first licensed black female pilot. (1169 hits)
Friday, October 28, 2011
Mildred Carter of Tuskegee, who died recently at age 90, was Alabama's first licensed black female pilot. With 150 hours of flight time logged, Carter flew the skies in a two-plane formation with her husband, a fellow Tuskegee Airman, Herbert Carter. Known as the Tuskegee Airmen Organization’s “First Family,” the Carters were married for nearly 70 years.
Mildred Carter graduated with a business degree from Tuskegee University at 19. She was denied entry into the Civilian Pilot Training Program the first time because she was too young, but was granted entry the next year and became the first female graduate. In the meantime, she was also making history as the first civilian to be hired as a clerk at Tuskegee’s Army Air Field. She was taught to fly by historymaker Charles Alfred “Chief” Anderson, a man known as the father of black aviation.
Women were not allowed to join combat during World War II, but it was Mildred Carter’s dream to have an aviation career. According to her son, Herbert Carter Jr., her only regret was not being able to join the Women's Air Force Service Pilots organization, which was an all-white female service group during WWII. She was rejected because she was black. Her days of flying memories would continue when she and her husband met above a local lake to send “I love you” signals in the air.
In February, Mildred Carter was honored at the Tuskegee Human and Multicultural Center with a ceremony and roses. According to reports, after turning 90 on Sept. 14, she joked that she hoped to "hang around" for her husband’s 94th birthday on Sept. 27. She did. But Mildred Carter passed away last week and is survived by her husband, three children, a sister, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
