Captain Theresa Claiborne is an unapologetic trailblazer who just captained her last roundtrip commercial flight for United Airlines.
The flight left May 20 from Newark on Claiborne’s beloved Boeing 787 and returned on May 25 from Lisbon. The journey capped Claiborne’s over three-decade career, during which she broke the glass ceiling for Black women in aviation. She is the first Black woman pilot in the United States Air Force and formerly the highest-ranking captain of the 787 Dreamliners at United Airlines.
In 2016, the history maker co-founded Sisters of the Skies with fellow pilots Christine Angel Hughes and Nia Wordlaw. The organization makes aviation and piloting accessible for young women and girls with scholarships, mentorship, and their initiative GRO, aka Girls Rock Wings.
Claiborne’s story is particularly inspiring because before she became a pilot, she had no role models in aviation. It wasn’t until she took an Upper Division Black History class as an 18-year-old college freshman that she learned about inspiring aviators who were Black too — Bessie Coleman and the Tuskegee Airmen. Even still, her interest in aviation wasn’t piqued until she decided to join the military. Claiborne said the choice to become a pilot was solidified after riding on a small T-37 trainer jet as a ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) member. “And that was all she wrote,” she told Travel Noire. “I decided this is what I want to do.”
Claiborne chatted with Travel Noire ahead of her retirement and milestone final flight for United. She candidly spoke about diversity in aviation, what it was like to be the first, and her desired legacy.
Piloting Her Final United Flight
We’re eager to hear your thoughts on embarking on your last commercial flight as a captain. How are you feeling about that, and what is the significance of this last flight for you, personally and professionally?
Well, I’m actually thankful to have reached this point. I mean, you look at your career and it can span a long time. And mine’s been going since 1990. And you want to make it to retirement healthily. So, for that, I’m thankful.
I’m getting ready to turn 65 years old, and I’m ready to park my brakes for the final time. I’m ready to leave my mark. And the flying that I do after that will be personal flying. And hopefully, I’ll gain a lot of joy out of that.
Diversity in Aviation
The stark statistic is that around 90% of the pilots in the industry are white men. The Chicago Times reported in 2023 that 4.6% of commercial airline pilots are women, and 3.4% are Black. Being the first Black woman pilot in the Air Force, what does it feel like now to provide role models and a channel of representation for Black women and women of color in the industry?
It’s daunting sometimes. Many of the girls call me by a nickname — they call me Mama T. Now I’ve accepted it and I wear it as a badge. I’m Mama T., and sometimes I have to throw that around and say, OK, you know, do as I say. Sometimes there’s an explanation. Then, sometimes there’s just, I’ve been there, you all, I’ve done it. We don’t need to reinvent this wheel. This is what you need to do. And sometimes I do that.
What messages do you want to continue relaying to the aviation industry about diversity and moving forward? Why is working for inclusion important in the space?
Diversity is important. And there are a lot of people who still have these negative thoughts about diversity, and they all say, “Oh, I just want a qualified pilot.”
Well, you’re getting a qualified pilot. We all have the same evaluators. If that person is sitting in that pilot’s seat, they have proven they’re qualified. Many times, the barrier for us [Black people] is financial. People are not going to be given a seat just because they’re Black — they’re not. They have to be qualified. Our lives — all of our lives — are dependent on it. And so we are qualified. Diversity is important. It just is.
Sisters of the Skies
Can you explain how Sisters of the Skies is changing aviation’s diversity stats? What has your impact been so far?
I think we’re having a huge impact. The tenants of our organization are scholarship, mentorship, and outreach. The largest barrier to flying airplanes is the money because it’s very expensive. And we [Black people] don’t have a history of parents owning airplanes and passing that on to the next generation. We’re just now starting to get that. And it’s really, really great when we see pilots whose children are following in their footsteps. But Sisters of the Skies makes huge strides in other ways.
We, the Sisters of the Skies instructors, are Black women in uniform. We say, “If they can see it, they can be it.” So that’s where we start. The first scholarships we awarded were in 2018, and here we are. It’s 2024, and our ability to provide funding has grown exponentially. With that money, women of color, Black women in particular, can get out there and learn how to fly airplanes.
What are those key pieces of advice you would give young Black women like the ones you mentor about entering the world of aviation?
One of the things I’m known for saying is “eyes on the prize.” I caution young women about their social media profiles. It’s hard enough to be taken seriously when you’re doing everything right. So then, if you put questionable things on social media, someone looks and says, “Oh, oh, oh, she’s a pilot? Really?”
I also advise being the best that they can be. When I was young, my mother looked at me and said, “Do A work and get an A.” That never left me. That never left Theresa. And that’s what I say to these young women. Get out there, do your job, learn how to fly an airplane, and be the best that you can be. There’s a lot of noise around whether we’re as qualified. Trust me, we’re as qualified. But don’t give anybody a reason. Don’t let that subjective thing come in for someone to decide that you’re not as qualified as the next. We are — we are qualified.
On Her Legacy
And so, when you look holistically at the span of your career and the various types of aviation you’ve done — and how things have gone — what are you most proud of? And why do you think it’s that particular thing?
Well, I’m most proud of the fact that I did have staying power. Believe it or not, I am proud that many know me just as a pilot. In a business resource group I belong to, somebody asked the question, “When you say pilot, who do you think of?” And people were saying Theresa Claiborne. Deep! That was deep!
So, I do feel like I’ve gotten the respect of my peers. Does everybody like Theresa Claiborne? No, they don’t. I’m sure they don’t. But that’s OK. Theresa Claiborne knows that she’s qualified and can fly an airplane. Theresa Claiborne carries herself in a certain way where she knows the next young lady who looks like her won’t be starting from the bottom.
On top of that recognition, respect, and ability to leave a stepping stone for other women in aviation, what else do you want your legacy to hold?
You know what? When people see me walk in, when they have to describe someone, they say, “Oh, it’s the Black woman pilot.” That’s human nature. But I hope that in the future, people will say, “Oh, Theresa Claiborne, the United Airlines pilot. She was a good pilot.” Yeah, I want to be known as a good pilot. I also want to be known as a mentor.
Lastly, what will you do now that you’re retiring from being an airline pilot? What will you captain next?
I will be doing a few things. You know what they say, sometimes you work harder after retirement than when you did your real job! And that may be the case.
I intend to continue mentoring. I will be doing some speaking. I plan on working on a book — a couple of books, a children’s book, and a book about my life. So there’s a lot that Theresa Claiborne still has to accomplish.
