Taking Flight: 7 Black Female Astronauts and Aviators Who Changed History

Jill Brown Hiltz

Jill Brown Hiltz was the first black female pilot for a major airline. When she was a teenager, the entire Brown family took flying lessons and Hiltz was the first family member to receive her pilot’s license. Eventually, the Browns acquired their own plane and she flew the aircraft frequently. After graduating from the University of Maryland in 1972, Hiltz accepted a teaching job, but in 1974, at the age of 24, she became the first black female in the U.S. Navy flight training program. However, Hiltz found military life confining, and after six months, left with an honorable discharge.

She then went to work at Wheeler Airlines, the first black owned and operated airline in the country. After logging enough hours to work for a major airline, Hiltz was hired by Texas International Airlines in 1978. Although her employment was historical, Hiltz believed that she was only hired because of her race. After only one year, she left the company to work for Zantop International Airlines in Detroit. Hiltz stayed with the cargo carrier until 1985.