Warren Wheeler started Wheeler Flying Services, the first Black-owned airline certified in the U.S. issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. This paved the way for Black Americans and other people of color who sought aviation careers. In 1976, the airline was renamed Wheeler Airlines. In 1979, Wheeler used government employment training programs to train unemployed and impoverished people of color who wanted careers in the airline industry. He also served as their employment negotiator with regional and national carriers.
It wasn’t until 1991 when Wheeler Airlines shut down. However, in 2018 he started sharing his knowledge and resources for flying with area students in Durham, North Carolina as part of the Airolina Young Aviators Program.
References:
- Washington, Matthew. 2015. Warren H. Wheeler (1943- ). Black Past.
- Gubert, Betty Kaplan; Sawyer, Miriam; Fannin, Caroline M. 2002. Distinguished African Americans in Aviation and Space Science. Greenwood; Annotated edition.
- Davies, Ronald Edward George; Quastler, I. E. 1995. Wheeler Airlines. Commuter Airlines of the United States. Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 9781560984047.