How Black flyers on Long Island impacted the aviation industry in the early 20th century
Bessie Coleman, the nation's first Black woman to earn a pilot's license, at Curtiss Field on Long Island. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/Science History Images
More than 100 years ago, Bessie Coleman took to Long Island skies in a borrowed plane — and made another ascent into history.
In September 1922, Coleman became the nation’s first Black woman to take flight publicly at Curtiss Field, which became Roosevelt Field, historians say. Already the first woman of Black and Indigenous descent to get an international pilot’s license, Coleman accomplished her Long Island feat as part of an event recognizing veterans of the all-Black World War I 369th Infantry Regiment.
Achievements by Coleman and other Black people helped secure a place in the nascent aviation industry on Long Island at a time of racial discrimination, aviation experts say.
“They knew that aviation was going to develop as a key industry in this country, and they wanted other Black people … to get in on the ground floor,” said Philip Hart, a filmmaker and author of books on aviation.
Other feats from this era include the first Black-piloted transcontinental flight, which took off from Los Angeles and landed on Long Island in 1932. Archives and records show that Black people on Long Island trained to ensure the skies would not be segregated, despite the sometimes arduous task of getting a plane or securing instruction.
Around the same time, Los Angeles and Chicago were significant Black aviation hubs — places that hosted flight clubs and early Black flight luminaries, according to Hart's book “Flying Free: America's First Black Aviators.” For instance, Chicago residents included Coleman and Cornelius Coffey, who started an aeronautical school.
In general, Long Island was a good place to fly to and from because of its proximity to New York City and its large stretches of flat land that were useful for takeoffs and landings.
Another reason was Roosevelt Field, one of the busiest civilian airports in the nation in the 1920s and '30s. It also was where Charles Lindbergh took off on the first nonstop solo flight over the Atlantic to Paris, in 1927.
For Black people, it was one of the few places in the United States that took them as flight students, said Joshua Stoff, curator at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale.
“It was almost impossible anywhere else in the country,” Stoff said. Because of that, Coleman went to France for her pilot training.
Also, at a moment of zeal for aviators, African Americans would come to Roosevelt Field to see these early Black aviators, aviation experts say.
“The field of aviation was expanding quickly, and there was a lot of interest by the public, who would come and watch these events,” said Richard Panchyk, author of dozens of books, including “Roosevelt Field Through Time: A Visual History of a Historic American Airport.”
Hubert Julian parachuted from Curtiss Field in 1922. Julian, sometimes called the “Black Eagle of Harlem,” also was a pilot who attempted to fly from New York to Ethiopia, according to the book "American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky.”
Roosevelt Field also was the site where a Haitian native got his private pilot’s license, according to archives in the New York Amsterdam News.
Another Roosevelt Field trainee was Troy Newkirk, a transport pilot.
As for Coleman, she worked as a barnstorming pilot, where she might complete stunts such as loops, according to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Coleman would only do “exhibition shows” before an integrated audience.
Coleman’s goal was to establish a flight school, but she died in a 1926 plane crash, according to a book by Von Hardesty “Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History.” Her legacy has inspired other pilots.
James Herman Banning, a skilled pilot, joined the Bessie Coleman Aero Club in Los Angeles. He would later decide to take a flight across the country from Los Angeles to Long Island, but he lacked the funding for the endeavor.
Eventually, Banning joined forces with Thomas Allen and was lent a plane but could not secure funding.
With just $25 in cash between them, the two took off from Los Angeles in September 1932. The pair called themselves the “Flying Hobos” because they planned to ask for money along their journey.
They planned stops in different parts of the country, often in places with a significant Black population, said Hart, the aviation author who is also the great-nephew of Banning. Black churches would sometimes offer assistance.
“They were plotting their route across America so … they would land at a friendly place,” Hart said. Generally, a place that had Black churches, Black restaurants or Black community.
Sometimes mechanical issues forced them to make other stops, where benefactors and residents helped them to complete the journey.
When the two landed on Long Island, it capped a journey that took more than 20 days with about 40 hours in flight. Former New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker gave the pair the key to the city. The two would go to clubs and meet notables like Duke Ellington.
The pair's return flight ended when their plane crashed in Pennsylvania.
Banning died soon after the crash. Allen died in 1989.
Still, Hart says, their journey and the early efforts of aviators of color show that Black people early on were part of the aviation industry.
“It's important to continue to tell those stories so that people know that, you know, our contributions have been significant in the aviation industry since the beginning,” he said.
More than 100 years ago, Bessie Coleman took to Long Island skies in a borrowed plane — and made another ascent into history.
In September 1922, Coleman became the nation’s first Black woman to take flight publicly at Curtiss Field, which became Roosevelt Field, historians say. Already the first woman of Black and Indigenous descent to get an international pilot’s license, Coleman accomplished her Long Island feat as part of an event recognizing veterans of the all-Black World War I 369th Infantry Regiment.
Achievements by Coleman and other Black people helped secure a place in the nascent aviation industry on Long Island at a time of racial discrimination, aviation experts say.
“They knew that aviation was going to develop as a key industry in this country, and they wanted other Black people … to get in on the ground floor,” said Philip Hart, a filmmaker and author of books on aviation.
Other feats from this era include the first Black-piloted transcontinental flight, which took off from Los Angeles and landed on Long Island in 1932. Archives and records show that Black people on Long Island trained to ensure the skies would not be segregated, despite the sometimes arduous task of getting a plane or securing instruction.
Around the same time, Los Angeles and Chicago were significant Black aviation hubs — places that hosted flight clubs and early Black flight luminaries, according to Hart's book “Flying Free: America's First Black Aviators.” For instance, Chicago residents included Coleman and Cornelius Coffey, who started an aeronautical school.
Long Island attractive to aviators
In general, Long Island was a good place to fly to and from because of its proximity to New York City and its large stretches of flat land that were useful for takeoffs and landings.
Another reason was Roosevelt Field, one of the busiest civilian airports in the nation in the 1920s and '30s. It also was where Charles Lindbergh took off on the first nonstop solo flight over the Atlantic to Paris, in 1927.
For Black people, it was one of the few places in the United States that took them as flight students, said Joshua Stoff, curator at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale.
“It was almost impossible anywhere else in the country,” Stoff said. Because of that, Coleman went to France for her pilot training.
A hangar at Roosevelt Field circa 1935. Credit: Cradle of Aviation Museum
Also, at a moment of zeal for aviators, African Americans would come to Roosevelt Field to see these early Black aviators, aviation experts say.
“The field of aviation was expanding quickly, and there was a lot of interest by the public, who would come and watch these events,” said Richard Panchyk, author of dozens of books, including “Roosevelt Field Through Time: A Visual History of a Historic American Airport.”
Landing at Curtiss Field
Hubert Julian parachuted from Curtiss Field in 1922. Julian, sometimes called the “Black Eagle of Harlem,” also was a pilot who attempted to fly from New York to Ethiopia, according to the book "American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky.”
Roosevelt Field also was the site where a Haitian native got his private pilot’s license, according to archives in the New York Amsterdam News.
Troy Newkirk, right, who held the first African American transport pilot license, with instructor Zeki Dervand Credit: Cradle of Aviation Museum
Another Roosevelt Field trainee was Troy Newkirk, a transport pilot.
As for Coleman, she worked as a barnstorming pilot, where she might complete stunts such as loops, according to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Coleman would only do “exhibition shows” before an integrated audience.
Coleman’s goal was to establish a flight school, but she died in a 1926 plane crash, according to a book by Von Hardesty “Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History.” Her legacy has inspired other pilots.
James Herman Banning, a skilled pilot, joined the Bessie Coleman Aero Club in Los Angeles. He would later decide to take a flight across the country from Los Angeles to Long Island, but he lacked the funding for the endeavor.
Flight across the country
Eventually, Banning joined forces with Thomas Allen and was lent a plane but could not secure funding.
With just $25 in cash between them, the two took off from Los Angeles in September 1932. The pair called themselves the “Flying Hobos” because they planned to ask for money along their journey.
They planned stops in different parts of the country, often in places with a significant Black population, said Hart, the aviation author who is also the great-nephew of Banning. Black churches would sometimes offer assistance.
“They were plotting their route across America so … they would land at a friendly place,” Hart said. Generally, a place that had Black churches, Black restaurants or Black community.
Sometimes mechanical issues forced them to make other stops, where benefactors and residents helped them to complete the journey.
When the two landed on Long Island, it capped a journey that took more than 20 days with about 40 hours in flight. Former New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker gave the pair the key to the city. The two would go to clubs and meet notables like Duke Ellington.
The pair's return flight ended when their plane crashed in Pennsylvania.
Banning died soon after the crash. Allen died in 1989.
Still, Hart says, their journey and the early efforts of aviators of color show that Black people early on were part of the aviation industry.
“It's important to continue to tell those stories so that people know that, you know, our contributions have been significant in the aviation industry since the beginning,” he said.
Bessie Coleman became the nation’s first Black woman to take flight publicly at Long Island's Curtiss Field.
Achievements by Coleman and other Black people helped secure a place in the nascent aviation industry on Long Island at a time of racial discrimination, aviation experts say.
Other feats from this era include the first Black-piloted transcontinental flight, which took off from Los Angeles and landed on Long Island in 1932.
Education: Howard University
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.
Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting; Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.
