The Monroe Science Center is honoring Black History Month by highlighting notable African American figures in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Our final featured figure is C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson, recognized as the "Father of Black Aviation" for being the first African American to earn a commercial pilot's license.
Charles Alfred Anderson was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb, on February 9, 1907, to his parents, Janie and Iverson Anderson. Young Charles was fascinated by airplanes and knew he just had to fly. By age 20, Anderson had saved money for flying lessons, but no one would teach a Black man to fly. Not swayed, Anderson attended aviation ground school, learned airplane mechanics, and hung around airports, picking up information from white pilots wherever he could.
Realizing he would only learn to fly by owning his own airplane, he purchased a Velie Monocoupe in August 1929 with $2500 borrowed from friends and relatives. Members of a flying club eventually allowed him to join, but no instruction was offered. With trial and error and a lot of courage, Anderson taught himself to take off and land safely.
Anderson earned his pilot's license in August 1929. Seeking to obtain an air transport pilot's license but again finding race an obstacle, help finally came from Ernest H. Buehl, known as "The Flying Dutchman," a German aviator who came to the United States in 1920 to help open transcontinental airmail routes. Under Buehl's tutelage and personal insistence, in February 1932, Anderson became the first African American to receive an air transport pilot's license from the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
Anderson had already made a name for himself before being awarded a contract with the Tuskegee Airmen to provide flight training in February 1941. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the United States. They served in World War II as fighter pilots and bomber crew members. At this time in American society and law, the U.S. military remained racially segregated during World War II. It was during his time at Tuskegee that he earned the nickname “Chief”, as he was the chief flight instructor for the Tuskegee Airmen.
Chief Anderson earned national support for Tuskegee flight training when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, keenly interested in the program, visited the school in March 1941. When she accepted his offer of a flight, Anderson flew her around the school. This short flight, considered by most people at the time very daring, brought media attention to the program, demonstrated that Black people could fly airplanes, and showed that the Tuskegee program had the First Lady's complete trust and support.
After World War II, C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson continued working as a flight instructor at Tuskegee Institute, where he trained Black and white students under the G.I. Bill. Anderson advocated for integrating African Americans into aviation and promoting aviation education among the Black community for decades. He remained a prominent figure in aviation, mentoring young pilots and working to increase diversity within the industry. Anderson died on April 13, 1996, at his home in Tuskegee after a long battle with cancer.
Anderson was the first at many things, but thanks to those firsts, he will not be the last. Even after his death, Anderson is recognized as a pioneer in Black aviation for his significant contributions to training pilots and advocating for racial equality.