Capt. Theresa Claibourne, 1st black female Air Force pilot, speak at DSU

Capt. Theresa Claibourne, the first African American woman pilot in the U.S. Air Force, said her pursuit of excellence began in her youth.

As part of Women’s History Month, Capt. Claibourne spoke of how she began in her youth to be molded into an individual of determination and excellence during a presentation on March 11 in the Dr. William B. DeLauder Education & Humanities Theatre at Delaware State University.

Retired as a Captain on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at United Airlines, Capt. Claibourne was one of only 24 Black women pilots at the airline among the more than 17,000 aviators at the end of her flying career. From 1990-2024, she amassed more than 22,000 flight hours on several aircraft models.

Her aviation journey began in 18981 as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, making history as the first black woman pilot in that military branch. Over her 20-year military career, she served as an aircraft commander and instructor on the KC-135.

Capt. Claibourne said the distinction and aviation success she achieved had its roots in her childhood. 

She shared how, as a young girl, she complained to her mother about an 89 she received on a school test and her belief that the teacher should have given her an A-minus instead of the B-plus she received. She said her mother responded in a way that stayed with her the rest of her life.

“She said, ‘do A work, and get an A,’” Capt. Claibourne said. “That was something big from a woman who didn’t finish school. But she knew that I had to be twice as good at whatever I did.”

Capt. Claibourne told how she went to college to major in communications, but dissatisfied after two years, she decided to join the U.S. Air Force through the California State University’s ROTC program. Originally thinking that she would become an Air Force Public Affairs officer, a ride in a T-37 jet changed her career trajectory. She decided that her destiny was to fly planes.

However, the Air Force had just begun a trial program to train women pilots and had already filled its small quota of 10 women. However, by her junior year, the Air Force expanded the number of women it was training, providing the then-future Capt. Claibourne with her opportunity.

Her height presented another challenge. The minimum required height for Air Force pilots was 64 inches – two inches more than Claibourne’s 62 inches. Her determination to become an Air Force pilot prompted her to wear a wig on the day she was measured, which added just enough height to meet that requirement.

Capt. Claibourne said as a Black woman pilot she has always worked at being “twice as good.” She said that imperative translated into a successful aviation career. 

Currently, Capt. Claibourne serves as the President of the Sisters of the Skies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing Black women in professional pilot careers. She is also a board member for the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) Museum and the Grand Dames of Aviation.

While she continues to be an advocate for women pilots, Capt. Claibourne said she is concerned about the current environment of pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

“I am a little fearful right now, and you young people in the audience, let me be fearful for you,” Capt. Claibourne said. “You guys should do as my mother said – Be twice as good. Listen to your instructors. Keep your head on straight and your mind right. Know that we are working on your behalf to make sure that we don’t go back to 1942.”

The event was co-sponsored by the Delaware River & Bay Authority, the Delaware Historical Society, the Delaware Department of Human Resources, and Delaware State University.