BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : BLACK PILOTS WITH MAJOR WORLD AIR LINES :

While African American were making strides in Military and General Aviation, the area of commercial aviation remained a mostly closed society. Blacks were unknown in commercial aviation during the post war years. It wasn't until the advent of the Civil Rights Movements in the 1960's that some of the barriers came down. The first African American to pilot a commercial aircraft was August Harvey Martin who was born in Los Angeles  California in 1919. He was to train as a Bomber Pilot in The U.S. Air Force during the war but did not serve as the war ended before he could be posted over seas. He joined Seaboard World Airlines as the first Black Captain of a U.S. Scheduled air carrier, and spent thirteen years with this Air Lines.

Marlon Green was a Captain and Pilot with Continental Air Lines, when in 1957 he applied with Continental Air Lines for a position as a pilot. Marlon had the most experience and fling hours of the applicants, but Marlon was not offered a job and the other five white applicant with far less hours were all employed. Marlon had a choice to go to court and fight the Air lines for racism and discrimination, which he choose to do, it took six years and he won at the Supreme Court which decided in his favor. He was appointed a Commercial Pilot and Captain with Continental Airlines in 1965. He served for fourteen years until his retirement. He died in 2009 age 80years. In honor of Marlon Green  Continental Air Lines named a plane in his honor as there first Black Captain of a Commercial Air Carrier.