Organization Of Black Airline Pilots

[TWA Dude]

Given we now agree though that race can play a part in determining check ride status should lower standards be given to minorities and seniority discarded until minorities make up a more proportionate part of the airline Captains?

Nope.

 

[PCL_128]

This thread is just sad. The guy was just looking for someone to go into an inner city school to talk to impoverished black kids about becoming a pilot. Oh, the horrors.

 

[AC560]

Nope.

Pretty much what I thought, everyone is an advocate of affirmative action until it is going to cost them something.

 

[Reebo]

http://www.missblackusa.org/

Miss Georgia or Miss Nebraska?

 

[FreightGod]

That's a load of crap FG.

What?
Minorities need less quals to get hired, everthing else being equal is a load of crap?
Don't think so, but that is only my opinion, facts speaks for themselfs.

So if you think that just being a minority will help you get the dream job,

It will help ya get the dream job, but ya still have to qualify. No guarantees.

 

[FreightGod]

Do you have a specific example?

Yeah, after 30 years in the business I have seen a few examples.
Not going to mention names, dates or airlines here but I will say this:

I have seen more useless, un-talented and plain no-good white males doing this job and screwing it up than black/female/hispanic/gay/whatever pilots.

Just thought I would mention the above before anybody throws out the race card and start pointing fingers.
Easy to do, that is why O.J. Simpson is playing golf instead waiting to be fried in the chair.

I have flown with some great white/black and female pilots. I have also seen the minorites getting preferential hireing and better protection from termination in case of failed coures and busted check-rides.
My back ground includes instructor, check airman and captain on everything civilian from Piper Aztec to B-747.
Some black guys have been great and some have been useless. Same as white guys.

Some 20 + years ago I was the only white Captain for a black owned airline in the Virgin Islands.
I got along great with the guys.
Nuff said....

 

[donvag]

Uh, maybe because there's a couple hundred years of history of racism? There's no "White Pilot's Association" because there's no need for one.

It is called ALPA

 

[learflyer]

MOD INPUT- language masking is against the rules..

I think peoples' problem with OBAP isn't it's work, but its principle. Kind of like the United Negro College Fund. Why is one race given special programs and scholarships when others aren't?

If an association for White American-Italian Pilots (WAP) was founded and promoted scholarships only white Italians could get, I'm sure Jesse and Al would be raising hell. It's a double standard. This is the ill will I think a lot of people have with OBAP.

Now the basic issue of educating the inner city kids about opportunities... that's a good thing. ALPA should be involved with it as well as OBAP. Everyone should.

Let's start one. I'm bloody irish american, that's right, irish american. What about my people? That mayflower was no cruise ship. Why do black folks get all the oppression glory? You are only one class. There are fat, bald, ugly ,beautiful, poor , rich, militant, chinese, japanese, scottish, russian, hispanic<<<<<<<<(well, they can be a pain in the a***** too.)asian, tall, short, healthy, unhealthy people in this country. All are from different classes. f****** you and flame away.......

oh, and BTW, what about the Jewish people? How many millions were killed? I don't see them on cops on a weekly basis, or rising up as one! They are at f********** work!

signed:

George Carlin Jr.

 

[~~~^~~~]

Several posters challenged my use of the word "discriminatory" to describe OBAP. Here is the definition:

ADJECTIVE:

1. Marked by or showing prejudice; biased.
2. Making distinctions.

Clearly OBAP does discriminate, inasmuch as their mission statement is specific to the promotion of Black pilots. Not any pilots, but specifically Black pilots. That is a distinction, setting a group of pilots apart from the general population of pilots. Here is OBAP's "Goal" from their web site:

Goals
The goals of OBAP are to motivate our youth to become educationally prepared for life, to increase minority participation in aviation through exposure, training, mentoring, and scholarships; to encourage networking among black pilots; to increase the number of black pilots hired by airlines; and to assist the black airline pilot with special needs and concerns.

Not all discriminations are bad. I belong to the "American Bonanza Society." If you own a Mooney, or Cirrus, you are welcome to join us. But you can expect us to tell you our airplanes are better, faster, bigger, etc... and you will only find coverage of Beechcraft in our magazine. We discriminate, but we do not exclude. This is kinda where I think OBAP is going with their discriminatory intent. It is a distinction with no harm being intended.

It seems many people get the word "discrimination" confused with the term "racist," which is defined as follows:

NOUN:

1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

Again, I have no real concern about OBAP's operations. I've met some proud members who were good folks and I am grateful for their efforts to promote aviation, especially to kids that can benefit from the exposure.

I'm probably the only person on this web board who has had the Klan burn a cross in their yard. It takes forever for the grass to grow back after idiots get gas all over your lawn. I've seen racism from both sides and it is dumb and ugly regardless of who practices it.

I just kinda think "Black" as a descriptor of a ethnicity is outdated and anachronistic. As often as not, a "Black" pilot is from the Islands, Africa, Africa America, British, and from the Pacific Islands. I've flown with every sort of variation of ethnicity and nationality and none of my friends seemed to think of themselves as "Black."

I did go to college with a caucasian South African who applied, and recieved, scholarships that were not intended for him. It has hard to argue that he wasn't "African-American" since he had the papers to prove he was. Again, all of these discriminatory preferences are dumb.

 

[TWA Dude]

Several posters challenged my use of the word "discriminatory" to describe OBAP.

You are technically correct however you are inanely arguing semantics. We're using the word discriminatory in the derogatory sense. Obviously the only people complaining about OBAP are those who think it's wrong for a specific group to practice advocacy for its own. There are myriads of such special interest groups (like the AARP) and they're a heathy part of our society. White Males have no need for an advocacy group so there can only be one motivation for even suggesting one...