Sisters of the Skies: A professional sisterhood reinforcing excellence

By Theresa Claiborne

JA Aviation Correspondent

In 2017, Sisters of the Skies, Inc. (SOS) was established as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Its mission is clear: create access, build community, and ensure qualified Black women not only enter the field of aviation—but thrive in it.

Aviation is an expensive and often opaque career path, requiring access to flight training, mentorship, and networks. SOS provides a professional sisterhood reinforcing excellence by providing scholarships, mentorship programs, outreach events, and partnerships with aviation organizations.

Mentorship sits at the heart of SOS’s work. Established captains mentor student pilots. First officers guide flight instructors. Seasoned aviators speak at schools, aviation camps, and youth organizations. Reach one, teach one. Scholarships help offset the extraordinarily expensive cost of flight training.

But beyond programs and partnerships, there is something deeper: affirmation. Increasing the number of female Black pilots is not about optics. It is about equity, safety, and strengthening the industry with the full spectrum of available talent.

SOS’s mission is important. The aviation industry faces an ongoing pilot shortage, with airlines forecasting the need for tens of thousands of new pilots over the next decade. Expanding the talent pool is not only a matter of fairness—it is a matter of operational sustainability. That makes SOS’s mission more vital than ever.

Commercial aviation is still one of the most safety-regulated professions in the world. In aviation, standards do not bend. Pilots earn their seats. Every pilot on the flight deck—regardless of race or gender—must and does meet the same uncompromising requirements.

All airline pilots must meet strict Federal Aviation Administration standards, log thousands of flight hours, pass rigorous written and practical examinations, and undergo continuous training and evaluation throughout their careers. “There is no shortcut to becoming an airline pilot,” one SOS member stated. “You either meet the standard, or you don’t fly.”

On February 20 and 21 at its gala in Las Vegas, SOS will celebrate its achievements.  The skies have always symbolized possibility. For SOS that symbolism is practical as well as poetic. 

Publisher’s Note: In 1981, Theresa Claiborne became the first female African American to fly for the U.S. Air Force. After flying decades for United Airlines, she retired in 2024 as a Captain piloting the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on international flights.