Carole Hopson doesn’t take no for an answer.
She became a pilot at age 50, flying with United Airlines, then eight years later achieved the rank of captain – and has now published her first book.
In an exclusive chat with MailOnline Travel, the 60-year-old explains her inspiration, reveals why she thinks women make the perfect pilots and shares the unique phrase she uses to catch her passengers’ attention.
It was a fateful journey in a first class cabin that sparked Carole’s interest in flying. The former journalist and brand executive was peering into the cockpit from her seat when the pilot saw her looking.
‘He said “come on up front”. And I sat in the jump seat all night across the North Atlantic watching the stars and the pilot’s buttons and switches and I just knew I had to do this,’ reveals Carole.
It was her boyfriend – now husband – that bought her her first flying lesson, which Carole describes as the ‘moment’ she knew ‘he was a keeper’.
That first flight? ‘It was unworldly. It was orgasmic,’ says Carole. From that moment, she knew she had to quit her job and retrain.
And it was at flying school that Carole first heard of Bessie Coleman, the subject of her debut novel A Pair of Wings. Bessie became the first African American woman to earn a flying licence in 1921.
Carole Hopson doesn’t take no for an answer – the United Airlines captain became a pilot at age 50, made captain at 58 and has just published her first book
It was at flying school that Carole first heard of Bessie Coleman, the subject of her debut novel A Pair of Wings
Carole says: ‘It changed my life. I had been to several universities and yet I had never heard of Bessie Coleman. How was that? It disturbed me profoundly and I said “Jeez, I should do something about this”. And I wound up writing the book.
‘Bessie’s mother was born a slave in Texas. Her mother had 13 children, nine lived and Bessie is 11 when the Wright Brothers make their first flight. Bessie’s stunned and she knows she just has to do it.
‘But none of the flight schools on either coast, none of them will admit a black woman.
‘So she winds up going over to France, which means she has to learn French. At age 26, she starts learning French in night school and when she’s proficient she goes over to France and she learns to fly from combatant soldiers. She comes back to the US and barnstorms all across the country.’
Carole says she was incredibly inspired by Bessie’s tremendous journey and bravery. Much like Bessie, she’s also faced barriers to her career.
Although she went through flight school quickly, Carole had a child soon after completing her exams, followed by a second.
She explains: ‘It seemed like I had worked so hard to bring these children into the world, now why would I run out of their world? So I stayed home and I blinked, and 14 years flew by and I was 50. By that time, I said to my husband “either I get to the airlines now, or I’ll never get there”.
‘I’ve gotten plenty of nos. “Oh you’ll never make it to a major airline. Oh you’ll never make captain. You’re too old for that! You’re too black for that! You’re too much of a woman.”.’
Despite becoming a published author, Carole would like to continue flying for as long as she can
Bessie Coleman (above) became the first African American woman to earn a flying licence in 1921. Carole says: ‘At age 26, she starts learning French in night school and when she’s proficient she goes over to France and she learns to fly from combatant soldiers’
Carole is one of around 150 Black women pilots, who make up fewer than one per cent of America’s pilots. She wants to change that.
The pilot runs the Jet Black Foundation, whose goal is to send 100 Black women to flight school by 2035.
‘Most of our talent pool as pilots has come from the military,’ explains Carole. ‘They were and are magnificent. But we need to look for a talent pool that’s never been tapped.
‘Women especially are built for this mission. We’re resourceful. We understand how to build teams quickly. Prioritising is something I learned as a mom, you have so many things you’re juggling. And if I can do it, if I can make that [career] change, anyone can.’
The mother of two even uses her experience as a parent when she needs to get her passengers’ attention onboard.
Carole reveals: ‘I come out before every flight and say “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard”. And every once in a while the PA system isn’t as loud as I need it to be. So I usually say, “Ladies and gentleman, I’m gonna use my mom voice”. It always brings a giggle.’
Despite becoming a published author, Carole would like to continue flying for as long as she can.
‘There is something about the wonder of watching an airplane overhead that gives me the tingles even now. The responsibility, the training, the work, everything in it is all about the people behind you.
‘The plane doesn’t know if I’m a woman, or a man, if I’m black or white, if I’m young or old. The airplane knows how I command it.’
A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson is published by Cassava Republic and available on Amazon, WH Smith and other retailers.
