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When it comes to stories of espionage
and intrigue, Hollywood rarely casts a sister in the starring role.
But in real life one Black woman has accomplished what once seemed
like mission impossible: Last October Major Merryl David, 34, became
the first Black female pilot of a U-2--the legendary stealth planes
the U.S. Air Force deploys for risky reconnaissance missions, such
as identifying terrorist activities in foreign countries.
David, a former naval officer,
is one of only five women and three African-Americans to be accepted
into the Air Force's elite First Squadron, where U-2 pilots get
their training. Now she'll have to withstand the pressure--literally.
Solo flights can exceed 70,000 feet and last nine hours, and
U-2s, with their tremendous wingspan, are one of the toughest
crafts to land.
But David has had her sights set
high since childhood. Growing up in The Bronx, New York, the Star
Trek fan dreamed of being an astronaut. Since then she has boasted
an impressive flying career, operating combat helicopters and airplanes
for the Navy in the Middle East and South America. In July she'll
leave her Lincoln, California, home and be deployed as part of
the Ninety-Ninth Squadron to Korea. "You don't see many Black
females flying in any service,"
she says. "I hope this will show young girls that this is an
option they can have."
Courtesy of Essence
Magazine
Diane Weathers, Editor in Cheif |
Captain Merryl David -
The First and Only Black Woman to Fly the Air Forces Elite U-2 Spy Plane
