Capt. Carole Hopson sparkles. She exudes joy, has the vibrancy of a shooting star, and appears to be as driven as Kobe Bryant, Simone Biles, and Sheryl Sandberg combined. A few of Hopson’s accomplishments include writing the novel “A Pair of Wings,” working in a number of professions, founding a 501(c)(3) called the Jet Black Foundation, raising a family, and working as a commercial pilot for United Airlines.
Of “A Pair of Wings,” Hopson writes, “When I turned 50 it became a defining moment. When both of my sons were in middle school, I pursued my dream to go to the airlines. That year, I went to work at United Express as a first officer. At 54, I earned a position at United Airlines, and currently I serve as a captain on the Boeing 737 based in Newark, N.J.”
Hopson is one of only 150 Black females holding airline transport pilot, commercial, military, and/or certified flight instructor licenses in the U.S. According to sistersoftheskies.org, Black women pilots represent fewer than one-half of 1 percent of the total professional pilot career field. Hopson wants to change that.
Raised in Yeadon, Pa., not far from Philly, Hopson was drawn to flying quite young. “I remember as a little girl looking up at the sky and seeing a plane and thinking, ‘I’d love to do that.’ But I never told anyone, because it just seemed ridiculous,” she said. “I never saw a woman pilot. Especially not a Black woman pilot.”
Hopson’s novel, “A Pair of Wings,” is a story inspired by Bessie Coleman, a Black woman who learned to fly at the dawn of aviation. Hopson recently held a reading and a discussion about the book at Featherstone Center for the Arts. “Welcome aboard. This is Carole Hopson, your captain,” Hopson said by way of introduction, which was met by rousing applause. She started off by asking how many of us had heard of Bessie Coleman. Less than half the room raised their hands. This isn’t surprising, as so many Black people’s accomplishments and contributions have been only partially told, downplayed, not told at all, or erased from history entirely.
“Bessie Coleman was born in 1892 to an enslaved woman in Texas,” Hopson said. “She was 11 years old and a chambermaid when the Wright brothers came on the scene. We don’t know how she learned about them, or about flying, because her story wasn’t fully told. That’s where the fiction comes in.”
Hopson spent years researching Coleman, and even met some of Coleman’s relatives. “I traveled to most of the places Bessie lived,” she said. Hopson dove into Coleman’s life and essence in every way she could, even buying a pair of leather shoes from Putting on the Ritz in Edgartown similar to what she imagined Coleman might have worn — literally stepping into her shoes. “Bessie preceded the Tuskegee Airmen. She also preceded Amelia Earhart by two years. And since we don’t know how she learned about flying, I used fiction as a way to delve into how she may have learned about it.”
According to the National Women’s History Museum and National Geographic, Coleman received her international pilot’s license on June 15, 1921, from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in France. After returning to the U.S., she performed daredevil feats like loops, barrel rolls, and figure eights, and even walked out on the wings and parachuted off for both Black and white audiences. By refusing to fly in shows that forced Black and white spectators to enter through separate gates, Coleman also used her fame to fight racism and segregation.
“In 1923, she had an accident and broke her fibula,” Hopson said. “At that time, her leg was fixed with bone and rods. She eventually healed, and went on to continue flying, but how hard must it have been to keep going? This was also a time when in one newspaper, there was a photo of Bessie on one page, and a photograph of a lynching on the next page. How is it that she was able to do it?”
Hopson began to write “A Pair of Wings” while her children were quite young. “It took 12 years. I woke up at 3 am nearly every day and worked on the book,” Hopson said. Eventually she self-published. “The first book came out in 2021, on the same day Bessie earned her flying certificate.” After selling more than 10,000 copies, the book was picked up by an agent.
Hopson’s children (her son Coleman carries Bessie’s last name forward) and husband Michael have always supported her in all her endeavors. As a matter of fact, Bessie Coleman wasn’t the only person responsible for inspiring Hopson. “When Michael and I were dating, he cooked me dinner one night, and said, ‘You know if I cook, you clean.’ And when I looked under the placemat, there were gift certificates to go fly,” she said.
“I feel exceptionally proud and joyful of what Carole has and will continue to accomplish. It has been an extraordinary journey for our family,” Michael said. “We have vicariously experienced all of her struggles and triumphs, and it has been nothing short of inspirational. I saw the passion in her eyes when she first talked about always yearning to fly. I knew then I had to find a way to help catalyze this unique, improbable, and formidable quest. I felt it was important to fan the flames of her passion if we were going to build something truly special between us.”
It took eight months for Hopson to go from flight lessons to flight instructor. “I got my ratings up to CFI [certified flight instructor], built flight time, and was all set to go, and then Sept. 11 hit.” Though the tragedy halted Hopson’s opportunities to fly, it certainly didn’t weaken her determination. The minute she got the go-ahead, she was up in the sky.
In “A Pair of Wings,” Hopson writes, “I often think of what Bessie Coleman did with her 34 years. A testament to her robust human spirit, tenacity, and moxie, Bessie Coleman became a maverick who charted a path that did not exist. Bessie Coleman remains a luminary who has shown us the way — not only in aviation, but in how to truly lead a purpose-driven life.”
Just as Coleman inspired Hopson, Hopson hopes to inspire other Black women to take to the skies. She’s doing this by example, but also through the Jet Black Foundation she founded. The 100 Pairs of Wings Project will equip women to step into pilot roles, and create a more equitable and diverse industry; provide funding to help program participants create a financial plan to fuel their success; hold training at the Luke Weathers Flight Academy, which uses the Federal Aviation Administration curriculum; and launch them on their path to becoming certified flight instructors, to regional pilots, and ultimately becoming role models for the next generation.
“Why is now the time to do this?” Hopson asked. “Because crews need rest, and we need to feed the pilot pipeline. Women can do that. We need a new source of talent, and I think we’re ready.”
The cost to send 100 Black women to flight school is $30 million. “Broken down to $3 million per year over 10 years is digestible. When you eat an apple, you do it one bite at a time. I’ve never seen anyone shove an entire apple in their mouth,” Hopson laughed. Twenty percent of the sales from “A Pair of Wings” goes directly toward reaching this goal. “I’ve donated all my speakers’ fees as well. This is a personal investment into the future of young women.”
Hopson said that although she’s happy she’s met so many of her personal goals, she isn’t fully celebrating yet. “I have more work to do — more goals to meet. Jet Black Foundation? Check. Book about Bessie Coleman? Check. Movie made from the book? I know it’ll happen. Send 100 Black women to fly school? …”
A friend of Hopson’s asked her what she’d do if she knew she couldn’t fail. “Raise $30 million and send 100 Black women to flight school.”
“A Pair of Wings” can be purchased at Edgartown Books, Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, and through a number of online booksellers. Check out Hopson’s website at carolehopson.com. To donate and learn more about the 100 Pairs of Wings project, visit jetblackfoundation.org.
