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Willa B. Brown

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Willa Beatrice Brown Chappell (1906 鈥� 1992) Chappell was a prominent figure in the history of aviation, civil rights, and education. She was the first African American officer in the聽Civil Air Patrol, and first woman in the U.S. to have both a pilot’s license and an aircraft mechanic’s license. Her efforts also led to the creation of the 99th Pursuit Squadron at Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, for the military’s first Black pilots.

  • Willa Beatrice Brown Chappell was born on Jan. 22, 1906, in Glasgow, Ky. She graduated from Wiley High School in Terre Haute, Ind., in 1923, and later attended Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana State University), where she became the youngest high school teacher in the Gary, Ind., school system at the age of 21.
  • In 1934, influenced by aviatrix Bessie Coleman, Willa began taking flight lessons at Chicago’s Aeronautical University, where she studied aviation with Cornelius R. Coffey at the racially segregated Harlem Field in Chicago. By 1935, she had received her master mechanic’s certificate and joined aviation organizations such as the Challenger Air Pilot’s Association and the Chicago Girl’s Flight Club. She also enrolled in a master’s program at Northwestern University.
  • In 1937, she was the first African American woman to be licensed as a private pilot in the United States. She co-founded the National Airmen’s Association of America with Cornelius R. Coffey to promote aviation and help Black aviation cadets join the U.S. Military as pilots.
  • In 1940, Willa advocated for the inclusion of African Americans in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). In 1941, she was named the federal coordinator of the Chicago unit of the Civil Air Patrol civilian pilot training program, becoming the first African American officer in this integrated unit.
  • Willa, along with her husband, Cornelius R. Coffey, opened the Coffey School of Aeronautics, the first flight school owned and operated by African Americans, located in Oak Lawn, a Chicago suburb. The school played a crucial role in convincing the U.S. government that Black individuals could become successful pilots.
  • She continually lobbied for the integration of Black pilots into the armed forces, contributing significantly to the integration of the U.S. military services in 1948. In 1943, she became the first woman in the U.S. to possess both a mechanic’s license and a commercial license in aviation.
  • In 1955, Willa married the Rev. J. H. Chappell, and taught school until 1971. In 1972, she was appointed to the FAA Women’s Advisory Board. Her love for aviation continued until her death in 1992 at the age of 86.