Damon Carr: Feet on the Ground, Head in the Clouds

As one of only 1,500 African American commercial pilots in the United States, Damon Carr (Class of ’02, M.A., behavioral science/negotiation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding; ’00, B.A., public administration) represents a small group of professionals who have overcome a color barrier by taking to the skies.

Inspired to fly while working as a maintenance coordinator for Delta Airlines, Carr began his training five years ago at the age of 33 and has since earned his instructor’s license and last October, was hired by Skywest Airlines. Dateline caught up with the first officer in between flights at his alma mater on the California State University, Dominguez Hills campus to discuss the finer points of preparing students to solo, the global workplace and encouraging young people to soar.

Dateline: What made you want to become a pilot?

Damon Carr: I was working at Delta while attending school here. Just being around the airplanes in my position was sort of a dead end and I wanted to do something better, something more exciting. I took an introductory flight and was hooked.

In the beginning, they might let you take the controls a bit and let you get a feel of flying. On my first actual day of instruction, when I started learning what was going on, I wanted to quit. There was a lot going on. You try to compare it to driving a car, which you can’t do. But I continued with it; it’s tough, but enjoyable. You get over that fear when you start learning what’s going on.

Dateline: What are your responsibilities as first officer?

DC: A lot of people think the captain is flying the plane. Sometimes we have up to five or eight legs a day. So we’ll alternate — I’ll fly one leg while the captain talks to the air traffic controller. On the next leg, he’ll fly and I’ll talk to the controller to ease the work load. You assist the captain, but the captain is who ultimately makes the decisions.

Dateline: When you became an instructor, how did you use your experiences as a student yourself to help your students learn?

DC: We normally have a two-hour lesson and in that two-hour block, you may fly for an hour. There is pre-flight, which is when you talk to the student about what they’re going to do while they’re up there, and a post-flight discussion as to what went on.

I wanted to make sure that I gave my students the proper instruction, so I found myself at home studying at night more and more, making sure that I was giving them the right information. After so many hours, you’ve got to let this person solo and fly by themselves and now, you’re responsible for them. When they take off and come back around, your heart’s beating out of your chest.

Dateline: Who or what inspired you as a student at Dominguez Hills or as an aspiring pilot?

DC: My flight instructors kept me motivated and I tried to bring that to my students. I’m not teaching anymore because the FAA only allows you to fly so many hours a year commercially, but I keep my instructor’s license as something to fall back on.

I was really blessed to get the instructor that I had. He was about 62 years old, and had been flying since he was 16. I gained so much experience out of him, which was great.

The diversity on the campus here really helped me in the long run. I fly with all types of people from different ethnicities. People see us flying together and they think, ‘All those guys must know each other and have been working together for years.’ I might meet somebody 45 minutes before a flight, while we’re getting ready to go, it’s just the way the schedule is. My experience at Dominguez Hills helps me because now I understand different backgrounds and I’m able to work with anyone.

Dateline: As one of a very small amount of African American pilots in the country, do you see the numbers increasing?

DC: There are now close to 1,500 African American pilots, but that’s still out of 100,000 throughout the country. There are less than 20 African American women.

I am a member of the Organization of Black Airline Pilots. We are working to reach kids at the junior high school and high school level to promote aviation. The main thing is to enable them financially to get into flying. We have some scholarships in place now, and I think we need to make more of an impact on that.

I just spoke to someone who told me he spent $95,000 just to get where he is. And it’s getting more expensive. That’s the main thing, getting someone the finances and getting them involved. Some kids in the inner cities have never been to the airport, let alone on an airplane.

Dateline: How would you encourage young people to get involved in flying?

DC: Don’t let anybody stop you from what you set out to do. There may be some setbacks, but if you keep your eye on the goal, and you can get there, wherever you want to be. You can do whatever you put your mind to, whether it’s aviation or something else. When I was 21, I was pushing baskets at a grocery store and look what I’m doing now.

Dateline: Who have been your inspirations?

DC: My instructor and my pastor at my church. I saw some things my parents went through and knew I didn’t want to go through the same things. They didn’t go to college. I have one older brother and two younger brothers. I was the first in my family to attend and finish college and the first to do what I’m doing now.

Dateline: How does your family feel about what you do?

DC: I’m still pushing my younger brothers to do something. They think it’s great that I’m a pilot. I won’t let my mom fly with me yet. She might stand up in the middle of the plane and tell everyone, ‘That’s my son!’

My wife and I have a 3-year-old son. It amazes me, some of the things he says. I was talking to a friend of mine and my son was standing next to me. He asked my son, ‘Do you like airplanes?’ and my son said yes. Then he asked him, ‘Do you know that your daddy drives airplanes?’ and my son said yes. Then about five seconds went by and my son looked this guy straight in the face and said, ‘My daddy doesn’t drive airplanes, he flies them.’

But my family thinks it’s great. And I’m glad that I can use my flying to be an example to other people.

Dateline: Have you ever been in a scary situation?

DC: I’ve been in a couple. One thing to do in a scary situation that my instructor taught me is just don’t panic. When you start getting nervous, you stop thinking and one thing leads to another. If you don’t panic, then all your training kicks in with what you’ve been taught to do.

Once, I was on the final approach coming into Hawthorne Airport and there was another airplane that was supposed to come behind me. I was with a student. The pilot of the other plane wasn’t listening to the controller and he cut in front of me. Some guys get into a routine and they think they’re always going to hear the same thing they normally do when they come in.

I was in a high wing airplane and couldn’t see above me. The next thing I knew, he came down right in front of me. So I just swung off to the side, added some power and climbed up. The tower was supposed to be watching and when I got on the ground, they apologized. I just said that I was glad I was with my student and he wasn’t flying by himself because it could have been a disaster. He wasn’t prepared for something like that yet.

Dateline: What did your student think of all this?

DC: In a sense, he was glad it happened, because now he could see different things happening and it taught him not to get into a routine where he thought everything would be like it always is. And yes, he still came back for his next lesson. (laughs)

- Reported by Joanie Harmon and Sheila Butts