Flight Deck Podcast

Bessie Coleman is the world’s first black woman pilot, and her great-niece Gigi Coleman carries on the pilot’s legacy by performing her life story. Learn more about how Bessie Coleman’s bravery and persistence helped her make aviation history. -- Gigi Coleman, great-niece of the world’s first African American and Native American pilot Bessie Coleman, carries on her great-aunt’s legacy. Bessie was the tenth of thirteen children and the sister of Gigi’s grandmother. As Gigi was growing up, she didn’t fully grasp the historical importance of her great-aunt Bessie, but Gigi does recall local reporters interviewing her grandmother about Bessie. Despite a disappointing start to her aviation career, which included getting rejected from a number of aviation schools in the Chicago area, Bessie set off for France, where she hoped she would have better luck learning to fly. Bessie learned French and eventually earned a flight certification that’s recognized around the world. Gigi comments that Bessie’s achievement wa