Daughters of first Black commercial airline pilot reflect on his life
By Adam Murphy
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ATLANTA (WANF) — Tributes continue to pour in for one of the most notable commercial airline pilots in American history.
The daughters of Captain David Harris shed tears and shared laughs during an exclusive interview with Atlanta News First while looking back on the incredible life of their father.
Harris flew bombers for the U.S. military and broke barriers in 1964 when he became the first Black pilot hired by a major U.S. airline. He spent 30 years flying commercially and was referred to by many as a trailblazer.
He passed away in Marietta one week ago at the age of 89.
“We were fortunate enough to be by his side when he died. Leslie had one hand and I had the other and the last thing I said to him was safe travels,” Harris daughter Camian Harris-Foley said.
“At home he was Dad. We joked that when we were in the hospital that he made the best popcorn on the planet,” Harris’ daughter Leslie Germaine said.
“The American Airlines pilots all the way up to the very top have been so supportive and generous with their good wishes and he spent his whole career and they’ve done him proud,” Germaine said.
“He always made a point of saying that if it weren’t for the Tuskegee Airman and if it weren’t for the people who came before him, him being in the right place at the right time would not have mattered,” Germaine said.
But flying wasn’t his only passion. His first love was spending time with his family.
“He had a passion for cars, fast cars, for boats so when it came time to learn how to drive, he was like this is how you do it,” Harris-Foley said.
“One thing that he felt was very important was to give back and so we’ve been talking about what to do and right now we’re just looking at the logistics of selling his planes and using the proceeds to establish an endowment so we can and help other young people who are interested in getting into this business,” Germaine said.
Harris’ daughters said there are still very few Black commercial airline pilots today and that being first doesn’t mean you’re followed by many. They hope to carry on their father’s legacy by changing that.
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