On October 16 1979, a Flying Tigers stretch DC-8 jet freighter taxied out onto the runway at LAX for takeoff. At the controls were Captain George Rayner, First Officer Frank Campbell and Second Officer Fred McClurkin – Flying Tiger Line’s very first all-black flight crew.
The fight crew deliberately scheduled themselves to fly together on the 3-day transcontinental flight originating in Los Angeles with stops in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Seattle. Captain Rayner summed up the crew’s motivations when interviewed following the flight. “We wanted to project a positive image for young black kids of something other than they see on television. We want to stimulate dreams for young people that can be realized. In the black community , there is frequently little knowledge of what is happening outside the immediate environments.”
More information about the backgrounds and motivations of the historic crew can be read by visiting Black Pilots “Make A Point” of Flying Together from the Tigereview, October, 1979 (page 9)
