On December 3, 1964, two days after leaving the USAF, Harris became the first African American hired as a commercial airline pilot for a major U.S. commercial airline, American Airlines.The Dallas News. “American Airlines honors two African-American employees.” https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2008/02/27/american-airlines-honors-two-african-american-employees/ Following the completion of nine-week training, Harris became an American Airline co-pilot. Three years later, in 1967 Harris became the first African American male to achieve the rank of Pilot Captain for a major U.S. commercial airline.
