search and rescue operations , as well as cargo missions . No two days were alike .
“ There ’ s always a mission in the Coast Guard , whether in peacetime or wartime , and I love that ,” said Hughes .
SOMETHING MISSING
From 30,000 feet , Hughes had a bird ’ s eye view of the world , as she had always dreamed . But something was missing .
Ever since the first time she sat in a cockpit at age 16 , Hughes didn ’ t see a lot of pilots who looked like her . She was the only Black woman in the aviation program at JU at the time , and there were no Black female aviation instructors . Very few commercial and military pilots were Black women .
According to 2020 data from the U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics , only 3.4 % of the country ’ s 155,000 aircraft pilots and flight engineers are Black . Women make up just 5.6 % of pilots in the U . S ., with Black women representing less than 1 % of that total . That adds up to only about 150 Black women on flight decks every year . Hughes set out to change that .
“ In 2016 , I ’ m scrolling through Facebook when I come across Nia [ Gilliam-Wordlaw ]’ s page ,” said Hughes , describing the moment she first encountered the admired fellow aviator who would soon become her mentor . “ When I was at JU , we did a project for airline management , and my team was researching Boeing . At that time the Dreamliner 787 was in early production and I fell in love with it . My dream was to be a United pilot and fly the 787 . And that ’ s what Nia was doing !”
On a whim , Hughes reached out and the two became fast friends . One day they began naming the other Black women aviators they knew . The list wasn ’ t long enough , they agreed . The two decided soon thereafter to launch a networking group for Black women aviators . They named it Sisters of the Skies ( SOS ).
A few months later , they organized the group ’ s first meet and greet in Oak Brook , Illinois . For the women who attended ,
Nia Gilliam-Wordlaw and LCDR Angel Hughes , co-founders of Sisters of the Skies .
Without mentorship you have nothing ; I wouldn ' t be here without mentorship .
LCDR Angel Hughes ' 08
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