Knight Site

Brenda E Robinson is the first black woman to earn her wings of gold as a naval aviator. Robinson was the 59th female to enter naval flight training program September of 1979 and became the 42nd to earn her wings, June 6th, 1980.

Brenda Robinson was born 1956 and grew up in North Wales Pennsylvania, the only daughter of Susan and Edward Robinson. At the rightful age of 9 yrs old Brenda was interested in all things aircraft travel related.  As a student at North Penn High School, Brenda attended a career study program and spent ½ days at Wings Field, Bluebell PA. At the suggestion and recommendation of the head Air Traffic Controller at the North Philadelphia Airport, she was encouraged to apply to Dowling College, NY, one of the best aviation schools on the East Coast and accredited by the (FAA) Federal Aviation Administration.  At Dowling College, her freshman year she was one of five women studying Aeronautics.  After the first semester, she learned that MacArthur Airport, Islip, NY, offered flying lessons at a 10% discount to Dowling students. It didn’t come easy. Flying was very expensive and when she ran out of money she had to stop flying. With a heavy academic load, Brenda still held down a job just to meet personal financial expenses. While at Dowling Brenda meets her first woman pilot, a wonderful French woman who was a flight instructor from whom she learned much and that was when she decided flying could and would become her life. During her senior year, she earned her private pilot certificate at MacArthur Airport in Islip, NY.  Brenda is the first black woman in Dowling’s history to graduate with a degree in Aeronautics. In 1977 she was selected as one of 10 women in the nation by the Navy to start boot camp followed by flight training. She is the first black woman in the history of the US Navy to graduate (AOCS) Aviation Officers Candidate School and was commissioned Ensign.  Brenda completed flight school in June of 1980, earning her wings of gold and was the focus of this historic Navy event.  As call sign “Raven,” Brenda became the first African American female certified, for C-1A, aircraft carrier landings on USS America in January 1981.

LCDR Brenda Robinson’s Navy career entailed flying 7 types of aircraft.
• Landed on Aircraft carriers (115 traps), carrying mail, cargo, and passengers in the C 1A (COD) Carrier Onboard Delivery.
• Flew bomb disposal teams and passenger transport missions out of Guam to the Pacific Micronesia Islands, Philippines, and Japan in the Super King Air 200. She was the Unit Evaluator (check airman) in Guam, as well as flight instructor both in Guam and
• Pensacola Florida where she taught beginner flight training formation, night flights, and basic instruments.
• In Washington D.C. Brenda flew Admirals, Senators, Congressmen, Generals, Chief of Naval Operations, Secretary of the Navy and other VIP’s four stars and higher in the Sabreliner and Gulfstream III, both Lear jet type aircraft.
• In San Diego, she flew the DC-9 transporting Troops and cargo around the world. Brenda participated in the gulf war, both Desert Shield and Storm, flying throughout areas such as Fujairah of the United Arab Emirates. From Fujairah, she flew regularly into Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Europe.

In 1992, Brenda transitioned into the Naval Reserves and was hired by American Airlines. She flew with distinction and Brenda’s photo hangs prominently in the hallway of the American Airlines Flight Academy. After 17 years of flying commercially, she retired from American Airlines giving her a total of 34 years of in the skies.

In 2002 Lieutenant Commander Brenda E. Robinson retired from the Naval Reserves with 20 years’ service.

In 2014 she founded the Aviation Camp for the Carolinas to encourage youth about aviation careers.

In 2016 Brenda was the first female military aviatrix to be inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame.

Brenda has authored two books and is working on her autobiography, “The Very First Raven”.

INDUCTED 2017