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Written by: Horace Noble 97-003

The History of the NAI, Operation Skyhook, and the Black Pilots of America

Since I am one of the few people that is still around since the beginning of the above, I decided to put my recollections on paper. I first heard of Negro Airman International in May of 1969. There was an article in a flying magazine: “Can a black man fly?” by Ed Gibbs. Ed Gibbs had been a civilian flight instructor at Moton Field, Tuskegee Alabama. during WW1. Ed Gibbs, along with several others had formed Negro Airman International in 1967. The flying article stated that NAI would be holding its first national meeting during the first week of July, 1969 at Pine Bluff Arkansas.

I decided to attend the meeting. I was the president of the Chicago American Pilots Association, (CAPA). I along with 7 others had formed CAPA in December of 1968. We had plans to become a national black pilot's association. I flew a club owned Cessna 172 to Pine Bluff. There I met Dr. Jesse Hayes and several members of the Texas Bronze Eagles. They were impressive, with their Bonanzas, Mooneys, and other planes. Dr. Hayes and I traded stories about CAPA and Bronze Eagles. We were holding fly inns around the Chicago area and The Bronze Eagles were doing the same around Houston, TX. Jesse and I thought NAI would be a good organization for CAPA and Bronze Eagles to join.

We told Gibbs that we would get the CAPA members and Bronze Eagle members to join at the next NAI meeting. The next NAI meeting was July 4th weekend in 1970, at the Flagler Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas. 9 aircraft left Chicago and a like number left Houston, heading for Nassau.

Only 1 aircraft flew to Nassau. All other aircraft landed in Miami and took a commercial fright to Nassau. The one flying to Nassau was yours truly, Me. One other aircraft flew to Nassau, Rip Gooch from Wichita, Ks. A good time was had by all. CAPA and The Bronze Eagles joined NAI at Nassau. NAI held a winter meeting in Philadelphia CAPA and Bronze Eagles were the leading groups within NAI. Dr. Hayes and I wanted to have competition between CAPA and Bronze Eagles. WE chose a city approximately half way between Chicago and Houston. I was born and grew up in and around Yazoo City, Missouri.

I flew to Yazoo and talked to the Mayor, Sheriff, and the priest at St. Francis School. Permission was given to hold a fly inn at the local Yazoo City airport on the Memorial Day weekend, 1971. 46 aircraft were there, (I purchased a new 1971 Money Exec for #1 Skyhook) mostly, from Chicago and Houston. Rip Gooch was there from Kansas. The fly in was named "Operation Skyhook". Rufus Hunt of CAPA suggested the name. May 1971 was the beginning of Skyhook. CAPA and Bronze Eagles were pleased with the results; Bronze Eagles won most of the trophies, and decided to make Operation Skyhook an annual event. The pilots had such a good time in Yazoo City, they voted to return in 1972.

NAI officials attended the 1972 Operation Skyhook and asked Dr. Hayes I if NAI could adopt Skyhook as a NAI event. Dr Hayes and I, Horace Noble, granted NAI the right to call Operation Skyhook a NAI event. Rip Gooch invited Operation Skyhook to Wichita, Kansas for 1973, Jesse Hayes held the 1973 Skyhook in Houston. Chief Alfred Anderson invited Operation Skyhook to Moton Field, Tuskegee Alabama in 1975. Skyhook was held at Tuskegee from 1975 until 1996.

We elected N. Judge King as president of NAI in 1995. His directions became unbearable for most of the membership. We held an impeachment meeting in Mexia, Texas in 1995. After much litigation and the expense of $18,000 from membership donations, We, Les Morris, Jesse Hayes and Horace Noble decided to leave NAI and form Black Pilots of America. Operation Skyhook went with BPA. The first Operation Skyhook held in Pine Bluff Arkansas was Operation Skyhook #26, held in Pine Bluff in 1997.

NAI withered on the vine and went into default about 8 years ago. BPA has prospered and is the dominate black flying organization (blacks who own and fly airplanes) in the USA. 2021 will be the 50th anniversary of “Operation Skyhook”. This is a thumbnail sketch of the history NAI, Operation Skyhook, and Black Pilots of America.