By Louisa Jaggar and Pat Smith

Have you ever heard of James Herman Banning?  If you have, you are unusual.  Most people know Lindbergh and Earhart, but Banning, for the most part, has escaped the history books.  Why?  Because he was African American and in the 1920s the mainstream press didn’t write about African American aviators.  He was the first African American to fly across the continental United States, and many believe he was the first to receive a United States issued pilot’s license.

Almost 70 years from the time of Banning’s death, Pat Smith was researching aviation heroes from Oklahoma for National Geographic’s Celebration of 100 Years of Flight.  She found an aviation history file and pulled out a short news clip that mentioned Banning.  She saved it because it peaked her interest and she wanted to know more about him. About two years later, she mentioned him to me.  Together, we decided to write the story of his life for young adults.