CLEARWATER, Fla. — A desire to fly and help others is what first got Cmdr. Jeanine Menze with the United States Coast Guard on her journey. 

What You Need To Know

  • Jeanine Menze became the first Black woman pilot in the United States Coast Guard in 2005 

  • Menze is now an executive officer at Air Station Clearwater 

  • Since becoming a pilot, Menze said there are now 10 Black woman pilots in the USCG

Menze said when she first laid eyes on the planes she would fly, it was a bit intimidating. 

"The first time I saw a C-130, the biggest thing I'd flown at that point was a King Air," she said. 

Menze's passion began after taking an introductory class in high school. The more she learned, the stronger her desire to become a pilot grew.

However, when starting flight school, she didn't know she would break barriers. 

"Being the first Black female pilot in the Coast Guard definitely wasn't on my mind when I went to flight school," she said. 

Menze said she was inspired to join the Coast Guard by the humanitarian missions and the search and rescue operations. 

After nearly 20 years in the Coast Guard, her passion is as strong as ever.

According to Sisters of the Skies, an organization whose goal is to increase the number of Black women pilots in the United States, less than one-half of 1% of professional pilots are Black women, a statistic Menze says reminds her of days in training. 

"I just really didn't see another person that looked like me and I wanted that and I craved that," she said. "So being the representation that I wanted when I first started flying, it's an honor and a privilege that I get to do by going into schools and exposing them to aviation."  

Menze hopes that she can inspire the next generation and is encouraged by the growth she's seen in the years since she joined. 

"We're up to 10 and I'm super excited for where that number could go in the future," she said.