LC Amos, JR
A Tribute To A San Antonio
Air Pioneer
Larry Stewart, SAL
Commentary
It
was 1964.
I
was 16 years old and wanted to be a pilot more
than anything. I bicycled the six miles to
Stinson Airport on San Antonio’s Southside
to roam the ramp and watch airplanes.
My first stop was at the
north end of the field. I was promptly told by
the operator of the flying school to get out
unless I was there to do business! Working my way
back south I ended up at hangar number nine. The
sign read Economy Aviation. I looked inside the
hangar through a partly open door and noticed
that a class was being conducted.
Not wanting another chewing
out I exited. A friendly voice called from inside
to come in. The man said to have a seat and sit
in on the ground school session. I did. I had not
had much exposure to black people and certainly
not as teachers of anything. His all white class
soaked up his every word. After the session the
man shook my hand and introduced himself as Amos.
I became a regular at Economy Aviation. I made a
deal to wash airplanes and to do odd jobs for
flight instruction. Amos wanted to meet my father
before any of this could happen. I wondered what
would happen when I told my parents that I wanted
this black man to teach me to fly airplanes at
the age of sixteen. My father had been an
aircraft inspector in WWII. He wanted to meet
this man Amos and have a look at his equipment.
To the credit of my Arkansas raised parents in
the racially tense 1960’s the color of my
flight instructor was never an issue. My father
gave his seal of approval on the man and his
equipment. I was a student pilot!
I had developed a bad habit
of leaning into turns rather than sitting
straight up in the seat. One day, before
take-off, he told me he had a cure for students
that leaned into the turns and that I would not
like it so it better not happen again. That day
while going through my training I leaned into a
sixty-degree right turn. Amos kissed me on the
cheek! I never leaned into another turn! A few
days later he soloed me. I was not nervous. He
had taught me well. In April of 1968 while a
senior at Highlands High School I became a
licensed pilot.
Here is why I championed the
renaming 97th
Street at Stinson Airport in honor of L. C. Amos,
Jr.: He had a dream of being a flight instructor.
He overcame obstacles that I do not think he
would want me to mention and prepared himself and
educated himself to be in a position to reach his
dream. He was the first black flight instructor
in San Antonio. His competition, students, and
the aviation community respected him. Economy
Aviation students have become airline, corporate,
and military pilots. Mr. Amos is a role model
that should be used by our community. He was a
member of the United Sates Air Force from 1943 to
1953. He served in the famous all black Tuskegee
Airmen and the 332nd
Flight Squadron. He relocated to San Antonio and
opened Economy Aviation.
I learned from Amos that
black people could be as intelligent, kind, and
friendly as anyone. This man Amos gave me
self-confidence. I am a better man today than I
might have been because of him. It is with love
and respect that I recognize this remarkable
individual. He was the first black flight
instructor in San Antonio. Economy Aviation was
the first solely black owned flying school in the
United States. Some made a living complaining
about white sins. Mr. L. C. Amos, Jr. had a
dream. He prepared himself to reach that dream.
He got down to business and
lived his dream. Now that’s a role model.
They should commission a
stamp for this man.
......LC AMOS