Damon Carr: the faith to fly highBy Lynne Williams
Staff Writer
As a commercial pilot securely grounded in the Word, 42-year-old Damon Carr personally lives a lifestyle of faith every time he steps into the cockpit and takes hold of the yoke. But it wasn’t always that way.
Like many young people, Carr did not have a clear vision of the career path he wanted to pursue after graduating from Palisades High in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. However, after a brief time of uncertainty, Carr enrolled at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he received an undergraduate degree in public administration and a master’s in behavioral science.
It wasn’t long before he realized that he had no passion for either of the two disciplines. Instead, he chose what simply appeared to be an earnest, well-paying job as a mechanic with Delta Air Lines.
It was as a mechanic and the association with pilots and other aircraft specialists that his real interest began to take shape. His curiosity and inquisitiveness, coupled with the knowledge and skill he was developing as a mechanic, soon revealed a passion for flying. And several co-workers strongly suggested that he attend flight school. With a strong witness in his spirit, he did.
Flight school was not easy, not that he expected it to be. It required a great deal of persistence, perseverance and patience. It required being totally committed and fully persuaded that he was on the right path. But Carr had the right foundation. As a member of CCC for approximately 35 years, the words “For we walk by faith, not by sight” were strongly ingrained in him.
Through the teaching and instruction of two of the great influences in his life – Apostle Frederick K.C. Price and his flight school instructor – Carr stayed the course.
Having obtained the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest certification – the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Airplane Multi-Engine Certificate – Carr became a commercial pilot, as well as a flight Instructor at SkyWest Airlines. He flies routes all over Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
To receive the ATP certification, pilots must possess a commercial pilot’s license, have logged more than 1,500 hours of experience in aircraft, and be at least 21 years of age. Pilots obtaining the ATP Certificate must also pass an exam covering air law, general aircraft knowledge, flight planning, meteorology, navigation, instrumentation and other important areas of instruction. One of approximately 1,500 black pilots in a corps of over 100,000 commercial pilots nationwide, Carr has been a professional pilot for the past 16 years.
“There’s never a time when I pilot an airliner that I don’t remember that the people I’m flying are not just passengers,” says Carr. “They are someone’s mom, dad, or kids. That is always foremost in my thoughts.
“One of the most valuable things that I have ever learned from Apostle Price is that there are laws that God has put into motion in the earth, and His laws never fail. So, I’m never concerned when I’m sitting on that runway getting ready to takeoff, because I know that the law of lift is in operation. What would surprise me would be if we didn’t take off, because that would be contrary to the law of lift, which is designed to do exactly that – lift.
“For me, being a commercial pilot is comparative to walking by faith because in both it’s about trusting what you cannot see. I must have confidence that the flight instruments, which are designed to guide me without being dependent upon what I can physically see. Faith is being confident that God will do exactly what He says He will do. I’ve got the God’s Word, the law of lift is firmly in place, and with the instruments doing what they’re designed to do, I am confident that we will reach our destination.”
For Carr, who is the second of CCC members Emil and Gwen Carr’s four sons, becoming a professional pilot has been a journey through faith. His wife, who seems appropriately named Angel for a pilot, and he have two sons, Damon Jr., 12, and Logan, 8. Every time this husband, father, son and pilot buckles himself into his cockpit seat, checks his flight instruments, and readies himself for takeoff, Damon Carr spends another day living a lifestyle of faith.
*Note: Carr frequently speaks to youth groups and is the author of the book Stop Being a Passenger: How to Become the Captain of Your Own Life.
