Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Flight 93 Copilot Role Model For Aspiring African-Americans

Aired February 11, 2002 - 06:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to DAYBREAK. You know, looking back to September 11th now, Leroy Homer copiloted United Airlines Flight 93, the one that crashed into a Pennsylvania field. And while we've heard about the heroic efforts of the passengers, Leroy Homer also helped to avert a possible second hit on Washington.

Homer was one of a just a handful of African-American commercial pilots nationwide. Five months later, Leroy Homer's widow sits down and talks with CNN's Eric Philips about her husband, a father, a friend and a hero.

CNN's Eric Philips is live from Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where it is five degrees -- what, below zero?

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With the wind chill.

COSTELLO: With a wind chill factor of whatever. But it's a great story, and I know you have to tell it to us this morning.

PHILIPS: Well good morning, Carol. I'm certainly feeling every one of those degrees below zero this morning, but I am here at the temporary memorial to the victims of United Airlines Flight 93. A permanent memorial is in the works.

And, again, all of those aboard that flight are heroes, but one of them, the copilot, Leroy Homer, is being hailed as a role model simply because of his position as an African-American pilot.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPS (voice-over): Thirty-six year old First Officer Leroy Homer's love for flying came second only to his love for his family. He earned his private pilot's license at the age of 16.

MELODIE HOMER, WIDOW OF FLIGHT 93 PILOT: He could fly before he could drive. He cleaned offices to make enough money for flying lessons.

PHILIPS: Melodie Homer proudly talks about the accomplishments of her husband, including his greatest profession one of all, becoming a pilot for United Airlines in 1995. Ironically, that accomplishment put him in harms way on September 11th.

HOMER: We know that there was a struggle in the cockpit and that, you know, both my husband and Jason Dahl, the Captain, were the initial ones to, you know, fight against the hijackers.

PHILIPS: Over the last five months, Mrs. Homer has accepted several honors on behalf of her husband, partly because of what he represented. Homer was one of just a handful of African-American airline pilots nationwide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's about 100,000 pilots in the industry. Of that, maybe 3,000 to 4,000 are African-American and female.

HOMER: For a lot of people he has become a role model. And, you know, that makes me proud of him.

PHILIPS: But all the pride in the world cannot fill the void for her and the couple's 15-month-old daughter, Laurel (ph). The baby won't have memories of her father, only pictures like this one that was taken on Labor Day a little more than a week before the crash, as well as stories about the kind of person he was and memorials to her father, an American hero.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPS: In the future, Mrs. Homer plans to establish a foundation to help youth who have an interest in aviation, but who may not be able to afford flying lessons. She says it will be a fitting way to celebrate her husband's legacy. Live at the crash site near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, I'm Eric Philips. Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: It's nice of her to speak out. And you get out of the cold now, Eric. Thank you.

PHILIPS: All right. Will do.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com