Photo: Justin Mutawassim via Washington Post
Justin Mutawassim has dreamed of being a pilot since Delta pilots invited him into the cockpit on his first flight. It all came full circle recently when, walking through the airport terminal in his Delta uniform, a little boy said. “Look, there’s a pilot!” He was studying communications when he took a semester off school and began working as a ramp agent hauling bags, progressing to supervisor and then instructor. But pilot seemed a dream far away until he met Ivor Martin, then a pilot for Virgin America and now a captain for Alaska Airlines, while riding an employee bus in 2016. Martin mentored Mutawassim as he completed the work to become a pilot. Mutawassim worked for Republic Airways and Breeze Airways before applying to Delta after it dropped its college degree requirement for pilots. He finished his final qualification flight Oct. 1. Both Martin and Mutawassim volunteer for the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, which Delta has partnered with for two decades. He also volunteers as a mentor for Professional Pilots of Tomorrow, which offers networking and mentorship opportunities.
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