About Dale Black
CAPT. DALE BLACK is a Bible teacher and specialist in teaching others about how God heals. He is an author, personal life coach, business coach and minister. He is a former commercial pilot and airline pilot instructor who has flown all over the world and trained thousands of professional pilots. He was an FAA designated jet examiner and aviation accident prevention counselor. In perhaps aviation’s most ironic crash, Dale was the only survivor. With a transformed life he continues to touch others in ways that are life-changing. The greatest joy Dale Black has in life is to share the love of God with others—introducing people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and teaching life-changing truths from the Word of God that bring victory to people’s needs.
Dale met his wife Paula at Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University), and they married less than a year later. That was over 40 years ago. They have two grown children and reside in Southern California. When Paula was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given 3 to 6 months to live, Dale turned his aviation research skills toward uncovering the root causes of cancer. As a result, Paula was permanently cured, without chemo or radiation. Paula is more than a cancer survivor. She now teaches God’s word and is Director of “Winning Over Cancer Ministries.”
Many know Dale Black as the author of “Flight To Heaven” and coauthor of “Life, Cancer and God”. He is also the co-founder of Eagle International Church a/k/a Dale Black Ministries, founded 1981.
At age 19, Dale had a life altering experience as the only survivor of an airplane crash. Due to that fatal crash, Dale suffered extensive life-threatening injuries and experienced a journey to Heaven. His life was forever changed. He has looked at the world differently since that event and through it gained a deeper revelation of God’s love and God’s ways.
After surviving the crash, Dale needed supernatural intervention from the Lord if he was ever going to walk again, use his left arm, or see out of his right eye. Suddenly, his dream of becoming an airline pilot seemed impossible. But as Dale walked with God and studied the Bible, he experienced “the impossible” over and over (described in his bestselling book “Flight To Heaven” Bethany House Publishers, 2010).
Dale eventually became an airline pilot with a major U.S. carrier and dedicated his aviation career to professional pilot training and aviation safety. Capt. Dale has flown over 50 years with 17,800+ hours of flight experience in a variety of commercial jets, as well as many corporate jets and general aviation aircraft.
He has a BA degree from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, and a MA in Theology and PhD in Business from Golden State University. After five years of Bible training he was ordained in 1988 and has served as youth minister, college and career minister, church planter and a Senior Pastor.
After a full career as a businessman, a professional jet pilot, and part-time minister, God recently called Dale into a full-time thrust of writing books and teaching God’s Word and heading up Healing Way Ministries. Dale laughs when he tells others that he feels a lot like Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, who at age 65 started his now world-wide restaurant chain. At about that same age, Dale has sensed God’s call to step out into new adventures of ministry. He wrestled with this call for some time feeling inadequate because of his age and his strong Christian core values, saying, “Lord, I’m so old, and people today no longer want to hear the truth. They only want to hear only what they want to hear, so why call me?” And although both he is willing… he wondered at the logic of surrendering a slower, more peaceful lifestyle to begin a new thrust in ministry, but could not escape the reality that God had called.
After many months of prayerful contemplation, including a 40 day fast, Dale believes he has a mandate to fulfill—a mandate to minister and teach what he calls the “Radical Balance” of the Christian faith—a stable, biblically grounded gospel message with the power of the New Testament Holy Spirit in power and authority without man’s hype or slant.
Their lives have been packed with business, aviation, missions, and ministry. Only three months after marriage, they left for the jungles of Northern Peru to work with the primitive Aguaruna Indian tribe, launching a lifetime love for world missions. In 1981 they founded Eagle International Church a/k/a Dale Black Ministries where Dale led scores of teams on short term Christian missionary projects in over 50 countries.
For many years, alongside their ministry, Dale and Paula operated profitable pilot training/jet charter and jet sales companies to support their passion for world evangelism. After a full career in aviation and business, they sensed God’s leading to sell all of their earthly possessions, including a business valued at over $11 million dollars, as well as their homes and airplanes. They kept a few clothes, some old furniture and one old car. This was done in order to learn to fully trust God and to follow a full-time call into ministry. The helped others ministers, continued their Angel Flights around the world and then they planted a growing church. Shortly after beginning this new season of ministry life, one of life’s biggest challenges arrived. Paula was diagnosed with terminal cancer (her story is told in the newly released book “Life, Cancer and God”). This severe challenge changed the course of their lives and ministry.
Among their various outreaches, Dale and Paula conduct “Healing Way Workshops”—which blend spiritual truths with the natural laws of health to bring hope and healing to any who desire to walk in health and grow in spiritual knowledge. Dale’s Battle Cry is that by blending the natural with the miraculous, “No one needs to die of cancer! Not anymore!”
Dale is often a guest speaker at churches and Christian events, bring the message, “With God Nothing Is Impossible”. It is powerful, scripturally sound, and vitally needed in this generation.
Capt. Dale is the author of the bestselling book, Flight to Heaven, and has appeared on “100 Huntley Street” TV, “It’s a New Day” TV, as well as approximately 200 radio programs nationwide. All profits from Dale’s bestselling book Flight To Heaven go back into spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Dale and his wife, Paula, have been married 42 years, are the parents of two grown children and live in Southern California where he continues speaking and writing books.
A Word From Paula
Being married to Dale has not been an easy road. One of the reasons for this is because at the center of Dale’s heart—since his journey to heaven—is an incessant desire to please God whatever the cost. And believe me, there have been countless dues that have been paid for this quest.
For many years after the crash, Dale worked tirelessly to complete his aviation training and to accumulate thousands of flight hours as he continued to strive for his dream of becoming an airline pilot. After applying to hundreds of airlines and being rejected by all of the majors, due to the extent of his injuries, Dale never gave up hope. Finally, ten years after the crash, ten years of applications and rejections, God was faithful to Dale’s perseverance and faith—when he was accepted by TWA. Against the greatest of odds, Dale had reached his dream of becoming an airline pilot for a major U.S. carrier. Well, the story doesn’t end there.
A few years later after abundant blessings as an airline pilot and in our own business of jet charter and pilot training, Dale felt that God was asking that he surrender his airline career. Within weeks, Dale resigned from TWA, the career he had worked so diligently to achieve. It was one of the hardest things he ever did. Suddenly, there was no lucrative salary, no pension, no retirement package, no insurance of any kind and no travel benefits. Simply put, there was nothing left, and this was a permanent decision. In principal, it was a little like Abraham being directed by God to sacrifice Isaac, after receiving the long sought after promise.
Giving up his airline career was just one of the many “dues” that have been paid in response to Dale’s journey to heaven. But apparently God wanted to do even more pruning in my husband’s life. Soon thereafter, Dale felt that in order to continue to be obedient to God, he was to give up our business and our homes. Dale and I sold the prospering jet sales, charter and pilot training business and placed the funds into ministry. We also sold our home and some real estate investments, and also placed these proceeds into the work of the Lord. I mention this only because you should know that God has clearly asked Dale to really “sell out” because of his journey to heaven.
“…For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”
Luke 12:48
Paula Black
Dale with Dr. Graham, On July 18, 1979, the ten year anniversary. Inside the cockpit of TWA Boeing 747 at LAX.
Dale & Paula on the 25th anniversary of the crash.
More About Dale’s Aviation Background
Dale is a former Aircraft Systems Instructor for the Boeing 747, Boeing 727, Boeing 737 and Boeing 707 aircraft. He has been a Senior Simulator and Flight Instructor on the Boeing 737, the Learjet 35/36, Learjet 24/25, Learjet 55, Cessna Citation I and II. He has been a Flight Examiner for the Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, the Boeing 737 and a variety of Jet Type Ratings. Dale is also a former Flight Standards Captain, Safety Consultant, Accident Prevention Counselor and regular speaker in aviation seminars. He founded and operated a jet pilot training and jet aircraft sales company. He has been a pilot and instructor for many celebrities as well as executives of several fortune 500 companies.