April I offer this brief, brief summary of the Tuskegee Airmen story as a way of introducing a short, but fascinating video that features a treasured object in the Museum's collection — a restored World War II-era PT Stearman used to train many of the Tuskegee Airmen.
The video documents this biplane's historic journey across the nation to be presented to the Museum. In the summer of , a vintage Stearman biplane made a cross-country journey to its new home in the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. The "Spirit of Tuskegee" is on display at the Museum. The plane is one of only a few remaining aircraft with direct ties to the Tuskegee Airmen.
Privacy Terms of Use. This is where the U. Visitors enter historic Hanger 1 and are greeted by a canary yellow-winged Stearman PT bi-plane, which was where the pilots honed their impressive skills.
But these were impressive men to being with. The airmen were selected from an elite group: all had attended college, and they were expected to be commissioned as army officers. Some indeed went on to notable military careers, including Benjamin O. When the military eventually gave into public pressure from the NAACP to develop a segregated pilot training program, it was considered an experiment.
The program started modestly with 13 candidates in July Only five made it through the training. Tuskegee was a logical place to base the Airmen. Not only was home to a historic Black school, but it had been designated in as one of a few places in the country where African-Americans could be trained as civilian pilots.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt said she enjoyed her brief excursion over South Alabama, and with that endorsement the program began to grow. Eventually Army Air Corps pilots were trained here and the adjacent Tuskegee Army Airfield, but the Airmen title has come to include the 17, support personnel including mechanics, cooks, electricians and instructors who were also part of the endeavor. The pilots indeed saw great success, shooting down dozen of enemy aircraft.
Their squadrons built an excellent reputation as escorts, never losing a bomber. But the Airmen were not invincible — 66 died in combat or accidents. Perhaps part of their success can be traced to their training. The competition for pilot posts was grueling and hundreds of otherwise able candidates flunked out after the initial nine-week training because only a few slots were reserved for pilots.
The Airmen museum, located in one of the original hangers, sends visitors back to the s, with leather bomber jackets on coat stands and Life magazines sitting on desks. Make sure to dart outside to poke into the tea room. Unlike the rest of Alabama, this small cafe was integrated , allowing white and Black personnel to share a hamburger and Coke between training flights. Other exhibits include a military briefing room where the pilot candidates learned about the German army, studying their aircraft, ships and uniforms.
In an interactive area, guests can try their hand at folding a parachute, another crucial part of the military operation. That action helped lead President Harry S Truman to issue an order in officially desegregating the military. The busy college campus is why the training came to Alabama.
The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site is located at an active airport , so fly on in and visit us! See Details. March 7 th is Tuskegee Airmen Day.
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