#cadet pilot program

[learntoflyau]

5 Components of Good Pilot Interview Preparation

One of the most critical phases for a future pilot is clearing the interview. Comprehensive knowledge of flying, strong pilot vocabulary and other skills are tested during this interview. This is why gaining professional assistance in preparation seems a wise move.

Learn To Fly offers a holistic program covering all aspects of skills and knowledge required for pilot interview preparation. The institution offers professional training provided by highly experienced aircraft instructors.

When getting ready to appear for this interview, one needs to remember these components:

1. Logbook

The logbook of a pilot shows a perfect overview of his or her whole career. It allows the authorities to have a snapshot of a professional’s career. However, a logbook is effective only if it has been organised properly with updated information. One can also use tabs to identify important events such as check-rides. This will make the review process easier for the authorities and showcase the organised personality of the individual.

It is also important to make sure that the flight times offer a flow in the logbook. If multiple columns don’t match, it will make an interviewer confused when trying to understand the logbook.

2. Information Regarding Check-Ride Failures

A student doesn’t have to feel worried about having only one previous check-ride failure. But, it is necessary to clarify the reasons and situations that led to the failure of a check-ride. Also, prepare answers regarding the mistakes and learned lessons from those mistakes made on a previously failed check-ride.

3. General Knowledge of Flying

In most cases, interviewers ask about the basics of flying to an interviewee. The questions related to flying techniques, airplane type, pre-flight check-up, weather regulations, and others are important basics to learn about. A student should be ready to utilize his or her theoretical knowledge of flying to impress the interviewer.

4. Body Language

Body language is something many interviewers assess. So, one needs to concentrate on the body language to be perceived as receptive and open. Keeping the arms crossed won’t be a good sign for the interviewer. It looks like a candidate is being too relaxed or defensive. When an interviewer invites to sit, the candidate should sit upright and keep the hands on his or her lap. Making eye contact is also critically important when talking to an interviewer.

If a candidate feels like the same question is being asked in different manners, this shows that an interviewer is trying to help the candidate. Similar questions mean that the interviewers want to adjust and extract the appropriate answer from the candidate.

5. Know the Airline

A candidate should have a comprehensive knowledge of the airline, for which, he or she is trying. A recruiter would like to test the knowledge of a candidate associated with the type of aircraft, its passenger capacity, engines, configuration, and other factors. Along with that, the destinations, product, and history will be important topics during a conversation with an interviewer. Sometimes, authorities also ask about the key people, performance overview, competitors and the potential threats in the industry.

One must have updated knowledge of every component associated with the airline. However, if the answer to a question is not available in the mind of a candidate, it is better to honestly accept that. No need to try and form a poor answer.

Other factors include proper dressing, punctuality, greeting the panel. A candidate should practice over and over until achieving perfection to cover all aspects of an interview. Learn To Fly is a trusted academy where students obtain professional training as well as pilot interview preparation.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Les pilotes de la Royal Air Force ne reçoivent leur diplôme qu'après s’être soumis à un entrainement sévère sous la surveillance d’instructeurs expérimentés qui disposent d’appareils du dernier perfectionnement pour leurs démonstrations. Cette formation, considérée d'une importance primordiale en Grande-Bretagne, a pêrmls aux escadrilles britanniques d’affronter le bombardement Intense des batteries allemandes et de revenir sans pertes appréciables ramenant de nombreuses photographies de la ligne Siegfried et des principaux postes stratégiques ennemis. Un élè­ve de la R.A.F. s’exerce à disposer avec précision des bombes a bord d'un appareil appelé à survoler A une grande altitude, tandis que la vignette du bas fait voir un aspirant-pilote en train de photographier à l’aide d'un appareil actionné par la gâchette d'une mitrailleuse.” - from L’Illustration Nouvelle. October 5, 1939. Page 12.

[cherrybomb-and-starlight]

it’s so fucking funny that antis love to say keith was a literal child on the garrison, while lm & jds be tossing him inside space ships, REAL space ships for him to pilot lol

lm & jds @10 year old keith: here boy crash this very expensive space ship

[herculesaviationtraining]

Cadet Pilot Programme

Cadet pilot program in India - Hercules Aviation Training School (India) and AEROCADET (USA)  have worked out one of the quickest & affordable cadet pilot programs for Indian candidates. Our Airline Placements - Air India, IndiGo, Air Asia, and much more.

[xamaxenta]

I’m gonna do lineart for all of these later once I’ve done a bunch of these for Sabo and Marco, but Ace from left to right

Airforce Cadet, pre-jaeger program, 17 years old

Jaeger Ranger, Pilot Armour, post Sawtooth attack, 27 years old

Jaeger Ranger, combat fatigues, current copilot: Marco, 28 years old

Jaeger Ranger, casual/off duty outfit, 28 years old

[toournextadventure]

Why am I now thinking of a fic based around the idea of Reader and either Lorraine or Tara, but in a modern 'Pacific Rim' AU set in the near future? (I'm saying either of these two because I love the idea of Jenna Ortega being in a PR movie, but it'd be weird to write a fic based on a movie with just her in it or as a new OC character and be like "Imagine it's Jenna Ortega"...if that makes sense? Both Lorraine and Tara are older too, so about 24/25)

Tara because I love the idea of her being a cocky little spitfire sailing through the tests and getting drafted onto the 'Drift' program where she gets paired with the 'Veteran' Reader (who of course has a tragic back story) who takes an instant dislike to her backtalking attitude and tries to knock her down a peg or two in training. But they eventually grow from tolerating one another to being really close and becoming so in sync with one another they become the best Jaeger pilots (Tara may or may not also thirst like hell over Reader when she's training, because dear god those muscles 🥵)

Or Lorraine because I also love the idea of her absolutely acing the logic, apptitude and compatibility tests because she's a very smart cookie. And turns out she is 'Drift Compatible' with the Veteran Reader. Reader though is instantly dismissive and initially tries to scare her off the program (partly because she reminds her far too much of the person she already lost but mostly because she can't bear the thought of another young person losing their life in the fight) by pushing her too far in training to get her to leave. "If you can't even beat me, then how the hell are YOU going to fight a Kaiju?" But despite her size and not being as physically strong as the other cadets, she keeps coming back for more every time, even when others don't. Eventually Reader realises she underestimated Lorraine and trains her properly and how to rely on her other strengths too, while Lorraine shows Reader a different way to fight by using logic and how to open up and even love again. (Plus Reader may or may not have a very soft spot for that gentle, lilting Texan accent of Lorraine's. Absolute Southern Belle that she is!)

I swear if I had the time, I would write this myself. Instead it seems that I'm doomed to have ideas that may never see the light of day 😭

No wait but a PR AU would work so well with this? With either of them?? Like Tara being the natural that just has no issues at all EXCEPT she isn't drift compatible with anyone. Like, she's top of her class in all areas, but it doesn't matter if she can't drift with anyone. But when they're about to give up on her and decide "just throw her with R" and then it works? And Reader is pissed because this little brat is already rollin around like she owns the place? Oh it starts a riot (and maybe Reader likes Tara's spunk just a little bit, but that's no one else's business)

And Lorraine is just too soft, not necessarily in a bad way, but it brings a certain sadness to Reader because shit... life really has come down to this, huh? Where someone like Lorraine has to join in on the fight? But once Reader realises Lorraine won't just duck and hide, only then do they put in the genuine effort to help her succeed and stay safe. They turn into an unexpected power team that, quite frankly, is unstoppable

[darlenefblog]

General DeWitt Shy Spain Airport - Memphis, Tennessee

2787 North 2nd Street

Taken directly from Wikipedia with only slight modifications.

General DeWitt Spain Airport began as an idea in 1928 when the Memphis Chamber of Commerce Engineering Committee suggested turning Mud Island into Memphis' Airport. They decided against that location for a main airport and moved Memphis International Airport to its current location in South Memphis. However, the idea apparently did not fade.

In 1959, Memphis Downtown Airport was put into service about where Mud Island Park is today to service the general aviation community. It had the slogan: "You're strictly uptown when you land downtown." A ferry boat took travelers from the Island to the cobblestones, and then it was just a short walk to the offices of Memphis' city center. Private pilots who worked downtown and business travelers had the perfect arrangement. By 1961, 30 planes were landing per day, according to newspaper reports.

*I think this sounds like a lovely way to travel. Memphis International Airport is a sprawling 1960's design monstrosity. I personally would not cry if they tore it down and started over. *

By the mid-1960s, Interstate 40 was scheduled to cross the Island. Airport owners fought the I-40 Bridge, but in August, 1970, the last plane departed the island airport. *I-40 runs from East to West coast across America. The only leg not completed is in Memphis. The planners wanted to run the interstate through the Memphis Zoo, located in Overton Park. The city sued and after a long court battle finally won. As it turns out the I-40 bridge only obstructs a small portion of Mud Island but it would have interfered with airplane traffic*. Quickly the airport authority purchased available land just to the north of the island so downtown commuters could once again have their landing strip back. The following May, Memphis Downtown Airport was replaced by General DeWitt Spain Airport, honoring local war hero General DeWitt Spain who died in 1969. It has been and still is an active general aviation airport.

*This is a cute epilog, the only crash at the airport was a drone.*

On April 11, 2016, General Dewitt Spain Airport suffered its first accident of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle after a Phantom Quadcopter impacted the side of a hangar. No fatalities were reported. The Quadcopter was unregistered and unable to be traced to the operator.

*I found this information on General Spain from his obituary. I've lived in West Tennessee all my life and had no idea who he was. He died in 1969 in Maryland; I was almost 8 so it wouldn't have made my young self's radar. He sounds like quite a guy.*

Dewitt Shy Spain

BIRTH 24 Apr 1919

DEATH 28 Apr 1969 (aged 50) BURIAL Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia

Evening Star, April 29, 1969 Page 20

Brig. Gen. DeWitt S. Spain, 50, deputy chief of staff for plans at the Tactical Air Command Headquarters, Langley Air Force Base, died of cancer yesterday at the Andrews Air Force Base hospital. He was born in Memphis, Tenn., and attended Southwestern University there (now known as Rhodes College) and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

In 1940 he became an aviation cadet and was commissioned a second lieutenant in May of 1941. For four years during World War II he was active in the Asiatic-Pacific theater, finishing as commander of the 15th fighter group.

After the war he was discharged from active duty and returned to Memphis, where he participated in the air National Guard and air reserve programs. Returning to active duty in 1950, he became director of combat operations of the 26th Air Defense Division in New York. *Memphis is a large distribution hub, being situated on the Mississippi River in a middle of the country location. The military also found the city to be a good location for the Naval Air Station in Millington and a large Air National base where the Memphis Belle airplane was on display for many decades.*

Upon graduation in 1961 from the Industrial College of Armed Forces at Fort McNair, Gen. Spain was assigned for a year to the Pentagon's deputy chief of the Air Defense Division, followed by two years on the Pentagon's national Security Council. Assigned in 1963 the USAF headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, he served as director of operations and training, until 1966, when he assumed his Langley post, he was attached to the 10th tactical reconnaissance wing of the Royal Air Force at Alcan Barry England.

His decorations include the Legion of Merit with Oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, and a commendation ribbon.

He leaves his wife Joan of Hampton Virginia and a daughter Mrs. James Romanchk of Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois. Services will be held at 3 PM Thursday at Fort Myer Chapel followed by burial with full military honors in Arlington Cemetery. The family suggests that expressions of sympathy be in the form of donations the American Cancer Society.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“1,000 Young Canadians Will Train As Pilots For Royal Air Force,” Toronto Star. January 27, 1939. Page 21. --- Canada Plans To Bolster Air Defences By Training 1,000 Pilots Fresh From College --- Following training In Canada, Majority Will Join R.A.F. The Candian government has voted $6,000,000 for training pilots during the next 14 months. Recruits will come from universities and from the Royal Military college, Kingston. On completion of their training in Canada, a large proportion will join Britain’s Royal Air Force. United States flying cadets at Randolph Field, Texas, are show (LEFT) with parachute packs on their backs, marching toward their ships for a cross country flight. The training airplanes (RIGHT), with their pilots seated at the controls, are ready with motors roaring to fly into the winter sky at three-minute intervals. Each ship is equipped with radio transmitter and receiver and complete blind-flying instruments.

Future American Air Officers All Set To Soar Into The Blue By building up its armed forces, President Roosevelt believes the United States can contribute to world peace. As other nations gear factories and training schools to turn out ever-increasing numbers of airplanes and qualified pilots, the United States looks to the possible necessity of defending its vast expanses of territory. Speed and endurance of modern battle squadrons of the air have brought home to the U.S. government the necessity for a strong air fleet. These flying cadets at Randolph Field, Texas, may one day form part of the backbone of the American army air corps. Rigged out in full winter air equipment, they are ready to take off on a training flight.

[kaisa4kn]

┏━━━━━━━°.•☆•.°━━━━━━━┓

Dear future pilot,

Congratulations! We are delighted to inform you that the Galaxy Garrison, Space Exploration and Research Centre, has accepted your training application. You will soon be attending your first classes, where you will be learning what there is to know in order to become a professional pilot and/or researchist in the technological fields of astro sciences.

━━━━━━━━°.•✧•.°━━━━━━━━

About the Garrison

Galaxy Garrison, Space Exploration and Research Centre, is a military base and academy located in the deserts of Arizona focusing on training and recruiting young, aspiring pilots and scientists.

“Galaxy Garrison exists to turn young cadets like you into the next generation of elite astro explorers.”

– Commander Iverson, expanding on the school’s purpose.

━━━━━━━°.•☆•.°━━━━━━━

There is a list of rules the students have to follow that maintain order in the community, so it is extremely important that they are followed strictly and precisely as written. There are also multiple programs and option courses, as well as after hour programs that the trainees can attend, they will be listed underneath the rules.

⚠︎ ℝ𝕌𝕃𝔼𝕊

- Cadets are permitted to roam freely in the centre, as long as they are within their restrictions. It is still a military academy, and limits shall be respected.

- They are given a 9 pm curfew, so every student must be in their dormitories by that said time.

- There are multiple passwords hidden in the rules, ones like: astro

- Students shall wear their cadet uniforms at all times during school hours and when they are required, except on weekends when casual wear is permitted.

- Must be at the very least semi-literate.

- Students shall be respectful of the equipment of the school and others.

- Another word that shall be said upon entering the chat, as it is a second password, and it is ‘jupiter’.

- Cadets shall not bully, ooc that is.

- Of course it also isn’t in the school’s rules to bully, but we all love some good angst so story-wise it is permitted.

- please use brackets or some other form of indication that you are speaking ooc when you are.

- Nothing 18+ please. If anything like that were to happen it has to stay in the dms.

- No forcing ships, it could ruin the experience of another roleplayer.

- Students are not permitted to dance to the music playing from the speakers on monday mornings, we are trying to fix the rickroll incident and would appreciate if students didn’t encourage such bad behaviours (yes I’m looking at you Matt).

- One more thing—password: apollo

⌨︎ ℙℝ𝕆𝔾ℝ𝔸𝕄𝕊, ℂ𝕆𝕌ℝ𝕊𝔼𝕊 𝔼 𝔼𝕋ℂ.

➪ Compulsory:

• English—Mr. Harris.

• Mathematics—Professor Montgomery

• Astrological and Geological Sciences—Adam W.

• History of Space Discoveries—Adam W.

• Health, Fitness and Survival Training—Takashi Shirogane, K. Ryu

• Fundamentals of Robotics and Equipment Operations—Samuel Holt

• Fundamentals of Space Flight—Hedrick T.

➪ Option Courses:

• Advanced Robotics—Samuel Holt

• Engineering and Technology—Professor Montgomery

• Flight Training—T. Hedrick

• Medical Training—J. Dos Santos

• Defence Against Alien Attack—K. Ryu

• Skill and Strength Development—Takashi Shirogane

After Hour Programs:

• Paintball—Takashi Shirogane, K. Ryu

• After Hours Arts Program—Mr. Harris

• After Hours Choir—Adam W.

• Will add more if requested.

━━━━━━━°.•☆•.°━━━━━━━

➪ 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔼𝕩𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕤:

• Satellite Communications

• Simulator Rooms

• Classrooms

• Dormitories

• Instructor’s Lounge

• Indoor Pool

• Rooftop Tennis

• Will add more if requested.

[roadtogracelandx45]

All in Heartbeat| Top Gun/ Top Gun Maverick | 1 of 3

@luckyladycreator2 @prettyinpayne

Masterlist

All In A Heartbeat 

Summary: All it took was 2 seconds for a distracted truck driver to blow through the red light and slam into Charlotte’s vintage convertible and flip it over several times. Leaving both Charlotte and Bianca in critical condition. 

IceMav

Past Mav/Charlie

Rated M for language and graphic descriptions of car accidents and surgical stuff 

          Also I don’t know much about surgeries or how things are done in the OR. I am taking what  I learned from watching ER and Chicago Med. 

~*~

All it could take a millisecond for everything to change in someone’s lives and that millisecond happened on the first day of summer vacation for Bianca Kazansky, Charlotte Blackwood the woman that carried her for Iceman and Maverick had picked her up to go to the bookstore  and hang out for awhile. 

It was a tradition that they always did. And it gave the girl a break from spending most of her free time with her grandparents and great grandfather, who told a lot of horror stories about Russia, Germany, and the world wars.  That was something that Bianca needed to hear until she was a lot older, like she was in her 20s.  

Charlotte was shaken out of her thoughts when Bianca’s voice asked, “Charlie? Were things always this strange between Dad and Mav?” Charlotte glanced at the girl who was seated across from at the small diner they visited frequently. “You mean the on and off, hot and cold?” Bianca nodded her head brushing some of her hair behind her ear as she did so. 

“Yes, it has always been like that. Maverick was very unstable and out of control when we first met him. He felt like he didn’t need to prove himself, he was already the best of the best.”  

Bianca’s mouth twitched like it was going to form a smile but fell quickly. 

“Did he take off again?”

 “Yeah, left yesterday before I got up for school. Didn’t bother to say goodbye.” Bianca refused to let Charlie see how truly upset she was by his leaving. “He was like that with me when Goose died.” 

The girl perked up a little bit, she had heard the stories of Goose and Maverick and their shenanigans and was curious.  Goose was the one subject that was rarely spoke about in the Mitchell-Kazansky household. And Bradley, Goose’s son didn’t remember much of him either and shut down when he was mentioned. So Bianca kept her curiosity to herself, which was one thing she was never good at.   

“Maverick is never good at staying in one place. This is the longest he has been settled in. That’s because of you and because of Bradley.”  

Bianca nodded her head and took a sip of her drink. 'Are you leaving back to the academy too?’ For the last several years, Charlie had been teaching at the Naval Academy and came back to California during the summer breaks.

 “At the end of next week. They want me back sooner, they have a bunch of new cadets coming in. Did you decide on what you want to do when you grow up?”  

Bianca was turning 14  on the 17th of that month and was going into high school in the fall. And Charlie wanted to try and be there for her as much as she could. 

“Yeah, I want to go to the academy, and I think I want to be a lawyer.” “No Aviation for you?” The older woman questioned. “It's a harder program to get into and I don’t want to live up to my dad’s name ya know? Or Duke’s.”  Duke was Maverick’s father that disappeared on a mission and it was a long standing scandal making the Mitchell name not the best.  “Never say never kiddo, I think you are too much like both of your dads to stay grounded.” “That’s true.” Bianca agreed, “I do have a fall back plan just in case I can’t get into the academy.”

 Charlie raised her eyebrow in question. “Berkley and law school. I am not going to get my hopes up with the academy.”  The blonde smirked, she knew that Bianca was too much like her and too much like her fathers to give up a dream.  Especially one like the Naval Academy and the pilot program. “Come on kiddo, lets go to the book store and get you some summer reading so your great grandfather and grandpa do scare you to death with their war stories.” “But sometimes Charlie, I like the scary ones.” Bianca grinned as she pulled out several bills from her wallet and dropped on the table. 

~*~

Because of the light rain that they had, Charlie left the top on her convertible, making it more confined which she didn’t like but she had Bianca with her and she wouldn’t risk her getting sick over anything in the world. She may not have legal claim to her, that fell to Iceman and Maverick, but she did have that motherly instinct towards her. “There is this book I want to read about World War 2.” Bianca commented as she pulled out of the parking lot, “It's about the parachute infantry.”

 Seeing the look on Charlie’s face, she laughed, “I saw something on HBO about it and it got me curious.” Curiosity killed the cat and in most cases it could be the best of her. That's how she learned about Duke, at least the stuff she could do without having clearance for anything. 

“Well, let’s see what we,” the rest was cut off by squealing of brakes and Bianca screaming as the truck came closer and closer to them. Not sure what else she could since it was already on them, Charlie took her hand in hers and squeezed it. Once the truck hit the passenger side the car flung around in a circle so the front was pointing towards the direction where they had come from. Bianca’s screams of terror were the last thing that Charlie remembered hearing as another car slammed on its breaks trying to aviod the accident and smashed into the front of the car. The driver of the truck got out of the cab quickly and dialed 911 to come to the scene. 

“Charlie!” Bianca shouted as she tried to remove her seat belt from her lap, ‘Charlie! Wake up! Please!”  

“Hey sweetheart it's going to be okay.” The truck driver said, peering into the window at her, “The paramedics are on their way. And they will get you and your mom out of here.”  Bianca didn’t even register the comment, she was too busy trying to pry the seatbelt off, her fingers bleeding from the shattered glass that laid on her lap, her vision had started become blurred with blood for the open wound she had on top of her head along with the bits and pieces in her neck.  “Ice.” She muttered as she stopped pulling as hard on the seatbelt. “I am sorry?” It wasn’t the truck driver, it was an EMT. “I want my dad. He is a commander with the Navy.” She said, ‘your dad’s name is ice?” A fireman asked, distracting her from the noises of the jaws of life. “It’s his call sign. He is a pilot.” She started to fade a little bit from the pain and from the blood loss. 

“Hey, what’s your name?” The fire fighter asked again, pulling her attention back to him. 

“Bianca. Bianca Kazansky.”  The man’s eyes went wide, his brother served in the Navy and was a pilot with them and told him about Commander and how ice cold he was. Never showing any emotions except for when it came to his daughter. “Hey Bianca, sweetie, keep your eyes open.’ He said, her eyelids were fluttering, getting heavier and heavier with each one. “Bianca!” He called snapping his fingers by her ears, she glanced at him once more and then fully closed her eyes. 

[usafphantom2]

Ronnie Bell Following

The Tuskeegee Airmen

The Tuskeegee Airmen Taskigi Pilots of 99 2nd Squadron against a backdrop of fighter aircraft P-40.

Before the Tuskegee Airmen, no African American had become a US military pilot.

In 1917, African American men had tried to become aerial observers, but were rejected, however, African American Eugene Bullard served as one of the members of the

Franco-American Lafayette Escadrille.

Nonetheless,he was denied the opportunity to transfer to an American military unit as a pilot when the other American pilots in the unit were offered the chance.

Instead, Bullard returned to infantry duty with the French.

The racially motivated rejections of World War I African American recruits sparked over two decades of advocacy by African Americans who wished to enlist and train as military aviators.

The effort was led by such prominent civil rights leaders as Walter White of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, labor union leader A Philip Randolph, and Judge William H Hastie.

Finally on 3 April 1939, Appropriations Bill Public Law 18 was passed by Congress containing an amendment designating funds for training African-American pilots.

The War Department managed to deflect the monies into funding civilian flight schools willing to train black Americans.

War Department tradition and policy mandated the segregation of African Americans into separate military units staffed by white officers, as had been done previously with the

9th Cavalry, 10th Cavalry, 24th Infantry Regiment and 25th Infantry Regiment.

When the appropriation of funds for aviation training created opportunities for pilot cadets, their numbers diminished the rosters of these older units.

A further series of legislative moves by the United States Congress in 1941 forced the Army Air Corps to form an all black combat unit, despite the War Department's reluctance.

Due to the restrictive nature of selection policies, the situation did not seem promising for African Americans since in 1940, the USA's Census Bureau reported only 124

African-American pilots in the entire nation.

The exclusionary policies failed dramatically when the Air Corps received an abundance of applications from men who qualified, even under the restrictive requirements.

Many of the applicants already had participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, in which the historically black Tuskegee Institute had participated since 1939.

The US Army Air Corps had established the Psychological Research Unit 1 at Maxwell Army Air Field at Montgomery in Alabama, and other units around the country for aviation cadet training, which included the identification, selection, education, and training of pilots, navigators, and bombardiers.

Psychologists employed in these research studies and training programs used some of the first standardized tests to quantify dexterity and leadership qualities to select and train the best-suited personnel for the roles of bombardier, navigator, and pilot.

The Air Corps determined that the existing programs would be used for all units, including all-black units.

At Tuskegee, this effort continued with the selection and training of the Tuskegee Airmen.

In an effort to subvert the unit before it could commence operations, the War Department set up a system to accept only those with a level of flight experience or higher education, criteria intended to exclude most applicants.

The attempts to derail the unit by setting high standards of entry requirements, ensured that only the most able and intelligent were able to join, contributing to the ultimate success of the all black combat flyers.

The budding flight program at Tuskegee received a publicity boost when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt inspected it in March 1941, and subsequently flew with an African American chief civilian instructor C Alfred "Chief" Anderson.

Anderson, who had been flying since 1929, and was responsible for training thousands of rookie pilots took his prestigious passenger on a half hour flight in a Waco biplane.

After landing she cheerfully announced, "Well, you can fly all right."

The subsequent brouhaha over the First Lady's flight had such an impact it is often mistakenly cited as the start of the CPTP at Tuskegee, even though the program was already five months old.

Eleanor Roosevelt did use her position as a trustee of the Julius Rosenwald Fund to arrange a loan of $175000 to purchase the land for Moton Field.

On 19 March 1941 the 99th Pursuit Squadron was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois.

A cadre of 271 enlisted men were trained at Chanute in aircraft ground support trades, beginning in July 1941; the trades being taught were so technical in nature that setting up segregated classes was deemed impossible.

This small number of enlisted men became the core of other black squadrons forming at Tuskegee and Maxwell Fields in Alabama.

The Tuskegee program began officially in June 1941 with the 99th Pursuit Squadron at the Tuskegee Institute.

The unit would consist of 47 officers and 429 enlisted men and would be backed by an entire service arm.

After basic training at Moton Field, they were moved to the nearby Tuskegee Army Air Field about 10 miles to the west for conversion training onto operational types.

Consequently, Tuskegee became the only Army installation containing all four phases of pilot training at a single location.

Initial planning called for 500 personnel in residence at a time.

By mid 1942, over six times that many personnel were stationed at Tuskegee, even though only two squadrons were training there.

Tuskegee Army Airfield was a replica of the already existing airfields reserved for training white pilots, such as Maxwell Field, only 40 miles distant.

With African American contractors McKissack and McKissack Inc in charge of the contract, 2000 workmen from their company, the Alabama Works Progress Administration, and the US Army built the airfield in only six months.

The construction was budgeted at $1663 057.

The airmen were placed under the command of Captain Benjamin O Davis Jr, then one of only two black line officers serving.

During training, the 99th Fighter Squadron was commanded by white officers beginning with Major James Ellison.

Ellison made great progress in organizing the construction of the facilities needed for the military program at Tuskegee.

However he was transferred on 12 January 1942, reputedly because of his insistence that his African American sentries and Military Police had police authority over local Caucasian civilians.

His successor Colonel Frederick von Kimble, then oversaw operations at the Tuskegee airfield.

Contrary to new Army regulations, Kimble maintained segregation on the field in deference to local customs in the state of Alabama, a policy that was resented by the airmen.

Later that year the Air Corps replaced Kimble.

His replacement had been the director of instruction at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Major Noel F Parrish.

Counter to the prevalent racism of the day, Parrish was fair and open-minded and petitioned Washington to allow the Tuskegee Airmen to serve in combat.

The strict racial segregation the US Army required gave way in the face of the requirements for complex training in technical vocations.

Typical of the process was the development of separate African American flight surgeons to support the operations and training of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Before the development of this unit, no US Army flight surgeons were black.

Training of African American men as aviation medical examiners was conducted through correspondence courses until 1943, when two black physicians were admitted to the

US Army School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field in Texas.

This was one of the earliest racially integrated courses in the US Army.

Seventeen flight surgeons served with Tuskegee Airmen from 1941 through to 1949.

At that time the typical tour of duty for a US Army flight surgeon was four years.

Six of these physicians lived under field conditions during operations in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy.

The chief flight surgeon to the Tuskegee Airmen was Vance H Marchbanks Jr MD, who was a childhood friend of Benjamin O Davis Jr, who became the commander of the fighter group.

The accumulation of washed out cadets at Tuskegee and the propensity of other commands to "dump" African American personnel on the post exacerbated the difficulties of administering Tuskegee.

A shortage of jobs for them left these enlisted men a drag on Tuskegee's housing and culinary departments.

Trained officers were also left idle, as the plan to shift African American officers into command slots stalled, and white officers not only continued to hold command, but were joined by additional white officers assigned to the post.

One rationale behind the non assignment of trained African American officers was stated by the commanding officer of the Army Air Forces, General Henry "Hap" Arnold -

"Negro pilots cannot be used in our present Air Corps units since this would result in Negro officers serving over white enlisted men creating an impossible social situation."

The 99th was finally considered ready for combat duty by April 1943.

It shipped out of Tuskegee on the second of April, bound for North Africa, where it would join the 33rd Fighter Group and its commander Colonel William W Momyer.

Given little guidance from battle experienced pilots, the 99th's first combat mission was to attack the small strategic volcanic island of Pantelleria in the Mediterranean Sea, to clear the sea lanes for the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943.

The air assault on the island began on 30 May 1943.

The Italian population of 11 500 surrendered on 11 June, one of the rare instances in history when an enemy's military resistance had been overcome solely by air power.

The assignment to a predominantly ground attack role prevented the 99th from engaging in air to air combat.

The unit was later criticized for not shooting down enemy aircraft; Congressional hearings were held on this perceived failure, with the aim of disbanding the squadron.

However, the 99th moved on to Sicily and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its performance in combat.

By the spring of 1944 more graduates were ready for combat and the all black 332nd Fighter Group had been sent overseas with three fighter squadrons, The 100th, 301st and 302nd.

Under the command of Colonel Davis the squadrons were moved to mainland Italy, where the 99th Fighter Squadron, was also assigned to the group on 1 May 1944 and joined them on 6 June 1944 at Ramitelli Airfield, near Termoli, on the Adriatic coast.

From Ramitelli, the 332nd Fighter Group escorted Fifteen Air Force heavy strategic bombing raids into Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Germany.

Flying escort for heavy bombers, the 332nd earned an impressive combat record.

The Allies called these airmen "Red Tails" or "Red-Tail Angels," because of the distinctive crimson paint predominantly applied on the tail section of the unit's aircraft.

A B-25 bomb group, the 477th Bombardment Group was by now forming in the USA, but was not able to complete its training in time to see action.

The 99th Fighter Squadron after its return to the United States became part of the 477th, Later redesignated the 477th Composite Group.

With African American fighter pilots being trained successfully, the Army Air Force now came under political pressure from the NAACP and other civil rights organizations to organize a bomber unit.

There could be no defensible argument that the quota of 100 pilots in training at one time,

for 200 per year total out of a total of 60 000 American aviation cadets in annual training, represented the service potential of 13 million African Americans.

On 13 May 1943 the 616th Bombardment Squadron was established as the initial subordinate squadron of the 477th Bombardment Group.

The squadron was activated on 1 July 1943, only to be deactivated on 15 August 1943.

By September 1943 the number of washedout cadets on base had surged to 286, with few of them working.

In January 1944 the 477th Bombardment Group was reactivated.

At the time, the usual training cycle for a bombardment group took three to four months.

The 477th would eventually contain four medium bomber squadrons.

Slated to comprise 1200 officers and enlisted men, the unit would operate 60 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers.

The 477th would go on to encompass three more bomber squadrons, the 617th Bombardment Squadron, the 618th Bombardment Squadron, and the 619th Bombardment Squadron.

The 477th was anticipated to be ready for action in November 1944.

The home field for the 477th was Selfridge Field, located outside Detroit, however, other bases would be used for various types of training courses.

Twin-engine pilot training began at Tuskegee while transition to multiengine pilot training was at Mather Field in California.

Some ground crews trained at Mather before rotating to Inglewood in California.

Gunners learned to shoot at Eglin Field in Florida.

Bombardiers and navigators learned their trades at Hondo Army Air Field and Midland Field, both in Texas or at Roswell in New Mexico.

Training of the new African American crewmen also took place at Sioux Falls in South Dakota; Lincoln in Nebraska and Scott Field in Bellevue, Illinois.

Once trained, the air and ground crews would be spliced into a working unit at Selfridge.

The new group's first Commanding Officer was Colonel Robert Selway.

Like his ranking officer Major General Frank O'Driscoll Hunter from Georgia, he was a racial segregationist.

Hunter was blunt about it, saying such things as -

"...racial friction will occur if colored and white pilots are trained together."

He backed Selway's violations of Army Regulation 210-10, which forbade segregation of air base facilities.

They segregated base facilities so thoroughly they even drew a line in the base theater and ordered separate seating by races.

When the audience sat in random patterns as part of "Operation Checkerboard", the movie was halted to make men return to segregated seating.

African American officers petitioned base Commanding Officer William Boyd for access to the only officer's club on base.

Lieutenant Milton Henry entered the club and personally demanded his club rights; he was courtmartialled for this and given a Dishonourable Discharge.

Subsequently, Colonel Boyd denied club rights to African Americans although General Hunter stepped in and promised a separate but equal club would be built for black airmen.

The 477th was transferred to Godman Field in Kentucky before the club was built.

They had spent five months at Selfridge but found themselves on a base a fraction of Selfridge's size, with no air to ground gunnery range, and deteriorating runways that were too short for B-25 landings.

Colonel Selway took on the second role of Commanding Officer of Godman Field.

In that capacity, he ceded Godman Field's officer club to African American airmen.

Caucasian officers used the whites only clubs at nearby Fort Knox, much to the displeasure of African American officers.

Another irritant was a professional one for African American officers.

They observed a steady flow of "white" officers through the command positions of the group and squadrons; these officers stayed just long enough to be "promotable" before transferring out at their new rank.

This seemed to take about four months.

In an extreme example, 22 year old Robert Mattern was promoted to captain, transferred into squadron command in the 477th days later, and left a month later as a major.

He was replaced by another Caucasian officer.

Meanwhile, no Tuskegee Airmen held command.

On 15 March 1945,the 477th was transferred to Freeman Field, on the verge of Seymour, Indiana.

The "white" population of Freeman Field was 250 officers and 600 enlisted men.

Superimposed on it were 400 African American officers and 2500 enlisted men of the 477th and its associated units.

Freeman Field had a firing range, usable runways, and other amenities useful for training. African American airmen would work in proximity with "white" ones; both "races" would live in a public housing project adjacent to the base.

Colonel Selway turned the non commissioned officers out of their club and turned it into a second officers club.

He then classified all "white" personnel as cadre and all African Americans as trainees. One officers club became the cadre's club.

The old Non Commissioned Officers Club, promptly sarcastically dubbed "Uncle Tom's Cabin", became the trainee's officers club.

At least four of the trainees had flown combat tours in Europe as fighter pilots,

and had about four years in service.

Four others had completed training as pilots, bombardiers and navigators, and may have been the only triply qualified officers in the entire Air Corps.

Several of the Tuskegee Airmen had logged over 900 flight hours by this time.

Nevertheless by Colonel Selway's 'ideals' they were simply trainees.

Off-base was no better; many businesses in Seymour would not serve African Americans.

A local laundry would not wash their clothes, yet willingly laundered those of captured German soldiers!

In early April 1945, the 118th Base Unit transferred in from Godman Field;

its African American personnel held orders that specified they were base cadre, not trainees.

On 5 April 1945 officers of the 477th peaceably tried to enter the whites only Officer's Club. Selway had been tipped off by a phone call, and had the assistant provost marshal and base billeting manager stationed at the door to refuse the 477th officers entry.

The latter a major, ordered them to leave, and took their names as a means of arresting them when they refused.

It was the beginning of the Freeman Field Mutiny.

In the wake of the Freeman Field Mutiny, the 616th and 619th were disbanded and the returned 99th Fighter Squadron assigned to the 477th on 22 June 1945; it was renamed the 477th Composite Wing as a result.

On 1 July 1945, Colonel Robert Selway was relieved of the Group's command; he was replaced by Colonel Benjamin O Davis Sr.

A complete sweep of Selway's "white" staff followed, with all vacated jobs filled by

African-American officers.

The war ended before the 477th Composite Group could get into action.

The 618th Bombardment Squadron was disbanded on 8 October 1945.

On 13 March 1946, the two-squadron group, supported by the 602d Engineer Squadron, the 118th Base Unit, and a band, moved to its final station, Lockbourne Field.

The 617th Bombardment Squadron and the 99th Fighter Squadron disbanded on 1 July 1947, ending the 477th Composite Group.

It would be reorganized as the 332nd Fighter Wing.

In all, 996 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1941 to 1946, approximately 445 were deployed overseas, and 150 Airmen lost their lives in accidents or combat.

The casualty toll included sixty-six pilots killed in action or accidents, and thirty-two that saw the war out as prisoners of war.

The Tuskegee Airmen were credited by higher commands with the following accomplishments:

15 533 combat sorties

1578 missions

One hundred and twelve German aircraft destroyed in the air

150 on the ground

Nine hundred and fifty railcars, trucks and other motor vehicles destroyed

One destroyer sunk by P-47 machine gun fire

A good record of protecting USAAF bombers, losing only 25 on hundreds of missions.

Awards and decorations awarded for valor and performance included:

Three Distinguished Unit Citations

99th Pursuit Squadron: 30 May–11 June 1943 for the capture of Pantelleria, Italy

99th Fighter Squadron: 12–14 May 1944: for successful air strikes against Monte Cassino, Italy

332d Fighter Group: 24 March 1945: for the longest bomber escort mission of World War II

At least one Silver Star

An estimated one hundred and fifty Distinguished Flying Crosses

Fourteen Bronze Stars

Seven hundred and forty-four Air Medals

Eight Purple Hearts

On 24 March 1945, the Chicago Defender said that no bomber escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen had ever been lost to enemy fire, under the headline: "332nd Flies Its 200th Mission Without Loss"; the article was based on information supplied by the 15th Air Force.

This statement was repeated for many years, and not challenged because of the esteem the Tuskegee Airmen were held in, however Air Force records and eyewitness accounts later showed that at least 25 bombers were lost to enemy fire.

The Air Force conducted a reassessment of the history of the unit in late 2006.

The subsequent report, based on after-mission reports filed by both the bomber units and Tuskegee fighter groups, as well as missing air crew records and witness testimony, documented 25 bombers shot down by enemy fighter aircraft while being escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen.

According to the 28 March 2007 Air Force report, some bombers under 332nd Fighter Group escort protection were even shot down on the day the Chicago Defender article was published.

One mission report states that on 26 July 1944 -

"1 B-24 seen spiralling out of formation in T/A (target area) after attack by E/A (enemy aircraft).

No chutes seen to open."

A second report dated 31 August 1944, praises group commander Colonel Davis by saying, he -

"so skilfully disposed his squadrons that in spite of the large number of enemy fighters, the bomber formation suffered only a few losses."

Disputing this assertion, Alan Gropman, a professor at the National Defense University said he researched more than 200 Tuskegee Airmen mission reports and found no bombers were lost to enemy fighters.

In 2008 the St. Petersburg Times quoted an historian at the Air Force Historical Research Agency as confirming the total loss of up to 25 bombers, where other units were often losing more than 25 bombers in a single mission.

William Holloman, of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., a group of surviving Tuskegee pilots and their supporters, and a Tuskegee airman who taught Black Studies at the University of Washington and who chaired the Airmen's history committee, was reported by the Times as saying his review of records did confirm lost bombers.

He further stated "the Tuskegee story is about pilots who rose above adversity and discrimination and opened a door once closed to black America – not about whether their record is perfect."

Contrary to negative predictions from some quarters, a combination of prewar experience and the personal drive of those accepted for training, far from failing, had resulted in some of the best pilots in the USAAF.

Nevertheless, the Tuskegee Airmen continued to have to fight racism.

Their combat record did much to quiet those directly involved with the group, notably bomber crews who often requested them for escort, but other units continued to harass these airmen.

In 1949 the 332nd entered the annual All Air Force Gunnery Meet in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The competition included shooting aerial targets, shooting targets on the ground and dropping bombs on targets.

After tallying up the score, the organizers announced the third and second place winners and claimed that the first place squadron was unknown.

Years later the Airmen fought for the recognition for winning the competition, and succeeded.

After segregation in the military was ended in 1948 by President Harry S Truman with Executive Order 9981, the veteran Tuskegee Airmen now found themselves in high demand throughout the newly formed United States Air Force.

Some taught in civilian flight schools, such as the black owned Columbia Air Center in Maryland.

Tuskegee Airmen were instrumental in postwar developments in aviation.

Edward A Gibbs was a civilian flight instructor in the USA Aviation Cadet Program at Tuskegee during its inception.

He later became the founder of Negro Airmen International, an association joined by many airmen.

USAF General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr (then a Lt) was an instructor of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, later a fighter pilot in Europe and in 1975, became the first African American to reach the rank of four-star general.

In 2005 seven Tuskegee Airmen, including Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Carter, Colonel Charles McGee, group historian Ted Johnson, and Lieutenant Colonel Lee Archer, flew to Balad, Iraq, to speak to active duty airmen serving in the current incarnation of the 332nd, which was reactivated as first the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group in 1998 and made part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.

"This group represents the linkage between the 'greatest generation' of airmen and the 'latest generation' of airmen," said Lt Gen Walter E Buchanan III, commander of the Ninth Air Force and US Central Command Air Forces.

No one knows how many are still alive from the original crew member number of 996 pilots and about 15000 ground personnel.

Many of the surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen participate annually in the Tuskegee Airmen Convention, which is hosted by Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

On 29 March 2007, approximately 300 Tuskegee Airmen (or their widows) received the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the USA's Capitol rotunda.

The medal's are currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution.

The airfield where the airmen trained is now the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.

In 2006 California Congressman Adam Schiff and Missouri Congressman William Lacy Clay Jr, led the initiative to create a commemorative postage stamp to honor the Tuskegee Airmen.

On 1 August 2008 the City of Atlanta in Georgia, officially renamed a portion of State Route 6 in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The road is a highway that serves as the main artery into Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

On 9 December 2008 the Tuskegee Airmen were invited to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African American elected as President.

Retired Lt William Broadwater aged 82, of Upper Marlboro, a Tuskegee Airman, summed up the feeling.

"The culmination of our efforts and others' was this great prize we were given on 4 Nov.

Now we feel like we've completed our mission."

More than 180 airmen attended the 20 January 2009 inauguration.

The Tuskegee Airmen Memorial was erected at Walterboro Army Airfield in South Carolina, in honuor of the Tuskegee Airmen, their instructors, and ground support personnel who trained at the Walterboro Army Airfield during World War II.

In the 2010 Rose Parade the city of West Covina in California paid tribute to the "service and commitment of the Tuskegee Airmen" with a float, entitled "Tuskegee Airmen - A Cut Above", which featured a large bald eagle, two replica World War II "Redtail" fighter planes and historical images of some of the airmen who served.

The float won the mayor's trophy as the most outstanding city entry - national or international.

In June 1998, the Ohio Army and Air National guard opened a jointly operated dining hall.

They dedicated the new dining facility called the "Red Tail Dining Facility" to the Tuskegee Airmen.

The facility is operated at the Rickenbacker ANG base outside of Columbus Ohio.

Some Films and Books that have Featured the Tuskegee Airmen have included -

Wings for This Man (1945)

A propaganda short about the Tuskegee Airmen which was produced by the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force.

The film was narrated by Ronald Reagan.

The Tuskegee Airmen (1996)

A film starring Laurence Fishburne which was produced and aired by HBO.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRka1ZiN-Zo

watch it here on youtube

Via Flickr