Training at Moton Field
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Tuskegee, Alabama became the point of focus for training African-American military pilots during World War II. The United States Military issued a contract to the Tuskegee Institute who provided basic flight training . The United States Army built Tuskegee Army Airfield which was a separated/segregated base for more advanced training of black pilots. Support personnel, who were mandatory, were trained elsewhere, at Chanute Field, Illinois.
The first class, which included student officer Capt. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., began training on July 19, 1941. Rigorous training in subjects such as meteorology, navigation, and instruments was provided in ground school. Successful cadets who graduated from Moton Field then transferred to the segregated Tuskegee Army Air Field to complete the advanced part of the Army Air Corps pilot training. The Air Corps oversaw training at Tuskegee Institute, providing aircraft, textbooks, flying clothes, parachutes, and mechanic suits while Tuskegee Institute provided full facilities for the aircraft and personnel. Lt. Col. Noel F. Parrish, base commander from 1942-46, worked to lessen the impact of segregation on the cadets.
The first class, which included student officer Capt. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., began training on July 19, 1941. Rigorous training in subjects such as meteorology, navigation, and instruments was provided in ground school. Successful cadets who graduated from Moton Field then transferred to the segregated Tuskegee Army Air Field to complete the advanced part of the Army Air Corps pilot training. The Air Corps oversaw training at Tuskegee Institute, providing aircraft, textbooks, flying clothes, parachutes, and mechanic suits while Tuskegee Institute provided full facilities for the aircraft and personnel. Lt. Col. Noel F. Parrish, base commander from 1942-46, worked to lessen the impact of segregation on the cadets.
![Picture](/uploads/2/4/0/8/24089710/3780503.jpg)
Each of the black military pilots passed through a sequence of flying training phases. The first of these was civilian pilot training (CPT), which began in 1940 at Tuskegee Institute and also took place at various other institutions around the country. After CPT, the men began primary pilot training in 1941 at Tuskegee's nearby Moton Field under contract with the Army Air Forces using Army PT-17 and PT-13 biplanes and PT-19 monoplanes. Following primary flight training, the pilot cadets moved in November 1941 to a much larger airfield in Macon County called Tuskegee Army Air Field, an Army Air Forces installation, where they underwent the next three phases of training. Training at took place using BT-13 airplanes followed by advanced flight training with AT-6 aircraft. The last stage was transitional training for fighter aircraft, using the P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft, which was used in combat during World War II. The advanced training (AT) aircraft for those who anticipated to become B-25 crew members completed training in the twin-engine AT-10.
Led by Benjamin O Davis Jr., Tuskegee's first group of five men graduated as USAAF fighter pilots on March 7, 1942. The 99th Pursuit Squadron added personnel and trained for a year before finally being sent to North Africa in the spring of 1943. They were later attached to the 33rd Fighter Group at Fordjouna, Tunisia.
Led by Benjamin O Davis Jr., Tuskegee's first group of five men graduated as USAAF fighter pilots on March 7, 1942. The 99th Pursuit Squadron added personnel and trained for a year before finally being sent to North Africa in the spring of 1943. They were later attached to the 33rd Fighter Group at Fordjouna, Tunisia.