"I love every opportunity to encourage and mentor younger people regarding aviation" --Major Kenyatta Ruffin, USAF

Major Kenneth Ruffin

When he was just five years old, Kenyatta Ruffin dreamed of flying and becoming an astronaut. He began flying at 13, and later, with the encouragement and support of the people around him, he attended the United States Air Force Academy.  There, he excelled, earning a degree in Aeronautical Engineering with a minor in Military Strategic Studies. The young boy with a dream eventually became a highly decorated pilot with over 2,500 hours flying the F-16C/C+/CJ/CM, MC-12W, T-38C, and T-6A.

Thankful for the opportunities he had as a young man, which helped him achieve his dream, and fueled by the desire to invest in America's young people, Major Ruffin founded the non-profit organization Legacy Flight Academy (LFA). LFA's mission is to uphold and sustain the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen by providing minority youth with flight training and mentorship in preparation for a career in aviation through military service. LFA has conducted two summer character development and flight training programs at historic Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, providing a life-changing experience for 30 students and reaching hundreds more through their other programs.

Ruffin's work with LFA earned him recognition during the Shine a Light segment at the 2016 BET Awards. Shine a Light recognizes individuals who have made substantial contributions to the African American community. He was inspired by the courage and discipline of the many groundbreaking men and women in aviation like the Tuskegee Airmen and the WASP:

“The Legacy of both the Tuskegee Airmen and WASP are truly inspirational to men and women alike, to those who are a minority and those who are in the majority, for the young and old, for people anywhere and everywhere. Their story is a human story about courage and commitment, about adversity and perseverance, about excellence and sacrifice. In short, their legacy is part of what made America great and is what will keep her great. I truly hope that the upcoming generation will look to these men and women as the role models and heroes that they are, and that we would all appreciate and honor their heritage.”

We appreciate and honor Major Ruffin's service to this nation and his positive influence as a role model for America's youth!

Major Ruffin and young participants at Legacy Flight Academy,
Moton Air Field in Tuskegee, AL (Photo: Legacy Flight Academy)

You can support Legacy Flight Academy by visiting http://legacyflightacademy.org/ directly, or look for it when shopping through Amazon Smile at https://smile.amazon.com/.

"The time I appeared in four Japanese Aviation Magazines" --Lt Col Tamara Barlette, USAF

Lt Col Barlette in the A-10

During our Greatest Generation Meets the Next Generation panel event at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, Tamara shared this memorable moment in her career.

"I’ve had the opportunity to explore the world in my aircraft, usually garnering different experiences along the way. When I was flying my A10 in Korea, I was given the chance to go to an airshow in Tokyo along with the only other female in the squadron. The guys weren’t too excited saying “oh, they’re who’s going to represent us?” Reality is, when they go, they don’t represent us either. So off we went, but we had to stop in the southeast part of the peninsula to get some gas first. The Korean ground crew came out to meet us and were surprised to find we were women! We went inside to get the gas and when it was time to start our planes, they didn’t come out. We pulled up our own ladders, started up our planes and headed back out. What’s interesting is we had quite the opposite experience when we got to Japan. The day after we landed in Japan, while walking back to our aircraft, this guy comes up to me and hands me a picture of us walking away from the plane the day prior and says, “can you sign this?” And I thought, “well that’s… yes I’ll sign that, that’s wonderful, thank you.” I did not know that that was going to happen about a hundred more times! We ended up in four Japanese aviation magazines, and I just had no idea that they loved aviation so much! It was really an honor to take those jets over there and represent the United States."

  

Lt Col Barlette is an active duty officer in the United States Air Force stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas. She is currently an instructor pilot in the T-38 Talon, the Air Force’s primary trainer for the fighter/bomber aircraft track.  In addition to the T-38, Lt Col Barlette has flown the T-37 Tweet, the A-10 Warthog, the MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9 Reaper.  She is also a graduate of the prestigious US Air Force Weapons School. She has more than 3000 total flight hours and over 1500 hours of combat support time in both Iraq and Afghanistan supporting and protecting our troops on the ground by providing real time reconnaissance and lethal support.

Willa Brown: Teacher, Civil Rights Activist, Lobbyist, and Aviation Pioneer

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="410.0"] Willa Brown earned her pilot's license in 1938. (Photo: The History Makers: http://ow.ly/XN6j307y5xh) [/caption]

Willa Brown was born in 1906 in Kentucky, the daughter of Reverend and Mrs. Erice B. Brown. She graduated from high school in Terra Haute, Indiana and attended college, earning a bachelors in Education from the Indiana State Teachers College in 1927.

After briefly teaching at Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana, she moved to Chicago, Illinois to become a social worker.  It was there that she decided to pursue her interest in aviation. 

In 1934 Brown began to train under Cornelius Coffey, a self-taught African-American pilot and founder of the Coffey School of Aeronautics in Chicago. During this time she once again attended school and by 1937 she had earned a Masters Mechanic Certificate from the Aeronautical University of Chicago, MBA from Northwestern University and Civil Aeronautics Administration ground school instructor's rating.

Brown earned her private pilot's license in 1938, the first African American woman to achieve that feat--and with a score of 96 of 100 on the exam. She and Coffey later married and formed the National Airmen's Association of America, dedicated to the integration of the Army Air Corps. 

In an interview with The History Makers, Walter Hill, Jr. recounted Willa Brown's petition to host an aviation training school for black men at the beginning of the war:

“She petitioned the War Department when it made the decision to train black men to become pilots…They went out to various institutions to find out who would be willing to host a training school. Willa Brown’s application to the War Department was that she could do that in her flying school ‘cause she had been training black pilots since the late 1930s. She was very prominent in the field. She lost out of course; Tuskegee was one of the institutions that won, and that’s why they became the Tuskegee Airmen.”

Though Brown's school was not selected, she continued supplying trainees to the Tuskegee Airmen training program. By the time the US entered the war, the Coffey school had trained hundreds of men and women. In 1941, Brown was commissioned the first African-American officer in the Civil Air Patrol and named federal coordinator of the Civil Air Patrol unit in Chicago.

After the war, Brown would become involved in politics and ran for Congress. Though she lost, it was groundbreaking for African-American women who were later inspired by her to run for office. She remained heavily involved with issues important to her, especially racial and gender integration of the Army Air Corps.

Willa Brown-Chappell (she remarried in 1955), retired from teaching school in 1971 and a year later, she was appointed to the FAA Women's Advisory Board, in recognition of her contributions to aviation. She would remain active in her work and causes important to her for another twenty years until her death from a stroke at the age of 86.

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune: Educator, Stateswoman, Civil Rights Activist. She Played A Vital Part In The Integration of Pilot Training Programs For African-Americans.

From Annotations: The NEH Preservation Project

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="253.0"] Young Mary Jane McLeod Bethune. (Photo: Emory University) [/caption]

"As a small child, Mary Jane McLeod would routinely accompany her mother to deliver the "white people's" wash. Allowed into the white children's nursery, Mary would find amusement playing with their toys. In one instance, she curiously opened a book. Immediately, one of the white children snatched it from her exclaiming, "Put that down. You can't read!" Mary thought, "Maybe the difference between white folks and colored is just this matter of reading and writing." At that moment, the seeds for a life of learning and teaching were planted.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="238.0"] Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. (Photo: Emory University) [/caption]

During the 1930's, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was head of the National Council of Negro Women. Using her professional relationship with President Franklin Roosevelt and friendship with First Lady Eleanor,  she successfully lobbied against segregation and for integration of the New Deal's Pilot Training program. Her efforts resulted in West Virginia State College becoming the first black school to institute an aviation program and eventually the creation of the Tuskegee Institute. 

Click here to listen to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt interviewing her friend Mary McLeod Bethune in a 1949 radio broadcast in support of 'interracial understanding' courtesy of WNYC.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="549.0"] Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt at the opening of Midway Hall, May 1943. (Photo: WNYC.com) [/caption]

You can read more at the PBS Biography of Mary McLeod Bethune.

U.S. Air Force Major Kenyatta Ruffin preserves the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen through training and mentoring young people for aviation careers

by Jess Clackum

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="288.0"] "The demands of my job are high, but I love every opportunity to encourage and mentor younger people regarding aviation." (http://www.taichicago.org/archives/847) [/caption]

Major Kenyatta Ruffin is a highly decorated United States Air Force pilot with over 2,500 hours flying the F-16C/C+/CJ/CM, MC-12W, T-38C, and T-6A. Ruffin, who dreamed of flying since the age of 5, graduated from the United States Air Force Academy where he earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering with a minor in Military Strategic Studies.

Thankful for the opportunities he had as a young man, which helped him achieve his dream, and fueled by the desire to invest in America's young people, Major Ruffin founded the non-profit organization Legacy Flight Academy (LFA). LFA's mission is to uphold and sustain the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen by providing minority youth with flight training and mentorship in preparation for a career in aviation through military service. LFA has conducted two summer character development and flight training programs at historic Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, providing a life-changing experience for 30 students and reaching hundreds more through their other programs.

Major Ruffin was inspired by the courage and discipline of the many groundbreaking men and women in aviation like the Tuskegee Airmen and the WASP:

“The Legacy of both the Tuskegee Airmen and WASP are truly inspirational to men and women alike, to those who are a minority and those who are in the majority, for the young and old, for people anywhere and everywhere. Their story is a human story about courage and commitment, about adversity and perseverance, about excellence and sacrifice. In short, their legacy is part of what made America great and is what will keep her great. I truly hope that the upcoming generation will look to these men and women as the role models and heroes that they are, and that we would all appreciate and honor their heritage.”

We appreciate and honor Major Ruffin's dedicated service to this nation and his positive influence as a role model for America's youth!

You can support Legacy Flight Academy! Please visit http://legacyflightacademy.org/ and also look for Legacy Flight Academy when shopping through Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com/).

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Major Ruffin and young participants at Legacy Flight Academy, Moton Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.  (Photo: Legacy Flight Academy) [/caption]

Janet Harmon Bragg: Flying in the Face of Convention

“I’m not afraid of tomorrow because I’ve seen yesterday, and today is beautiful.”- Janet Harmon Bragg.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="980.0"] Janet Bragg (African American Registry) [/caption]

It was a normal day in 1940s Chicago when a young black woman disembarked the test plane to receive her pilot’s license. There was nothing to distinguish this credential from the many issued to aspiring aviators before it, yet its recipient was not a normal person. This was Janet Harmon's second time testing for a pilot’s license and her groundbreaking success was the culmination of many years spent fighting against the current as an aspiring pilot who was both black and a woman.

Bragg lived a life of challenges and victories, and found herself a unique heroine of aviation by its end. She was a woman who truly embodied the spirit of the WASP although the ugly social realities of her time prevented her from joining the organization itself or even participate in medical army service despite her clear professional qualifications. Her story is one of indomitable will over obstacles, bravery in the face of harsh discrimination, and the poignant strength of looking beyond the horizon at a more inclusive future in a world where boundaries of convention were only beginning to inch forward on a long and continuing journey.

Bragg was born "Jane Nattie Harmon" on March 24, 1907 in Griffin, Georgia, the youngest of seven children of Samuel Harmon and Cordia Bates.  As a young woman, she pursued a nursing degree at Spelman Seminary (now Spelman College) in Atlanta. In her training at MacBicar hospital she was one of the two out of twelve students in her class to receive a registered nursing degree in 1929. After graduation she moved to Rockford, Illinois where she soon began work at Wilson Hospital.

One day in 1933, Bragg spotted a billboard depicting a bird’s nest and the phrase “Birds learn to fly. Why can’t you?” As she recalled in a 1989 interview with the Arizona Historical Society, her mind was drawn back to her childhood, when she had watched birds take flight outside and wished to do the same. Wasting no time, she enrolled at Aeronautical University in Chicago, receiving instruction from Cornelius Coffey and John C. Robinson in meteorology, aeronautics, and aircraft mechanics.

Although her classmates were black, Bragg once again found herself the odd one out as a only woman in a class full of men. However, it wasn’t long before being one of the few students with a job paid off and she was able to purchase her first plane for $600. Since the school owned no airplanes ,and was therefore not able to offer hands-on flight instruction, Bragg was able to earn a measure of respect from fellow students while collecting money from renting out her plane. Since black pilots were restricted from departing at airports used by whites, Bragg and a number of her classmates and instructors formed the Challenger Aero Club (later known as the National Airmen’s Association of America), purchased land, and built an airfield in the all-black town of Robbins, Illinois.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1964.0"] Janet Bragg & relatives, 1937.  (Smithsonian) [/caption]

Following her graduation from Aeronautical University, Bragg received her private pilot’s license. During the 1930s she wrote a bi-weekly column in the Chicago Defender under the name Janet Waterford and by 1939, along with several colleagues started the only Civilian Pilot Training Program for African Americans located outside of a college campus.

By 1943, as World War ll raged on, a white female student of Bragg’s suggested that she apply to Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). To this end she met with Ethel Sheehy, the assistant to WASP head Jacqueline Cochran, who was surprised to discover Bragg’s race, noting “I’ve never interviewed a colored girl for flying.” To this Bragg simply replied “Well, we have plenty of them to fly.” Bragg was sent home without an interview, but with the faint hope that she would hear more from the organization. Any expectations she may have harbored were dashed several weeks later when she received a letter from Cochran herself, definitively rejecting Bragg because of her race. She went on to apply to the military nurse corps, who also rejected her on the grounds that their “colored quota” had already been filled.

Bragg then attended the Commercial Pilot Training Program at Tuskegee, Institute in Alabama as she worked toward achieving her license. Although she completed her written work, her efforts were hampered by rampant racism and sexism. Despite demonstrating that she was more than competent in the air and passed her flight test, Bragg’s instructor declared, “She gave me a ride I’d put up with any of your flight instructors. I’ve never given a colored girl a commercial pilot’s license, and I don’t intend to.”  Unwilling to accept defeat, Bragg took the examination again in Chicago and this time passed, becoming the first black woman to hold a commercial pilot’s license.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PbK56TcTh8&w=420&h=315]

After her return to the windy city, Bragg and her brother purchased and opened a health care center for patients on welfare. She and her second husband Sumner, managed two nursing homes in Chicago until their retirement in 1972.

Even in retirement, Bragg’s life would continue to be colorful and shaped by her interest in aviation. In 1955, after befriending some Ethiopian students studying in the U.S., Bragg was invited to visit the country and meet Emperor Haile Selassie. Throughout the late 1970s she returned to Africa,  leading tour groups. She also volunteered with the Black Wings exhibit at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, where she lived. Bragg contributed to her community through participation in local organizations such as the Tucson Arizona Urban League, Habitat for Humanity, and the Adopt-a-Scholar program at Tucson’s Pima College.

In 1996, the Smithsonian Institution Press published Soaring Above Setbacks: The Autobiography of Janet Harmon Bragg, African American Aviator,  a book that allowed Bragg, with the assistance of author Marjorie M. Kriz, to finally chisel out a place for herself in the public consciousness as the pioneering and tenacious leader in aviation and race and gender advancement that she was.

Before her death in 1993, Janet Bragg finally experienced recognition of her achievements, receiving awards and appearance requests for aviation events around America. Her legacy lives on in all the young women who have followed in her footsteps, defying social norms to fulfill their dreams.

Herbert and Mildred Hemmons Carter: pioneers for change

by Jess Clackum

It takes pioneers to force change. Herbert and Mildred would play their part in the years ahead. But in those early days, they didn't see themselves as trailblazers. They were young and in love.

Their rendezvous point: 3,000 feet above a bridge at Lake Martin, 25 miles away from base. He'd fly a repaired AT6 trainer. She'd be in a much slower Piper J-3 Cub.

The two would become known as Tuskegee's "First Couple".

Herbert earned his wings as a Second Lieutenant. He flew 77 missions with the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII and served 27 years in the US Air Force. He earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Education from the Tuskegee Institute. Upon his retirement from a distinguished military career, he served Tuskegee Institute in a variety of positions including Associate Dean.

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Lt. Colonel Herbert Carter would fly 77 missions during WWII and serve 27 years in the USAF before retiring and becoming an Associate Dean at Tuskegee University.   [/caption]




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Mildred Hemmons Carter. [/caption]

Mildred earned her pilot’s license in 1941, becoming the first black woman in Alabama to do so. To this day, she is counted among the history-making Tuskegee Airmen. While Mildred was denied admission to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) because of her race, she was not deterred from flying. She taught and mentored African-American fighter pilots. Seventy years after she’d earned her license, Mildred was recognized as a member of the WASP and received a medal with the inscription: “The First Women in History to Fly America.”

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="404.0"] Mildred being honored as Alabama's first Female Pilot by Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center in 2011 [/caption]

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Herbert and Mildred were happily married for 69 years until Mildred passed away on October 26, 2011. Herbert followed her on November 8, 2012.

We honor their service to our country!

A Midair Courtship: Tuskegee's Historic Love Story.

by Jess Clackum

Herbert Carter and Mildred Hemmons had no time for dating in the early months of 1942. He was training to become a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the nation's first military program for African-American pilots. She was the bold, daring woman who caught his eye. At 18, she'd become the first black woman in Alabama to earn a pilot's license. She had hopes of becoming a military pilot, too.

Flying was intoxicating.

On February 1, 1941, she entered history, becoming the first black woman in the state to earn her pilot's license. A month later, flying solo, she came in for a landing at Tuskegee. As she set down the plane, she saw a commotion and a throng of photographers. She was told somebody wanted to meet her. "How's flying?" asked first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who had come to the airfield to publicly support the project.

Mildred had her business degree and well over 100 hours of flying. She was named "Miss Tuskegee Army Flying School" by the airfield newsletter, and Anderson ranked her among his best pilots.

But the rejection came swiftly. "The U.S. government does not have plans at this time to include colored female pilots in the WASP."

Flying provided Herbert and Mildred a sense of freedom -- to be themselves, to dream big. The in-your-face racism of the segregated South was gone, if only for a while. In the air, the sky was literally the limit. More than anything, flight provided a rare opportunity to see each other. He'd call her up on Fridays: "Are you gonna be flying this weekend?" "Of course," she'd say.

They'd pick a time to meet. Their rendezvous point: 3,000 feet above a bridge at Lake Martin, 25 miles away. He'd be flying a repaired AT6 trainer. She'd be in a much slower Piper J-3 Cub. At the end of their aerial encounter, he'd peel away, only to circle back. He'd sneak up behind her, pull in front and leave her in a trail of airwash. Her tiny craft shook mightily. She'd come to expect it every weekend.

"It didn't faze me," she'd say. "I was the better pilot. ... I just didn't fly the fastest aircraft." 

Herbert would go on to earn the rank of lieutenant colonel in a 27-year Air Force career. He remains one of the few men in U.S. history to be a fighter pilot and a squadron maintenance chief, a designation he noted with pride.

Mildred, who had once been denied admission to the WASP because she was African American was recognized as a WASP seventy years after she’d earned her license.  She even received a medal noting she was one of the first women to fly for her country.

The Carter's were happily married for 69 years until Mildred passed away on October 26, 2011. Herbert followed her on November 8, 2012. Still an inspiration to many, they will forever be remembered as the "First Family" of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Mildred and Herbert Carter, a love story in the air...

From the Director: Mildred and Herbert Carter, a love story in the air...

It takes pioneers to force change. Herbert and Mildred would play their part in the years ahead. But in those early days, they didn't see themselves as trailblazers. They were young and in love.

Their rendezvous point: 3,000 feet above a bridge at Lake Martin, 25 miles away from base. He'd be flying a repaired AT6 trainer. She'd be in a much slower Piper J-3 Cub.

The two would become known as the first couple of the Tuskegee Airmen. Herbert earned his wings as a second lieutenant. Mildred Hemmons Carter earned her pilot’s license, becoming the first black woman in Alabama to do so.

Mildred is counted among the history-making Tuskegee Airmen. She learned that the military had created a new initiative to recruit female pilots with a program called the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASP). As the WASP were restricted due to the military's segregation policy, Mildred was denied admission because she was African American.

Seventy years after she’d earned her license, Mildred was recognized as a member of the WASP. She even received a medal with an inscription reading: “The First Women in History to Fly America.”