Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)

Before Their Tails Were "Red"

Before the first African American military pilots became known as the "Red Tails" they wore striped tails as they began their flight training in the Army's PT-17 Stearman bi-plane.  Their flying adventure started at Moton Field, in Tuskegee, Alabama, where the Army Air Corps conducted a military test to determine if African Americans could be trained to fly combat aircraft.