For the first time, Middle Georgia State University’s School of Aviation will send instructors to the Tuskegee Airmen Legacy Flight Academy, a two-week aviation experience held each summer for minority teens interested in aviation.

The academy, based in Tuskegee, Ala., seeks to inspire participants towards a military career in aviation, following in the legacy of the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen, according to the program’s website. Students reside on campus at Tuskegee University and receive flight instruction at Moton Field – the same site where the Tuskegee Airmen first trained more than 70 years ago.

As described by the Tuskegee Airmen’s website, "Tuskegee Airmen" refers to the men and women, African Americans and Caucasians who were involved in the so-called "Tuskegee Experience", the Army Air Corps program to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft during World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air.

“We are more than honored to participate in the academy,” said Gene Behrends, assistant chief pilot for the School of Aviation’s Flight Department, based on the university’s Eastman Campus. “I love the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. The original airmen are all very old now and won’t be with us much longer. Only a few remain today. To use their ‘blood, sweat and tears’ as a way to continue to encourage others to do extraordinary things, and to do it with precision, good character, hard work and self-improvement, is a noble thing.”  

The Legacy Flight Academy will take place from July 11 to July 25 in Tuskegee. The School of Aviation’s Flight Department will send two 2015 Piper Archers with instructors Troy Jones, Jordan Thomae, Cliff Appleman and Hadrien LeBlond to train the students in basic flight.

In addition, the School of Aviation will send another aircraft to Tuskegee with a guest speaker, School of Aviation check pilot Lyle Perry, who will discuss flight safety with the students.

The School of Aviation also will bring the students to Eastman to tour the campus. The tentative date for their visit is July 22.

The program’s website said the academy is vital to increasing the number of African American pilots in the U.S. A statement on the website said that African Americans represent less than 2 percent of pilots in both military and commercial airlines.

“We hope this is the beginning of many years of our participation in the academy,” Behrends said. “This is a win for Middle Georgia State, a win for the legacy students and a win for the aviation community at large.”

For more information, contact Gene Behrends at (478) 448-1057 or [email protected].