With its newly accredited aviation program, Tuskegee University is one step closer to fulfilling its mission of training the next generation of Black pilots.
The historic HBCU is now the only historically Black college or university in Alabama with an aviation program available to students who want to become certified pilots. Previously, students training to receive wings studied under Tuskegee’s aerospace engineering program while taking the required certifications to become pilots, 12 WFSA reports.
“We have responded to the demand for pilots,” said S. Keith Hargrove, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. “There are more than 10,000 to 15,000 pilots that are needed here in the U.S.”
This is a full-circle moment for the university and the state of Alabama. It was home to the famous Tuskegee Airmen, who made history when they became the first African American pilots in the United States military service in 1945. Moreover, the first Black commander of an Air Force fighter squadron was also a Tuskegee Airmen.
They walked so students like Tuskegee University Air Force ROTC sophomore Hannah Heaston could run when pursuing an aviation career.
“It’s like a roller coaster on steroids,” said Heaston. “It’s very fun. It’s very relaxing. Once you get in the air, it’s very peaceful.”
Students enrolling in the university’s new aviation program will also have the opportunity to train at Moton Field, the same grounds as the aforementioned Tuskegee Airmen. Additionally, Tuskegee University has been working to scale the program through partnerships with local high schools that offer similar aviation-focused career pathway curricula.
Applications for the university’s first aviation sciences degree program cohort are due by Wednesday, Oct. 30.
In a 2022 study conducted by Data USA, it was found that roughly 2.59% of pilots were Black, compared to 87.1% of their white counterparts who operate planes in the sky.
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