Kennedy Field

Kennedy Field. . , Established in 1939 by Tuskegee aviators Forrest Shelton, Stanley Kennedy, and Joe Wright Wilkerson. Initially known as SKW Field, the facility was renamed for Stanley Kennedy. The 55-acre airfield was leased by Tuskegee Institute in February 1940 under the supervision of G.L. Washington, director of the Tuskegee Institute Division of Aeronautics. Its purpose was to train Black aviators through the Civil Aeronautics Authority Civilian Pilot Training Program (1938-1946), established by the United States government to increase the number of civilian pilots available for military service. The field was utilized for Elementary and Secondary phases of the training program. The airfield consisted of three landing areas. The north-south oriented runway was 1,900 feet in length. An intersecting east-west runway extended 1,200 feet in length with a northeast-southwest runway 1,500 feet in length. Facilities included wood-frame hangers, a fuel depot, and an office. The training program utilized Piper J-3 Cub, Aeronca Tandem, and Waco UPF-7 training aircraft., Reverse Side , On March 29, 1941, First Lady of the United State Eleanor Roosevelt accompanied Charles Alfred "Chief" Anderson, considered the Father of Black Aviation, on an aerial tour from the field in a Piper J-3 Cub tandem seat training aircraft. Roosevelt later described the historic flight in her nationally syndicated "My Day" newspaper column. The first contingent of Black military aviation cadets received initial flight training on this site. This class represented the first of more than 1,000 Tuskegee Airmen trained during the Second World War. Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr, and Daniel "Chappie" James, the first African American members of the United State Air Force to earn the rank of General Officer, received training at this facility. Flight operations on this site were terminated following the construction of Moton Field, located three miles northeast of the Tuskegee Institute campus. The Tuskegee Airmen, known at the "Red Tails" because of the distinctive color scheme of their aircraft, would serve with distinction in the skies over Europe during the Second World War.