Tuskegee Army Air Field Hangar

Tuskegee Army Air Field Hangar. Pike County. The first African-American pilots in U. S. military history utilized this hangar, located originally at Tuskegee Army Air Field. Built by Nashville contractors McKissack and McKissack, the base was the first major Army Air Forces base constructed by an African-American construction company. Also, one of the most successful African-American architects in Washington D.C., Hilyard Robinson, designed and supervised the construction. Established in 1941, the program trained approximately 1,000 pilots during World War II. Along with thousands of their support personnel, they became known as Tuskegee Airmen. The most well-known of the Tuskegee Airmen were the members of the 332nd Fighter Group and its four fighter squadrons. The Tuskegee Airmen's 332nd Fighter Group And 99th fighter squadron flew approximately 1500 combat missions, scoring 112 aerial victories, earning 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and three Distinguished Unit citations. The Tuskegee Army Air Field closed in 1947. The facility's three hangars were relocated to municipal airports in Montgomery, Clanton, and Troy. This structure remains largely unchanged from the days of the Tuskegee Airmen.