Warbird Information Exchange

Another story with a slightly better view of southerners. The Tuskegee airmen were just as fond of model making as anyone else. So my friend Harvey was given a shopping list and cash to make some purchases at the nearest model shop which they found in the yellow pages. Now Harvey only stands about 5'5" in his boots. He goes into the store and the wife of the proprietor is behind the counter. She is completely flustered and calls her husband. He asks what does Harvey want. Harvey gets out his list, a half dozen motors, a dozen props, balsa wood, bass wood, tissue paper, dope, tools, plans, kits, glue it amounted to $100 or more. "Ya got any money?" the proprietor says at which Harvey pulls out the cash.

Complete change of attitude. Happy to help. Even made the suggestion that next time Harvey call ahead and they would have everything ready for him when he arrived.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

These are the only 2 aircraft in the hangar

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.

Here are two shots of the former Tuskegee AAF hangar now located at the Clanton, Alabama municipal airport:



Scott

The hangars at Troy appear to be absolutely identical as well.

I'm pretty certain the hangar at Troy is the third one from Tuskegee, Ken. Thanks for pointing that one out to me.

Scott

Anyone know what 'field' they are using for the filming of the Redtails movie?

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S.

We drove over to see what's happening at Moton Field yesterday afternoon. The last time we were there (around 2005/6) there was only the tower portion of the east hangar and the other buildings needed some TLC. My, how things change!
We took these from the overlook west of the hangar complex. This is the original hangar that has been refurbished:


This hangar is the one that was completely gone last time we were here with the exception of the tower. The building on the right is the All Ranks Club if memory serves, and the smaller buildings between them I can't remember. I have old photos of this whole area at home somewhere that will make a great contrast to today.


Here is a view of the hangars from ground-level near the current FBO:


And the gate guardian:


Scott

It would be cool to see them get a few mock up P-51's to put out on the field, and then a real one for the museum along with the other aircraft.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

A dig thru my archives produced this photo courtesy of WIXer PlaneoldSteve.

The hangar with windows in the doors in photo center should be the other former Tuskegee hangar now located in Troy, AL (KTOI). Photo taken Jan 07. Although they were always a bit dank and leaky, the FBO recently cleaned and repainted the entire inside of the old hangar to include an expoy floor finish and new lighting. It looks fantastic.

Ken

PS: The T-2 fuselages someone was looking for in a previous post are located in the apex of the triangular treeline in photo upper left.

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

Actually, the photos of the hangars of recent postings appear to have originated from Sharpe Field, which was also known as Tuskegee AAF. All primary/advanced/operational flight training of the Tuskegee Airmen was done at Tuskegee Army Air Field/Sharpe Field took place at Sharpe Field. The last advanced pilot training class graduated in 1946 and for a while Sharpe Field remained open as a civilian airport before closing around 1970-71. Sharpe Field is now virtually abandoned and un-useful except to perhaps all terrain vehicles, and maybe helicopter traffic.



Moton Field, was where basic flight training was done, and is located 5.8 NM Southeast of TAAF/Sharpe Field. Tuskegee Airmen reunions are held at Moton Field.

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.

Good point. I believe Sharpe was the name of a gravel & stone company and the story goes that they kept the runway open for a corporate airplane for some time. I can attest that the field appeared semi-abandoned when I started flying in the area from 1987 until ~2006 but, as Second Air Force's aerial shots show, one runway is again open - for who, I don't know. I don't have a chart handy to see if it's official.

Moton Field, as you say has been open continuously since WWII. That is where the photos were taken of the refurbished brick hangar and nearby buildings. And where the musuem is. Moton is much closer to the town of Tuskegee than Sharpe and is essentially alongside Interstate 85.

Ken

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

Sharpe is privately owned by the Bradbury Family Partnership, of Woodstock, GA. I think it is great that Tuskegee is interested in the Museum. I have been in contact with the Superintendant of the this Branch of the National Park Service, and suggested that he coordinate with the NMUSAF and the NASM to see if they could get some of the static airframes that need to come out of the elements.
I know that the Tuskegee Airmen flew the following
BT-13
PT-17
AT-6
AT-10
C-45
P-39
P-40
P-51
B-25

What other aircraft did these guys fly? and how many went on to retire from the Air Force

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.

Gary and Ken,

I didn't intend to get the two fields mixed up as it seems I have. The three "double" hangars were, indeed, at Tuskegee AAF. Moton had the brick hangars I most recently posted photos of. I have been led to believe that Moton was used for Primary since it was still grass at the time and close to the city, where most Primary ground school classes were held. Cadets flew the Stearman at Moton, and if they didn't get washed out, they moved up to Basic, Advanced, Multi Advanced, and Transition at the big Tuskegee AAF, where they were also housed and messed. That is the order of events that I had told to me a few years ago.

Here are a few photos of Tuskegee AAF from '42 and '44. I apologize for the quality--they're from microfilm records I pulled today at AFHRA. The three double hangars are quite evident with the checkerboard roofing!




People wonder why we get wrapped up in the buildings and airfields sometimes. I've been told that only the people and airplanes matter, but being able to talk about, research, and visit places like Moton, Tuskegee AAF, Maxwell, and all the other WWII training sites around the country give me a feeling of being at places where history was made.

Ken, the last I looked at a sectional the big field was listed as "Sharpe" and shown as a private field.

Scott

There are plenty of folks I've met that have quite an interest in WW2 Cal-Aero Field, AKA Chino Airport.

The airfield was featured in Abbott & Costello's "Keep 'Em Flying" when it was in full swing as a training base and again in "The Best Years of Our Lives" in 1946 when it was used as a reclamation center to scrap out thousands of aircraft.

Some of the original buildings still exist although many have been torn down since I started hanging out there in about 1981.

I love these photos- keep 'em coming!

Yes, this has been an interesting thread, at least to me anyway. I was a kid in the early 60's and can still remember the hardships that this group of citizens went through then, I can't imagine what it was like in the 20's through the 50's. And to stick it out. Trust me, I know what it like to stick it out through the tough times, but them were some really tough times for them.

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.