1 Tuskegee Airmen
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
1100 Spaatz Street
Dayton, Ohio 45433
From WWII posters to airplane exhibits, learn about the Tuskegee Airmen at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. View multiple artifacts and displays including the Tuskegee Airmen Congressional Gold Medal. In April 2006, the U.S. Congress voted to award the Tuskegee Airmen a Congressional Gold Medal, the most prestigious award Congress can give to civilians. "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. The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air. (tuskegeeairmen.org)
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2 Brigadier General Charles Edward McGee
National Aviation Hall of Fame
1100 Spaatz Street
Dayton, Ohio 45433
Perhaps you saw Brigadier General Charles Edward McGee during Superbowl LIV or during the 2020 State of the Union? His military honors include the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with Two Clusters, two Presidential Unit Citations, and many others. He was instrumental to the growth of the Tuskegee Airmen Association, and his many additional honors include the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, the National Aeronautics Association Elder Statesman of Aviation induction, the Air Force Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Congressional Gold Medal. Learn more about Brigadier General McGee and others at the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
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3 Neal Loving
Wright State University Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy.
Dayton, OH 45435
Neal Loving, an African-American pioneer aviator, overcame a serious aircraft accident to build and fly his own internationally recognized aircraft. Loving received his Engineering degree at the age of 45 and started a new career as a civil service engineer with the United States Air Force. As an engineer, Loving received international recognition for his research in Clear Air Turbulence. Wright State's collection includes professional and personal correspondence, Loving's Wayne State University papers, Loving's entire collection of flight logs and flight certificates, documents and research reports from Loving's civil service career as an aerospace engineer, and documents, blueprints, photographs, magazine and newspaper clippings, film and video shots of Loving's personal aircraft.
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4 Emory C. Malick, Licensee: Pilot No. 105
Historic WACO Field
1865 S Co Rd 25A
Troy, OH 45373
Emory C. Malick received his pilot’s license in March 1912. Not only was he the first known African-American pilot, but he was also the first black person to get a pilot’s license in the United States. In the 1920s, Malick owned a WACO biplane and often gave rides to passengers. Visit the WACO Air Museum to see these magnificent planes in action on their grass runway, or better yet, take a ride yourself!
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5 Stephanie D. Wilson
Armstrong Air & Space Museum
500 Apollo Dr.
Wapakoneta, OH 45895
Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon. But there is a lot more history. Since that giant leap, there have been 18 African-American astronauts. While at the museum, make sure to ask about Stephanie D. Wilson. She has worked at NASA since 1992 and has spent 1,031 hours in space. Her role oversees spacewalk support, and she has transferred over 15,000 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station. Other current black astronauts at NASA include Jessica Watkins, Victor J. Glover Jr., Jeanette J. Epps, and Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr.
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6 Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport
Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport
140 N Valley Rd.
Xenia, OH 45385
If you're flying in for this amazing itinerary, we recommend using the Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport in Greene County. In 1940, Lewis A. Jackson went to Tuskegee where he was appointed Director of Training at the Army Air Corps 66th Flight Training Detachment. It was here he prepared the pilots we now know as the “Tuskegee Airmen.” Dr. Jackson’s teaching career spanned from a one-room schoolhouse to serving as the acting president of Sinclair Community College. In Xenia, OH he became an FAA Flight Examiner and developed an aircraft computer called a NAV-KIT. Until a few months before his death, Dr. Jackson worked on his dream – “an airplane in every garage.” The roadable airplane would be stored at home and driven to the airport. In the 1960s, Dr. Jackson created a foldable-wing airplane that fit into a garage and drove like a three-wheel motorcycle.
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