Tuskegee Airmen Kaydet

1946

African American fighter pilots trained to fly on the PT-13D Kaydet

African Americans lobbied the War Department to become fighter pilots during World War II. Segregated from white pilots, they trained at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, on this Stearman PT-13 biplane and other similar models.

Hundreds of men graduated from the program, forming the 99th Fighter Squadrons and 332nd Fighter Group. Tuskegee Airmen won many awards and decorations during World War II, particularly for protecting bombers from enemy attacks. Years later, Air Force Captain Matt Quy acquired this plane and restored it.