Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, preserves the training ground where the first African American military aviators in the United States Army Air Corps underwent primary flight instruction during World War II. Between 1941 and 1946, more than 900 Black pilots earned their wings here, forming what became known as the Tuskegee Airmen — including the 99th Pursuit Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group. The site centers on Moton Field, a small civilian airstrip where primary training was conducted under a contract managed by the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University). The visitor center museum presents the complete arc of the Tuskegee Airmen's history: the political and social context of a segregated military that initially resisted Black aviation, the recruitment and training program at Moton Field, the combat record achieved in North Africa and across the European Theater, and the program's documented role in President Truman's 1948 executive order desegregating the United States Armed Forces. Authentic aircraft from the training era are on display, including a PT-17 Stearman biplane — the type used in primary flight instruction at Moton Field. Oral histories from surviving Tuskegee Airmen are incorporated into the exhibits, giving the galleries an intimate, first-person dimension that conventional artifacts alone cannot provide. Rangers offer interpretive programs on request; weekday visits allow the most direct engagement with staff. The original hangars and control tower from the 1940s remain standing at Moton Field, offering tangible contact with the wartime training environment. Admission is free as a unit of the National Park Service.