Dozens of Atlanta area high school students learned about the world of aviation and met members of the history-making Tuskegee Airmen during the Atlanta 2013 Summer Tuskegee Airmen Aviation Career Training program (TAACT), this week at Delta Air Lines headquarters in Atlanta.
The annual week-long program introduces minority and female youth to the world of aviation through classroom instruction, field trips, and actual flights in small aircraft. Sponsored by the Atlanta Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (ACTAI), led by President/Program Director Andrew Fellers, the program endeavors to instill in children an appreciation for the academic skills, moral character, proper conduct, dedication and discipline necessary to succeed.
On Tuesday, June 19, the participants spent several hours hearing firsthand the experiences of actual Tuskegee Airmen, as well as current pilots and aviation experts.
With the impending and looming pilot shortage, the United States air carriers are on the verge of having fewer total pilots than the 992 graduates from the historic World War II Tuskegee Army Air Corps Flight School.
The introduction of more minority and female youth to careers in aviation will play an important role in alleviating such an occurrence. The Atlanta Chapter Tuskegee Airmen Flight Aviation Program is attempting to answer the need for more pilots and aviation professionals.
The Atlanta Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., (ACTAI) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to fostering and promoting the involvement of African-Americans, other minorities and women to the field of aviation. Since its inception in 1976, ACTAI has worked diligently to increase the African-American population in the airline ranks and build an airline hiring pool that is both inclusive and expansive.
The national organization of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. has more than fifty chapters throughout the United States and is known world-wide for the heroism of its members during World War II.
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