Tuskegee Airman

During the Eden Prairie Air Expo the CAF Red Tail Squadron P-51B Mustang was on display. Below is an image of Brad Lang, son of a Tuskegee Airman, arriving in a P51-C Mustang during an aviation event promoting the Red Tail Project. Brad is an airline pilot, an accomplished aerobatic pilot, he also volunteers for the CAF Red Tail Project flying and supporting the CAF P-51C Mustang to promote the legacy of Tuskegee Airmen.

Brad’s father was a Tuskegee Airman. Unfortunately the late Donald Lang Sr. didn’t dare dream of going into aviation as a profession, even after his days with the Tuskegee Airmen. It wasn’t an option during segregation for the first African-American military aviators, no matter how accomplished he may have been.

The leader of the CAF Red Tail Squadron, Brad Lang, say of the new CAF Squadron: “Our mission has always been focused on educating people about Tuskegee Airmen. They were talented and courageous aviators who were fighting the Nazis in the air and the military’s segregationist policies on the ground during World War II. The Airmen and their crews painted the tails of their fighters red and, as they proved their skill and daring in the skies over Italy and Germany, white bomber pilots stepped back from their own prejudices and began requesting the ‘red tail angels.’ Adding the word “Squadron” to our new name reflects the fact that hundreds of people support our desire to tell the Airmen’s story by making donations and volunteering.”