GOAL
Tuskegee, with its rich history of excellence, is our Fixed Base of Operation, RTSF is currently partnering with the Macon County School System in executing a $425,000 FAA grant. This grant will be used to establish a Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) duel enrollment bridge program between the Red Tail Flight Academy and high school students in Macon County, Alabama. To support the development of interest in aviation careers, this grant will also fund an outreach program that will allow RTFA Ambassadors to visit every private and public elementary school in Macon County.
FLY
We provide fight training that allows our students to earn the Private Pilot Certificate. Select students will continue their training to obtain the Instrument Rating and advance to a Commercial Pilot Certificate and the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate. All of our students who become CFIs continue to teach inside the program, building fight time while mentoring our newer students.
MAINTAIN
Our Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) program provides the hands on training and experience necessary to pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exam to become a certified Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Technician. Achieving an A&P certification will allow our students to excel as AMTs in the aerospace industry.
LEAD
Leadership principles are the foundation that the Red Tail Scholarship Foundation is built upon. Honesty, integrity, discipline, dedication, and hard work are the standards necessary to succeed in aviation and in life. We provide leadership training to all of our students, as well as providing multiple leadership opportunities to enable our students to learn, grow and excel.
MENTOR
Whether our students are interested in becoming an Aircraft Maintenance Technician, a professional civilian or military aviator, fight dispatch, airfield manager, or any other aviation related career, our mentor cadre is here to help. We have mentors with decades of experience in a wide array of aviation related disciplines, and we work with our industry partners to ensure our students are prepared for a lifetime of success.
All
About
Us
RED TAIL FLIGHT ACADEMY
Between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. Army Air Corps trained 996 Tuskegee Airmen. Founded in 2016, the goal of RTSF/RTFA is to train a minimum of 997 African American pilots and 300 African American Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) technicians. An aviation career is a gateway to the world. The aviation industry will create opportunities in under-resourced communities and effect positive change that will impact generations to come. At RTFA we focus on four main pillars to prepare our scholars for success: Fly, Maintain, Lead, and Mentor. With your help, RTSF can achieve our goals and ensure that the Tuskegee Airmen are not just an important piece of our history, but an integral part of our future.
“RTFA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a subsidiary of RTSF focused solely on flight training.”
Current Operations & Future Growth:
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Currently, the Red Tail Flight Academy operates a fleet of six Piper Archer 2s (PA-28-181). We also have a 10 bay T-Hangar that we currently use for aircraft maintenance and storage.
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As a fight school training future military pilots and future civilian pilots, we have a unique fleet designed to optimize the aspiring professional aviator and maintainer. Our Cherokees are the perfect platforms for new pilots working towards a private pilots license, or more experienced pilots striving toward instrument ratings or advanced certificates. Our fleet doubles as a maintenance platform for our A&P candidates to build hours while keeping our fleet airworthy. The Super Decathlon is an outstanding aircraft to train our future military aviators on basic and advanced aerobatic maneuvers, which will prepare them to be more successful in their military aspirations.
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We are excited about the multitude of opportunities that await. We are a 14 CFR Part 141 pilot school and transitioning our maintenance program to a 14 CFR Part 147 aircraft maintenance technician school. RTFA is partnering with Tuskegee University (TU) to build a 4 year Bachelors of Science program so students can couple their undergraduate college experience with our Part 141/147 schools. Future students can earn a 4 year degree from TU while building fight and/or maintenance hours as part of their degree program. Upon graduation, our students will have earned a degree, as well as accumulated the required fight hours to start their professional aviation career, or the required maintenance hours to start their AMT career as an A&P. Expanding our current aviation and maintenance fleet of aircraft, while building a state-of-the-art flight academy and maintenance facility, will allow the Red Tail Flight Academy and Tuskegee University to become the premier combined aviation and maintenance school in the entire country. With your help, we can bring Tuskegee back to the forefront of aviation.
OUR VISION
To create the Red Tail National Flight Academy in Tuskegee as a Headquarters, serving a nation-wide network of top-notch pilot and aviation maintenance training centers to address both gaps in diversity and the shortage of pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians throughout the commercial and military aviation industries.
OUR INSPIRATION
Our Tuskegee Airmen Heroes who possessed unwavering courage, professionalism, and
patriotism which has defined much of our aviation history.
OUR MISSION
82516
Hours Flown
50
Private Pilot Certificates
15
Instrument Ratings
21
Commercial Certificates
17
Certified Flight Instructors
10
CFII
1
Multi Engine Rating
3
Multi Engine Instrument
2
Rotary Wing
1
Certified Aircraft and Powerplant Mechanic
1
Inspector Authorization Rating
4
Airline Transport Pilots
Our Current Flight Path
The Current Numbers are as of Jan 2024.
History
Prior to 1940, African Americans were barred from participating in flying activities for the U.S. military. It was not until the establishment of a program to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft that minority pilots took flight. This select group of Tuskegee Airman became known as the “Red Tails,” and were the first African Americans trained by the U.S. military to engage in combat operations.
These brave pilots possessed unwavering courage, professionalism, and patriotism which has defined much of our aviation history. Our goal is to provide opportunities for qualified, motivated students who demonstrate the values the original Tuskegee Airmen embodied and provide them with the necessary tools to succeed in this competitive career field.
Board Members
