By REID TUCKER
No amount of bad weather could stop or dampen the crowd’s spirit at the Marvel of Flight – not when those gathered at the fifth annual event heard the deafening roar as a P-51C Mustang launched down the runway.
It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event for many of the onlookers to see the Mustang, famous for its exploits in World War II and almost universally esteemed as perhaps the greatest fighter plane ever built, vault into the skies above DeFuniak Springs. This was made possible by the Commemorative Air Force’s Red Tail Squadron and the Texas Flying Legends Museum’s Rise Above traveling educational exhibit, undoubtedly the highlight of the 2015 Marvel of Flight, held Saturday, April 10, at the city’s municipal airport. Though heavy rains the night before and the morning of the event limited the turnout to about 2,000, the opportunity to see the P-51 flying, hear about its history and meet its crew ensured that this year’s Marvel of Flight wasn’t one to be missed.
Alan Miller, the pilot who flew the Mustang at the event, said his organization’s goal is to preserve the history of the equally legendary “Tuskegee Airmen,” the first group of African-American military aviators in the U.S. armed forces. The Tuskegee Airmen challenged the racial prejudices of the day and overcame adversity to post a sterling war record, making major contributions to the Allied Forces victory in the European theatre of World War II. The Rise Above event features a 30-minute documentary – and of course the fully-restored Mustang itself – to teach people about the lasting importance of the Tuskegee Airmen’s story, Miller said.
“If we can reach one person, young or old, with what we do, then that is our goal,” he said. “The history of the Tuskegee Airmen is not just an inspirational story for black people; their legacy is one every American should be proud of, and [the CAF] will do everything we can to preserve the authenticity of this airplane and remain true to the sacrifices those men made for our country.”
The Red Tail Squadron, named for the iconic red-painted tail section of the Tuskegee Airmen’s planes, knows more than its fair share about overcoming adversity, as the restoration process of its P-51 was fraught with trials and tragedy. The project began in the late 1980s by a CAF chapter in Minnesota, but the plane didn’t have its first flight until 2001, such was the difficulty of finding or fabricating replacement parts for what was then a nearly half-century old aircraft. After completion, the Red Tail Mustang went on tour around the country for three years, but the unthinkable happened in 2004 when the plane crashed due to engine failure, killing head pilot and project leader Don Hinz.
However, even in the wake of the terrible loss, the team went back to work on the Mustang, determined to honor the legacy of Hinz and the story of the Tuskegee Airmen he gave his life to tell. After five long years of even more involved restoration and fund-raising, the CAF Mustang was flying once more and since 2010 has been a regular fixture at air shows across America.
“We learned what setting a goal, persevering and having courage meant firsthand,” Miller said. “Those were the guiding principles of the Tuskegee Airmen, and we tried to apply those in our own lives as well. We were heartbroken after [Hinz’s] death, but we knew rebuilding the plane was what he would have wanted us to do.
“I’ll keep flying this plane as long as I can. The story behind it is that important.”
For more information about the CAF’s Red Tail Squadron and Rise Above exhibit or to learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen, visit the group’s website at http://redtail.org.
