The University Revived Pilot Training Program Last Fall With Federal Grants Last fall, 20-year-old Kembriah Parker became the first woman in the school’s inaugural aviation science class to earn her pilot’s license, building on a tradition that began with the first Black military pilots trained there during World War II. She is making history as the first Tuskegee Airwoman. “There were Tuskegee women working but not flying,” Parker said, “so it feels pretty good to be doing the flying.” Black women did not fly in combat as part of the Army Air Forces units during WWII, but they were integral to training, recruiting and supporting the Tuskegee Airmen, and some served in ground support.
