Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site , at Moton Field in Tuskegee , Alabama , commemorates the contributions of African American airmen in World War II . Moton Field was the site of primary flight training for the pioneering pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen , and is now operated by the National Park Service to interpret their history and achievements . It was constructed in 1941 as a new training base . The field was named after former Tuskegee Institute principal Robert Russa Moton , who died the previous year . Overview . Before 1940 , African Americans were barred from flying for the U . S . military . Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African - American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee , Alabama , in 1941 . They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen . " Tuskegee Airmen " refers to all who were involved in the so - called " Tuskegee Experiment , " the Army Air Corps program to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft . The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots , navigators , bombardiers , maintenance and support staff , instructors , and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air . The military selected Tuskegee Institute to train pilots because of its commitment to aeronautical training . Tuskegee had the facilities , and engineering and technical instructors , as well as a climate for year round flying . The first Civilian Pilot Training Program students completed their instruction in May 1940 . The Tuskegee program was then expanded and became the center for African - American aviation during World War II . The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II . They proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat aircraft . The Tuskegee Airmen ' s achievements , together with the men and women who supported them , paved the way for full integration of the U . S . military . History . Moton Field was the only primary flight facility for African - American pilot candidates in the U . S . Army Air Corps ( Army Air Forces ) during World War II . It was named for Robert Russa Moton , second president of Tuskegee Institute . Moton Field was built between 1940 - 1942 with funding from the Julius Rosenwald Fund to provide primary flight training under a contract with the U . S . military . Staff from Maxwell Field , Montgomery , Alabama , provided assistance in selecting and mapping the site . Architect Edward C . Miller and engineer G . L . Washington designed many of the structures . Archie A . Alexander , an engineer and contractor , oversaw construction of the flight school facilities . Tuskegee Institute laborers and skilled workers helped finish the field so that flight training could start on time . The Army Air Corps assigned officers to oversee the training at Tuskegee Institute / Moton Field . They furnished cadets with textbooks , flying clothes , parachutes , and mechanic suits . Tuskegee Institute , the civilian contractor , provided facilities for the aircraft and personnel , including quarters and a mess for the cadets , hangars and maintenance shops , and offices for Air Corps personnel , flight instructors , ground school instructors , and mechanics . Tuskegee Institute was one of the very few American institutions to own , develop , and control facilities for military flight instruction . In addition to the flight training at Moton Field , the following known sub - bases and auxiliaries were used : In late March 1941 Ms . Eleanor Roosevelt , wife of President Franklin D . Roosevelt , visited Kennedy Field in the Tuskegee area and was taken up in an aircraft piloted by C . Alfred " Chief " Anderson , Tuskegee Institute ’ s chief instructor pilot . Ms . Roosevelt was a Rosenwald Fund trustee who helped secure financing for the construction of Moton Field at Tuskegee . The first class ( 42 - C ) , which included student officer Captain Benjamin O . Davis , Jr . , began training on July 19 , 1941 . who served as Commandant of Cadets . Twelve cadets served with him under Captain Noel F . Parrish , a white officer , and 2d Lieutenant Harold C . Magoon , another white officer , who served as the adjutant . The other cadets were : John C . Anderson , Jr . , Charles D . Brown , Theodore E . Brown , Marion A . Carter , Lemuel R . Custis , Charles H . DeBow , Jr . , Frederick H . Moore , Ulysses S . Pannell , George S . Roberts , Mac Ross , William H . Slade , and Roderick C . Williams . Only five of these cadets completed the flying training at Tuskegee , in March 1942 . Rigorous training in subjects such as meteorology , navigation , and instruments was provided in ground school . After pilot cadets passed primary flight training at Moton Field , they transferred to Tuskegee Army Air Field ( TAAF ) to complete their training with the Army Air Forces . TAAF was a full - scale military base ( albeit segregated ) built by the U . S . military . The facility at Moton Field included two aircraft hangars , a control tower , locker building , clubhouse , wooden offices and storage buildings , brick storage buildings , and a vehicle maintenance area . Many cadets got their primary flight instruction at Moton Field . Support personnel were trained at Chanute Field in Illinois . . Between 1941 and 1945 , Tuskegee Institute trained over 1 , 000 black aviators for the war effort . Moton Field was closed in 1946 . In 1972 , a large portion of the air field at Moton Field was deeded to the city of Tuskegee for use as a municipal airport which is still in use today . National historic site . Established on November 6 , 1998 , the National Historic Site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day . The site has a temporary visitor center . Hangar One has been restored and the grand opening of the site was October 10 , 2008 . The Hangar One Museum is open for tours Wednesday - Sunday . Tours are free of charge to the public . An oral history project , consisting of interviews of hundreds of people involved in the Tuskegee Experience , was completed in 2005 and will eventually be available to the public .