LUTZ, Fla. — A special Black History Month fly-in event honored the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and other aviation pioneers, while inspiring the next generation to reach new heights.
Retired pilot Reginald Davis stood among photos and memories of Tuskegee Airmen, reflecting on his journey from inner-city Detroit to the cockpit of navy and later commercial airlines.
WATCH: Tuskegee Airmen legacy inspires young aviators at Tampa Bay fly-in event
"I stand on the shoulders of the Tuskegee airmen," Davis said. "They inspired me to fly and now I'm trying to pass that forward."
"Growing up in inner city Detroit in the 60s during the height of the civil rights movement, while I saw airplanes flying, I never saw any Black people flying," Davis said.
Davis said his aviation career began when he was 18-years-old with an unlikely arrangement he made with Charles Anderson, who served as a flight instructor for the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II.
"When I was a freshman in college at Tuskegee I had the privilege of getting flight lessons from him in exchange for cleaning out his washers and dryers at the laundromat that he owned," Davis said.
This opportunity propelled Davis forward into a successful career in both the Navy and commercial aviation with American Airlines. One flight in particular brought his journey full circle.
"I had the privilege to fly Colonel Charles McGee and original Tuskegee airman on one of the flights I piloted," Davis said.
Stories like Davis' drew crowds to the Black History Month fly-in, where organizers like Ricardo Foster with Infinity Aero Club Tampa Bay, emphasized the importance of representation in aviation.
"Understanding their history they'll know what they can become and what they can do because a lot of kids that look like me, they don't have mentors in the aviation industry," Foster said. "We want kids to dream so when they took off in that plane they realize they have liftoff in the world."
The event honored aviation pioneers while demonstrating career possibilities to young attendees.
"It takes a lot to get here and folks don't know it if they haven't seen it," said Ramone Hemphill who is a part of the Central Florida Tuskegee Airmen Chapter. "In this industry that can be really expensive just to get the exposure, just to step in and understand what it’s about."
Attendees from young children, to college groups and adults learned about aircraft engineering, aviation history and even experienced flights firsthand. These hands-on experiences aimed to broaden their understanding of career possibilities.
"It's about teaching these young kids that they have possibilities and they can dream any dream that they want for the future," said Tammy Sutula.
For Davis, the inspiration continues even after retirement.
"I still look up when I see airplanes and jets flying over," Davis said. "Instead of being the kid who was hoping he could do that and wanting to do that I now look up and I'm thankful that I did do it and I just want to pass that on to young people."
Infinity Aero Club Tampa Bay says in their five years of community outreach they’ve impacted about 250,000 children, but their goal is to reach 1 million by 2030.
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