Red Tail Flight Academy

Red Tail Flight Academy (RTFA) has operated at historic Moton Field (06A) in Tuskegee, Alabama since 2017, carrying forward one of the most powerful legacies in American aviation history. Founded by the Red Tail Scholarship Foundation (RTSF), the academy is a non-profit organization whose mission is the career development of African American high school and college students in aviation. The academy aims to train a minimum of 997 African American pilots — a number that honors the 997 Tuskegee Airmen who completed training at this same field during World War II.

The school's fleet consists of Piper Archer II (PA-28-181) aircraft, supplemented by Piper PA-28R Pilot 100i trainers acquired through a partnership with Piper Aircraft as part of the foundation's minority youth scholarship program. Training is conducted under FAA Part 61, with an emphasis on mentorship and community as much as flight proficiency. RTFA also partners with Tuskegee Airmen Inc. to connect scholarship recipients with the broader Tuskegee heritage and professional aviation networks.

In addition to flight training, RTFA has executed FAA grant-funded programs including an Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) dual-enrollment bridge program with the Macon County School System, introducing high school students to airframe and powerplant careers. The foundation has expanded its model to chapters in New York and other states, continuing to build a new generation of diverse aviation professionals.