Activity to take place over three days in South Carolina; sim debuts at Mall of America

The Tuskegee Airmen are celebrating their 60th anniversary, this weekend, in South Carolina. It was six decades ago that a program to provide advanced training to black airmen was created.

The results of the program showed the US military, as well as the rest of the world, what the airmen themselves already knew: that blacks could fly high performance aircraft in combat and perform as well as, or better than any other pilots in the war.

That they did so during an era where many believed that blacks were not capable of such a feat was no small task.

That they never lost a single one of the bombers they escorted is now part of a history known to the entire planet.

In all, a thousand pilots were trained. Out of those, nearly 500 were deployed and 150 lost their lives in service to the country that in many other ways made their lives so hard.

Also this weekend, the Red Tail Project of the Commemorative Air Force announced that it will unveil the P51 Mustang "Tuskegee Airmen" flight simulator on Veteran's Day, November 11 at the Mall of America.

In partnership with ACES Flight Simulation, now open at the Mall of America, the Red Tail Project provides an opportunity to enjoy a thrilling realistic flight experience inside the cockpits of sophisticated combat flight simulators.

ACES flight simulators are essentially duplicates of the systems used in military training. In fact, ACES has supplied their AeroDome flight simulators to Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor.

Aviation history comes alive in full color with the unveiling of their new WWII AeroDome Flight Simulators.  Modeled after an authentic P-51 Mustang and other WWII aircraft, ACES guests can fly historic missions in the signature aircraft of the Tuskegee Airmen, and support the Red Tail Project at the same time.

Red Tail Project Coordinator Stan Ross said, "This represents a great step forward in our efforts to raise funds to restore the P51 C 'Tuskegee Airmen.' and continue the project's educational goal. Since its inception, it has been our objective to use this rare aircraft to create excitement and thereby encourage people to learn about the men & women behind the machine."

"We want to hold these WWII heroes up as role models to teach us the lessons of overcoming obstacles by believing in ourselves," Ross added. "When people can experience the realism of flying this remarkable aircraft, I believe they will quickly realize the importance of helping get the actual Red Tail Mustang back in the air."

The airplane, America's flying tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, was seriously damaged in a forced landing accident on May 29, 2004 and is presently undergoing extensive restoration to flying condition. During the Grand Opening at ACES, shoppers can meet original Tuskegee Airmen, the pioneer Black fighter pilots of World War II.

ACES Flight Simulation is located at the Mall of America on the third floor directly across from the Lake Wobegon store.

FMI: www.redtail.org