Bruce Campbell (one of my partners in the Arcus Jet) and I ordered a ScaleWings SW-51 in a Red Tail scheme. We coordinated the design with the Heritage Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. (TAI)and chose the paint scheme of the first graduate and pilot of the Tuskegee Airmen, Col. George “Spanky” Roberts. His daughters wholeheartedly blessed this project.
TAI is a non-profit that preserves the heritage of the Tuskegee Airmen, supports the original airmen (1 left at this time) and their descendants, and uses the heritage to motivate youth to pursue aviation and STEM careers, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Bruce and I are big believers in giving back to aviation and supporting youth.
Our vision is to get Red Tail flying and visiting various events in which TAI is participating. There are more than 50 chapters across the US. We hope that it will attract youth to TAI to learn about the Tuskegee heroes and be motivated to believe that hard work and talent will enable one to achieve their dreams.
Bruce went over to Poland in October to be the builder of record. The airplane arrived in January, but it was the first plane to go through the certification, inspection, and flight test protocols in Texas. ScaleWings recently teamed up with Tac Aero to be the logistics and training arm in the US. Tac Aero serves similar roles for CubCrafters and GameBird.
ScaleWings had planned Feb 20 to be its first gathering of ScaleWings birds and owners in the US. Six ScaleWings were present. We received briefings from ScaleWings and Tac Aero that were well-received. There was a flight of 3 SWs flying in formation and making a speed pass. We had several social events and lots of time to interact with each other.
Feb 21 was the day for the Tuskegee Airmen to unveil Red Tail and dedicate it to Spanky Roberts. We hosted approximately 60 people for lunch. The ceremony included talks by Leonard Johnson (recent President of the Heritage Chapter of TAI), Bruce Campbell, Leon Butler (president of TAI National), Christian von Kessel (CEO of ScaleWings), and Ian (General Manager of Tac Aero).
Bruce unveiled the aircraft to huge applause. After lunch, people checked out the plane and posed with it. We raffled off 3 flights and then moved the aircraft from the event site (Hangar Hotel) to the flight line. We were able to get on the VIP flights, and most people stayed to enjoy the flights. After it was all done, we adjourned to the Officers’ Club of the hangar hotel to enjoy snacks, drinks, and live music.
Here are some videos (be sure to turn sound on):
Below is a photo gallery. Click on an image to launch a slide viewer.
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