History Presentation Tuskegee Airman Frank Macon – “I Wanted to Fly”
Saturday, March 14th 2026
Doors Open at 9am Presentation Begins at 10am
Franklin J. (Frank) Macon grew up in Colorado Springs. He was a senior in high school when the U.S. entered WWII. He promptly signed up for the Civil Air Patrol, a civilian organization that was established just before the outbreak of the war to provide coastal patrol, anti-submarine warfare, and courier services on the homefront. While going through initial training, he learned of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African American fighter pilots to be organized for military service in the U.S.
Macon enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1943. He began his military flight training the next year as part of Tuskegee Class 45A. Due to ear issues that arose in training, Macon missed graduation and spent a year recovering. By the time he had recovered, the war had ended.
Macon’s interest in aviation continued and he later worked at Fort Carson, retiring as head of aircraft maintenance after 23 years. Frank died at the age of 97 on November 23, 2020.
Frank’s wish was for all kids to live with purpose and conquer their challenges. In 2019, Frank established a trust that provides scholarships to those who want to learn a trade. Frank supported the museum through donation of his WWII “gull wing” V-77 Reliant aircraft to the museum on November 11th, 2019.
Please join us on Saturday, March 14th, 2026, at 10:00 am, for a presentation by Elizabeth Harper, co-author of Frank Macon’s book, I Wanted to be a Pilot: The Making of a Tuskegee Airman. Ms. Harper will tell the story of Tuskegee Airman and Civil Air Patrol Congressional Gold Medal recipient Franklin J. Macon. It is a remarkable story of a local hero who defied the odds to reach his dream of flight. Frank’s book will be available for purchase after the presentation. A portion of the proceeds will go to the two trades scholarships carrying Frank Macon’s name.
Access to this special event is offered at no additional charge for all museum visitors.
