By Erica Robinson
Special to the AFRO
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Wayne Tonkins, a consultant with the Society for the Preservation of Black Aviation History,
explains the project to some Prince George’s County residents. Melvin T. Cooper, who flew
out of the historic aviation center, is in the background talking to other residents.
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(March 25, 2009) - At a time when African Americans were struggling for equality in a segregated world, a group of Black aviators were able to go against all odds to make their dream to fly a reality.
Americans in the ‘40s believed “Blacks did not have the mental capacity to handle a complicated machine like an airplane,” said Melvin T. Cooper, president of the Society for the Preservation of Black Aviation History Inc.
Then, the unthinkable happened in 1941, when African-American men from the Cloud Club, a group of Maryland and District fliers, took their passion for aviation to a potato field near Croom, Md., in Prince George’s County. A place where slaves labored and died became a place of hope, of love and opportunity for Black aviators. This site was named the Columbia Air Center and is the first Black-owned and -operated airport in the United States, according to the Black aviation society.
Croom Road -- decorated with trees, deserted and isolated -- now leads to the original site of the Columbia Air Center. This site marks a significant turning point in African-American history, yet the only evidence of this historical airport is a small sign that is barely visible. The property is currently owned by the National Capital Park and Planning Commission and is part of the Patuxent River Watershed Park. Since the history was not preserved, many Prince George’s residents do not know about its existence.
The Black aviation society finds the lack of recognition unacceptable. With a rich history in Black aviation and a desire to preserve the airport, the organization has implemented a plan to rebuild the airport. The new airport will be named the Croom Executive Airport.
Wayne A. Tonkins, the consultant for the organization, refers to the new airport facility as the “foundation of greatness.”
“It would be great to add to the legacy. We as a people can work together to accomplish a mission,” Tonkins said.
For Cooper of the Black aviation society, flying is more than just a hobby and he hopes the Croom Executive Airport will inspire more African Americans to pursue aviation.
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A group of Black aviators say the sign above is the only visible evidence of what is
believed to have been the first Black-operated licensed airport in the U.S.; it existed
on an open 450-acre field in Prince George’s County.
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“Aviation is a passion, a labor of love,” he said. Cooper, who was about 9 years old when he first discovered his desire to fly, said the Croom Executive Airport would be a dedication to Black pilots and others in the aviation field and will open the vision of Black youth.
Cooper recalls the first time he was introduced to the idea of aviation. His cousin gave his family two photos of him dressed as a pilot in goggles with one photo of him standing beside a Right Wing D-47Airplane.
“He was the only Black person I knew flying airplanes,” Cooper said.
Such an impression grew on Cooper that he developed a fascination with aviation. He began to model his own airplanes out of paper and eventually went to Phelps Vocational High School where he met John W. Greene, a Black aviator who later became his flight instructor at the school and trained him at the Columbia Air Center. When White establishments decided there was too much tension being developed with these Black pilots in training, Greene decided to find a place where Blacks could overcome racism and have the opportunity to learn and excel in aviation.
“Mr. John W. Greene Jr. contracted with the Fisher family in Croom, Md. The mother in the family contracted him to rent the land,” Cooper said.
This land became known as the Columbia Air Center where Black aviators could pursue their goals and ambitions as pilots. Greene was responsible for influencing Blacks to pursue aviation and was manager of the center.
In 1959, after Whites refused to update the lease on the land to African Americans, the Columbia Air Center ceased operation. Cooper flew his last flight through the center in 1962, which he has marked in his aviation log book.
“I have yet to see an airport operated by African Americans,” he said.
The plan proposed by the Society for the Preservation of Black Aviation History Inc. includes a 7,000-foot runway, plus a museum that will create the historical preservation of Black aviation, including the pilots at the Columbia Air Center and history of all key African-American figures in aviation. Education will also be a central focus, opening up opportunities for hands-on applications of science, math and technology. There will also be a variety of scholarships available to enhance learning and exposure to aviation.
The airport will not be a budget item for the county. There are stakeholders who are interested in investing in the project but are waiting for the approval of the land.
Another feature is an emergency shelter in case of any kind of disaster.
The Croom Executive Airport would also be environmentally-friendly because it will not have commercial fliers and the noise level and the pollution would be very low, according to Tonkins.
In order to get the project approved, the Society for the Preservation of Black Aviation History Inc. needs the support of the Prince George’s County community. The organization believes that if a majority of people support the project, then the land will be granted.
It believes that their mission -- to preserve the oral and written history of the Columbia Air Center -- is a phenomenal accomplishment for African Americans and will help to continue the legacy of greatness in aviation.
For more information, contact Wayne A. Tonkins at avhistory@comcast.net.