Father of the Tuskegee Airmen, John C. Robinson

Outstanding enlightenment! I came upon this writing when I was researching the Tuskegee Airmen for my curriculum development(commemorationsedudiningcomplex.com.) I was exploring the role of the airmen in their bomber escorting raids in Europe during W.W. II. The journey led to the oldest Christian Church (which I knew about since my youth) and on to Djibouti. I could not find the literature I knew to be true of the importance of biblical Djibouti - but Spirit has a way of actualizing one's passions to resolve 'truth seeking'. This book is helping me to better understand and connect the role of Emperor H. Selassie and Ethiopia with regards to the slavery that existed in Ethiopia; the failure of the League of nations to listen to Ethiopia,the seemingly reluctance of African American support for Ethiopia during the 1936 Ethiopian War with Italy and the prophetic warning (Daniel) of the scriptures as to the fate of America and Europe in not protecting the true 'essence' of the cradle of the "Christian" experience. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!! and TELL OUR CHILDREN THE TRUTH. Ms. Glenna Calvin. 5 STAR RATING.

Great book about one of the most significant, least appreciated African Americans of the 20th century. Per the title, as one of the very first African-American aviators, Colonel Robinson laid the foundation for what became the Tuskegee Airmen, and led the valiant fight of the Ethiopians under Haile Selassie to delay the invasion of the Italians in the mid-1930s. As a native of his hometown, I recently traveled to Ethiopia (on Ethiopian Airlines, which he founded) to participate in a commemoration of his life. It was truly heartwarming to see the high esteem in which Colonel Robinson is still held by the Ethiopian people 64 years after his death. Between this book and "The Man Called Brown Condor" by Thomas Simmons, John C. Robinson's story is a tribute to the power of vision and resilience to excel against insurmountable odds. Highly recommend both books for slightly different perspectives on an inspiring life.

I was looking for information about the mechanics that maintained the aircraft for the Tuskegee Airmen and this was a good start.

Phillip Tucker has again pulled back the veil to acquaint us with yet another vitally important but neglected aspect of history--this time in a must-read work of first-rate scholarship linking American aviation, Africa and Mussolini in the person of John C. Robinson, the "Brown Condor of Ethiopia." An isolationist United States and a deaf League of Nations acquiesced to Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in the years leading to World War II, but Tucker magnificently presents Mississippi aviator Robinson as a fierce defender of Ethiopia. A Tuskegee Institute graduate and a pilot trained at Chicago's Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical School, Robinson answered Haile Selassie's desperate plea for global resistance in defending against the ravages of Italy's aggression toward Ethiopia. Meticulously researched and presented in a riveting and accessible style, Tucker chronicles Robinson's ascendancy to command of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force. Known as the "black Lindbergh," but no pacifist this, Robinson flew reconnaissance flights and trained the first generation of Ethiopian aviators, the future nucleus of Africa's first airline company, Ethiopian Airlines. Robinson inspired a generation of young black Americans, not only as America's foremost black aviator, but as the man of their race who responded to Ethiopia, the nation black Americans perceived as the symbol of defiance to oppression. That is, Ethiopia first defeated Italy in the late 1800s, the first African nation to repel successfully a European colonial power, but in 1935 faced Mussolini's effort to redress that humiliation. Tucker globalizes America's Black History with this powerful new treatment of aviation and international affairs, promoting a more nuanced realization that American resistance to racial intolerance transcends boundaries, with repercussions yet relevant today. As a history professor I will now be incorporating the Robinson story into my courses, thanks to Tucker's insightful work, and I urge others to do the same for the benefit of their own students. Kudos to Tucker for enriching my courses and for bringing greater light to this vital and important story. He highlights not only Black History, but an individual American's heroic role in leading the way for the nation to take a progressive stance on the world stage.

As an aspiring historian I found this book highly intriguing and informative. A forgotten or buried chapter of American/Abyssinian history has been resurrected by Philip T. Tucker. From early 20th century Jim Crow Gulfport, Miss. to Chicago, Ill. to the 2nd Italo-Ethiopian war Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (and beyond) John C. Robinson was the premier African American Aviator of his time. Known to some as "The Black Lindburg, " the man responsible for tearing down racial barriers in the U.S. aviation by becoming the first Black student at the all white Curtis-Wright School of Aeronautics as well as the first Black instructor. His accomplishments laid the foundation that changed the face of the U.S. Army Air Corps (precursor to the U.S. Air Force), The Royal Ethiopian Air Force, as well as a nascent Chinese Air Force. After reading Tucker's work I realized that Robinson was the primary influence and impetus for Tuskegee Institute's Civilian Pilot Program later known for its famed "Tuskegee Airmen". This fact and Robinson's name seems to have been omitted from the annals American history. An informative and exciting read for the avid historian, reader, and academic. A MUST HAVE for African American Studies curricula. Tucker has done thorough research buttressed by an extensive bibliography. Highly informative, intriguing, well balanced and fluid writing. This book was worth every cent!!

Landmark study of the life of a courageous American freedom fighter named John C. Robinson. This is the forgotten story of one of the few Americans who stood up against the march of Fascism long before America entered the Second World War. Robinson was the inspirational chief of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force years before African Americans were allowed into the United States Air Corps. Robinson's story is one of overcoming impossible odds.

"Father of the Tuskegee Airmen, John C. Robinson" This is an interesting historical book. Unfortunately it is replete with technical aviation errors which distract ones reading. I've never understood why academicians seldom, if ever subject their works to editing to editing by someone with at least a passing knowledge of aviation/aircraft? Examples; he lists the Beechcraft D-17 as 12-placer (which it is not) and a couple of pages later as a 5-place (which is correct). He calls the Stinson Reliant a "Sprint" Reliant which does not exist?? Then he lists Robinson's new Reliant NC16161 as an SR-7C, which it is not - it is an SR-8B. Those numbers/letters actually have a meaning. When Robinson crashed he says the airplane "suddenly tumbled from the sky" out of control because of a broken valve. Airplanes do not "suddenly tumbled from the sky" because of broken valves. Mere loss of an engine does not mean loss of flight control, especially for such a competent pilot! What likely happened is there was no suitable spot for a normal landing. Then he says Robinson lost his Commercial Pilot's License? Pilot Licenses do not expire. The only thing that expires is the medical certificate or the Flight Instructor's Certificate which would have easily been renewed considering his vast experience. Near the end he recalls Robinson's first landing a "biplane" at Tuskegee when the photo in the book clearly shows the little Buhl Pup is a monoplane. Unfortunately, these types of errors are not uncommon and are completely distracting to pilots like me. The best book on Robinson is "The Brown Condor" written by an author who knows how to tell a story. Academics are not usually good at story telling.

The latest book by Dr. Phillip Tucker, "Father of the Tuskegee Airman: John C. Robinson" is a magnificient work of a little known hero. This book contributes to the scholarship of revealing that which has been ignored, erased, or distorted in U.S. History. This is a must read book and promises to be great reading. I loved every page and would reccommend this book to other researchers that are seeking to fill the gap in the history of America and of the African American experience.