The Tuskegee Airmen helped to change American society. During World War II these African American pilots fought the Nazis in the skies over North Africa and Europe while at the same time struggling for equality in a segregated society. Last week, a PT-13D Stearman — the Spirit of Tuskegee — that once flew as a training aircraft at Moton Field, Tuskegee, Alabama, joined the Smithsonian's collections and will soon go on temporary display at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. Eventually, the airplane will be displayed in the new National Museum of African American History and Culture when it opens in Washington, D.C. To find out more about the Spirit of Tuskegee, join modern military curator Dik Daso at the Udvar-Hazy Center next Thursday August 25th, at 1230.

The Ask An Expert lecture series at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is presented every 2nd and 4th Thursday at 12:30 PM. A Museum staff member talks to the public about the history, collection, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the Museum.