Quincy Regional Airport hosts the United States Tuskegee Airmen Display 2026

QUINCY (WGEM) – The Quincy Regional Airport (QRA) hosted the Rise Above Quincy Exposition, Saturday and Sunday.

The exposition honored and brought awareness to the Tuskegee Airmen, also known as “Red Tails,” named for the tails of their planes being painted red.

The exhibit is run by the Commemorative Air Force, featuring the Rise Above Theatre, which is a semi-trailer with expandable sides, sporting a theater system that played a 15-20 min. documentary centered on the Red Tail Squadron.

On the sides of the Rise Above Theatre featured a timeline of facts, photos and accomplishments of the Red Tails Squadron and the W.A.S.P.s, female air force, along with the legacy they have built.

The exposition also featured a P-51 Mustang airplane, which was used by the Red Tail Squadron.

The exposition was free and open to the public. A free-will donation stand was set up at the entrance, donations of which were greatly appreciated.

“We travel the country about 10 months of the year with a traveling exhibit and a P-51 Mustang, both designed tell the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first all-Black fighter squadron, with a [commemorative documentary] of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the first women to serve in the uniform,” explained Chris Allen, director of the Commemorative Air Force’s Rise Above Exposition.

Allen described that the idea behind the documentary was to support the story being told by the Commemorative Air Force’s mission.

Allen also confirmed the P-51C Mustang still flies.

“The Commemorative Air Force is a flying museum, and this Mustang gets where it’s going and leaves the like manner, it will fly out,” Allen explained. “It flew yesterday, in response to a donation… from a local supporter of the Commemorative Air Force, and it flies into and out of all the venues that we travel to. It doesn’t get trucked.”

Visits from students of Iles Elementary School and other schools at the exhibit in 2023 were deemed successful that it prompted the Commemorative Air Force to return to the QRA, Allen explained.

Allen also explained that the display will be open Aug. 24-25 will be exclusively devoted to school attendance, not just Iles Elementary School but also a number of local schools and homeschools will get to come out and see this important part of Quincy’s background.

For Tuesday, the local veterans’ home will also bring many visitors out. Allen explained they are equipped to handle wheelchairs. The Commemorative Air Force has a wheelchair lift to help members of the community to participate and partake in the message, Allen explained.

Tuesday afternoon will be the last day before the United States Tuskegee Airmen Display pulls up stakes and heads for the next venue.

The Tuskegee Red Tails also have a local connection to Quincy. One of the members, Colonel George Iles, was born and raised in Quincy. The Iles Elementary School was named after him.

“Quincy is kind of unique, even amongst all of the places we’ve traveled in this country, for honoring their local son, George Iles, in a kind of unique way, they’ve named an elementary school after him,” Allen said. “And tomorrow and Tuesday, we’ll have a number of classrooms who are called the Red Tails – that’s their mascot – coming out from George Iles Elementary, to learn a little bit more about what that Red Tails’ mascot moniker actually means.”

The Masonic High 12 Club #40 helped bring the Rise Above Quincy Exposition to the QRA two times prior, the first one in 2023.

“They’ve [Masonic High 12 Club #40] been responsible for the last two times that we’ve visited Quincy, and we’re in conversations to come back again because the outpouring from the community, the attendance from the community – helped by this beautiful weather – has just been amazing,” Allen said, adding, “We’ve had had lines upon lines, wanting to participate, and when you’re trying to get this message that’s not as understood or as known as it needs to be, to have a community that gets that sort of thing is a wonderful thing for us.”

In addition to the Masonic High 12 Club, the Tuskegee Red Tails’ Museum was also sponsored and supported by First Baptist Church of Quincy, “LeadHERship In Action” – Girls Mentoring Fundraiser – with the Hannibal Juneteenth Coalition, the Bodley Masonic Lodge #1, the American Legion, Refreshment Services Pepsi of Quincy and many more, with food and drinks offered to all attendees. Many volunteers also participated in the exhibit.

On Aug. 24-25, QRA will host pre-registered groups of select students and veterans from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.