Franklin Macon is a 92-year old Tuskegee Airman who spent his early years training other pilots — with the majority of his time spent at an airfield that would eventually become the US Air Force Academy:

One of Macon’s jobs with the Army Air Corps was to train cadet pilots on what became the Academy airfield. He spent the majority of the war flying here, and never saw overseas combat.

Macon says he ruptured his ear drums on a sortie just prior to graduation and spent nearly the next year in the hospital, during which the war ended.

Air Force Academy Cadet First Class Scott Lafferty had the honor of taking Macon up in a T-41. Macon recounted his view of how it was in the old days:

[Macon] said there were a lot less rules and a lot more fun.

Sounds about right.

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