Long before the Tuskegee Airmen, African Americans in Chicago took flight breaking many barriers that kept them grounded. Aviation historian Michael Haupt, author of Aviation Chicago Timeline, introduces pioneering Black aviators Bessie Coleman, Cornelius Coffey, and John C. Robinson (or the Brown Condor) and others who shaped aviation prior to World War II. Chicago’s African American aviators broke through major obstacles, both inside and outside the U.S. Discover how their determination and achievements helped pave the way for greater diversity and inclusion in the aviation industry.