"Tuskegee Airmen," is one of 20 short films in the series Chronicles of Courage: Stories of Wartime and Innovation. Fighter pilots William Holloman and Robert Friend are among the first African American pilots admitted into the United States military. They are known as the Red Tails, because of the distinctive red paint on the tails of their P-51 Mustangs. A new, innovative drop tank is added to their planes giving them more fuel on their long escort missions into Germany.

This inquiry lesson accompanies the video to enable students to explore various concepts related to the factors that allowed the P-51 fly so efficiently and for greater distances:

• chemical compound
• infused
• fuel-resistant
• gallons per mile
• available fuel
• aerodynamics
• drag
• laminar
• turbulence
• strategic bombing
• boundary-layer
• airfoil

The lesson features a timeline with discussion questions, and hands-on activity, writing prompts, and more.