The Pennington P-51 ‘Lucy Gal’ Tuskegee Flight Memorial (Part 3)

An effort to honor a local MIA Red Tail takes-off, again

(…continued from Part Two)

As with most projects initiated with the best intentions, sometimes “life happens.” Certain periods of our time on this earth can take a path that wasn’t planned, and divert you from even your most ambitious goals. For me, the unexpected challenges of life indeed arose, and like the Tuskegee Airmen, I found strength in adversity and never lost sight of the mission. Even in the darkest hours, I kept the goal in mind. The Red Tails left us this valuable lesson for a reason, to prove that nothing is impossible. Even when your whole world seems to be falling apart, this is still a ray of hope shining somewhere.

When I first began this project to honor Leland Pennington, I was fresh out of high school. As the rigors of college, work, and flight school began to amass, I found that my capacity to continue daily work on the ‘Lucy Gal’ project was a tough prospect. I had to shelve the effort, yet every day, I thought about it. I kept dreaming of my goal to somehow honor Leland. During the “lean years,” I’d participate in the occasional interview or correspondence, as they came up from sources that were curious as to my silence. This only fueled my desire to come back at it, even stronger. 

I kept in touch with Al Fields, and met a few times during this period as well. In 2016, the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, NY hosted an event for the Tuskegee Airmen, at which five local Red Tails were awarded their Congressional Gold Medal. Al accepted Leland’s Medal on the family’s behalf. It was a beautiful day, and a point that made me yearn to get back at this project. Around the same time, I discovered a new photo of Leland with the rest of his graduating class, 44-G-SE, at Tuskegee Airfield. The photo was in front of a P-40 Warhawk, used in training, with the inscription “Sticky N.Y.” over his spot.

I continued with school, and worked full-time while building my experience and ratings in flight school. I still had the “itch” on the Pennington/’Lucy Gal’ Project, and I found creative ways to satisfy it. For one, I used any opportunity at college to use my project as a topic with class assignments, particularly with my marketing and museum studies courses. This not only kept my ideas fresh, but also gave me a good baseline for how I’d conduct the project in the future. Secondly, I found that during the commute between school, work, and the airport(s), I was amassing quite the collection of cans and bottles. In addition to the benefit of staying hydrated, I was also now earning $0.05 per drink towards a flying tribute to Leland Pennington and ‘Lucy Gal.’ The local redemption centers were loving me. I got my museum friends roped into it, and just like in World War II, we were turning recyclables into an (eventual) aircraft.

Eventually, I graduated. I worked and continued flight school, becoming a certificated commercial pilot and flight instructor. I had a couple years after that of experimentation while building up my flying career and experience (which is still in progress.) Around the same time, my father, Jeff, began to face some illnesses. My dad was the man who got me into this warbird world. He was a volunteer at the National Warplane Museum, and would bring me down with him as he helped out there. He would give tours while pushing me around in a stroller. I grew up learning all the WWII Aircraft names, because of him. The first words out of my mouth were “P-51 Mustang” (as mentioned in Part One). I owe a lot to my dad for getting me into this amazing world of warplanes and aviation, as do I owe a lot to the folks in Geneseo as a whole. Dad was a huge fan of my effort to honor Leland. An artist by trade, he helped me construct a donation bomb and display board that were simply amazing, and received many compliments during service life. He gave so much to me, and I tried my best to return the favor. I stuck close to home and family for a few years, helping make dad’s life a little more manageable. I still flew, but family was my priority for a period of time.

In Fall of 2023, I lost my father unexpectedly to an acute illness. He was a strong person. Like the Tuskegee Airmen, he persevered in the face of many obstacles. His loss was devastating, but it also re-ignited the fire inside me for aviation and warbirds. I knew that he would want me to continue to fly, and to keep pushing hard to get Leland’s story flying. I didn’t look back, and keeping the spirit of my dad with me, I returned to flight status that following spring. At the same time, I re-launched the P-51 ‘Lucy Gal’ project as the Pennington Flight Memorial. It was time to pick up where I left off, I had unfinished business to attend to. It is said that “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and I can attest that this is true. (to be continued…)

Austin Hancock

Commercial Pilot, CFI, and Museum Entrepreneur, with a subject focus on WWII Aviation. I am dedicated to building flight experience so I can fly WWII Fighters, such as the P-51 Mustang, for museums and airshows, and in the USAF Heritage Flight. I lead and run the Pennington Flight Memorial, to honor local MIA Tuskegee Airman F/O Leland “Sticky” Pennington.

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• The Pennington P-51 ‘Lucy Gal’ Tuskegee Flight Memorial (Part 2)
• The Pennington P-51 ‘Lucy Gal’ Tuskegee Flight Memorial (Part 1)
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