Cornelius Coffey facts for kids
Cornelius Robinson Coffey (born September 6, 1902, in Newport, Arkansas – died March 2, 1994, in Chicago, Illinois) was a very important American pilot. He was a pioneer in aviation. Along with Willa Brown, he was the first African American to start an aviation school in the United States that wasn't part of a university. This school helped many African American pilots learn to fly.
Cornelius Coffey's Aviation Career
Cornelius Coffey worked hard to help African American pilots join the American aviation world. He teamed up with his friend, John C. Robinson. Together, they created the Challenger Air Pilots Association. This group helped support and connect African American pilots.
Coffey and his wife, Willa Brown, opened the Coffey School of Aeronautics. It was located in Robbins, Illinois. This school was very important because it trained many African American pilots. Some of these pilots later became famous Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. In the late 1930s, the school moved to the old Harlem Airport. This airport was near 87th Street and Harlem Avenue. After World War II ended, Coffey continued teaching. He taught about airplanes at the Lewis Holy Name School of Aeronautics in Romeoville, Illinois. He also taught at Chicago's Dunbar Vocational High School.
Awards and Special Honors
Cornelius Coffey received many awards for his work. In 1941, he was given the Dwight H. Green Trophy. The City of Chicago honored him on July 22, 1980, by naming a special day after him. In 1984, he was added to the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame. This showed how much he contributed to aviation.
Cornelius Coffey's Lasting Legacy
Cornelius Coffey's work continues to inspire people today. The Cornelius R. Coffey Aviation Education Foundation was created to honor him. It is located at the American Airlines Maintenance Academy in Chicago. This foundation helps train young pilots, following in his footsteps.
Pilots flying into Midway Airport in Chicago still use a special navigation point. They make a course correction over Lake Calumet. This point is known as the "Coffey Fix," named after him. His own Piper Tri-Pacer 135 airplane was planned to be shown at the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum starting in 2016. It was part of an exhibit called Barnstormers, Wing-walkers, and Entrepreneurs: 150 Years of Aviation in Illinois.
