How LaGuardia Airport Inspired a Tuskegee Airman to Dream of Flight

Airports, even ones in urban landscapes like LaGuardia, may light a passion for flying.

Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 08:41 AM ET

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On April 1, 1945, Harry T. Stewart, Jr. downed three long-nosed Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, the premiere German piston fighters of the war, in harrowing dogfights near Linz, Austria, while on a mission with the 332nd Fighter Group, the legendary Red Tails. This U.S. Army Air Forces publicity photo captured afterwards at Ramitelli Air Base in Italy shows Harry in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang indicating the number of enemy fighters that he felled that fateful day. Harry’s crew chief is in the background. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

Harry T. Stewart, Jr.'s lifelong passion for aviation began as a child watching planes at LaGuardia Airport, a dream initially challenged by the racial discrimination of the era.
He realized his aspiration during WWII, becoming a decorated Tuskegee Airman who excelled in combat and contributed to the all-Black 332nd Fighter Group's historic postwar gunnery victory.
Despite facing continued discrimination that denied him a commercial pilot career after the war, Stewart built a successful career in engineering and, in retirement, mentored youth in aviation, later receiving the Congressional Gold Medal and honorary captain's wings.

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With its runways forming a distinctive footprint along the East River and Flushing Bay on the northern edge of Queens, New York, LaGuardia Airport is not infrequently a blur to hurried passengers who perceive the terminals and assorted infrastructure as little more than the component parts of a transport hub enabling their air travel itinerary. But airports, even ones tucked into urban landscapes like LaGuardia, can sometimes light a passion for climbing into the sky. Indeed, the city’s prominent aerial waypoint inspired the dream of flight for at least one quintessential airport neighborhood kid.

Known originally as Glenn H. Curtiss Airport and then as North Beach Municipal Airport, the flying field was rechristened New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field on October 15, 1939 (officially becoming LaGuardia Airport in June 1947). The prewar ceremony marked the culmination of a $20 million improvement project. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the event, including an enthusiastic 15-year-old student from the nearby Corona section of Queens.