The documentary, “The Real Red Tails,” focuses on the training of Tuskegee Airmen in Michigan in 1943 and 1944. During World War II, the U.S. Army trained for the first time African American pilots in Alabama who later received advanced training at Selfridge Field near Detroit and at Oscoda Army Airfield south of Alpena. In April 1944, 2nd Lieutenant Frank H. Moody was killed when his P-39 Airacobra crashed in Lake Huron. The airplane was found in 2014, and Wayne Lusardi has been leading expeditions to document, recover, and conserve the plane wreckage for nearly a decade.

“It is an amazing opportunity to help preserve such an important piece of our aviation heritage,” Lusardi said. “I am not aware of any other Tuskegee Airmen-related archaeological project in the country, and studying this aircraft site gives us the chance to learn so much about the equipment and methods of training young pilots during the war.”

Lusardi organized a team of archaeologists, volunteer divers, museum specialists, and law enforcement personnel to locate and map the widely scattered aircraft wreckage. His son Nicholas Lusardi, a 2023 Alpena High School graduate and now a student at the University of Michigan, has been diving the site for three years, recording video and making small documentaries about the Tuskegee Airmen and underwater archaeology.

“It has been a great privilege to dive with Nick and see his work, including video footage he recorded for National Geographic,” Wayne Lusardi said. “I am a very proud father.”

Courtesy Photo Underwater videographer Nicholas Lusardi is seen filming footage of the wing of the P-39 Airacobra that crashed into Lake Huron in April 1944.

National Geographic sent a team to Michigan in 2022 and 2023 to document the underwater work, interview World War II veteran Tuskegee Airmen, and see how the hundreds of aircraft components are being preserved and exhibited at the National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen in Detroit. The one-hour documentary was completed this spring and premiered at Detroit on May 30.

“I am very excited that this project is receiving international attention,” Wayne Lusardi said. “The Tuskegee Airmen were ground breakers that contributed greatly to the Allied victory in World War II. They also won the battle against segregation of the Armed Services here in the United States. Recovering one of their aircraft from the bottom of Lake Huron is a great way to honor their service to this country.”

Courtesy Photo Tuskegee Airman Lt. Frank H. Moody was killed in April 1944 when his P-39 Airacobra crashed into Lake Huron.

Courtesy Photo An Airacobra is seen pictured here..