Seventy-five years ago marked the formation of the 99th Pursuit Squadron at the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. A portion of these men would go on to make history in WWII under the nickname of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Army Air Force’s first African-American fighter squadron.

Less than 30 years later, man would set foot on the moon with the help of aviation technology.

November is Aviation History Month, which gives people a chance to commemorate past milestones in the development of mechanical flight and to recognize current innovations.

The University campus and the surrounding community promotes aviation history with a variety of clubs.

“When the Chanute base closed, the town of Rantoul helped with the formation of Chanute Air Museum,” said Carson Vericker, Rantoul airport operations supervisor. “It opened in 1994 and was a combination of general aviation and military aviation. The museum stayed in operation until November 2015.”

Gianna Ciaglia, freshman in Engineering, developed a passion for space and astronomy early on in her life after growing up next to Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado.

“I’m used to having all these aircrafts flying around my house,” Ciaglia said. “Also, when I was young, my dad and I used to bond over building model airplanes.”

Ciaglia received a congressional nomination to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy, but decided not to complete her application, instead opting to join the aerospace program at the University.

She currently serves as a representative on the Illinois Aerospace Engineering Undergraduate Advisory Board and is involved with the Illinois Space Society.

Illinois Space Society is an organization that strives to educate the surrounding community in the field of space exploration and to build a network of people interested in space. Along with Illinois Space Society, organizations like Student Space Systems are encouraging students to pioneer the field of aviation.

“The organization is trying to launch a rocket 1,000 kilometers, which is a really hard endeavor,” said Scott Zelman, senior in Engineering.

Zelman also pointed out other impressive student-led groups on campus like Student Aircraft Builders.

The team is currently building a functional plane with a 30-foot wingspan, scheduled for completion early next year.

“They do everything from designing the wings to building the engine,” Zelman said.

Zelman said one of his role models in the field of aviation is Elon Musk. Musk has envisioned a 21st century transportation service called the Hyperloop, which would be a high- speed system for transporting passengers and goods. This past year, a group of University seniors competed to design a Hyperloop pod for SpaceX, a company founded by Musk that designs, builds and launches spacecraft.

Although such advanced technologies as the Hyperloop have not yet been refined for commercial use, the room for aviation exploration is limitless. Simply looking at how far aviation has come in less than a century is proof of its potential.

“I do believe it’s important to preserve aviation history,” Vericker said. “That is why with every aircraft that lands at Rantoul, I do let them know that this is a former air base with a deep rich history in aviation.”

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