Thirty years ago, Franklin J.P. Augustus described himself as the "world's only black civilian air-show acrobatic pilot."

Augustus, 69, died Friday afternoon in a plane crash near Lakefront Airport, an accident that also took the life of Nancy Parker, a fixture of local television broadcasts for more than two decades.

Along with performing aerial stunts in air shows, Augustus was president of the Lake Charles Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., according to a website for the organization. The group aims to honor the accomplishments and history of the famous African-American pilots and other members of the Army Air Corps group formed during World War II.

+6 Award-winning WVUE anchor Nancy Parker, trailblazing pilot killed in New Orleans plane crash Veteran New Orleans television anchorwoman Nancy Parker died in an airplane crash near Lakefront Airport Friday that also killed a veteran stu…

He was not a Tuskegee Airman himself, according to Maggie Thomas, administrative director of the group. Thomas said anyone can become a member of a local chapter; members vote for presidents during elections.

Thomas described Augustus as a passionate pilot and person who was dedicated to the organization and other causes.

"He was one of the most passionate people I know," Thomas said. "He was remarkable, and full of energy."

The historic "Tuskegee Airmen" is used to describe the men and women -- including African-Americans and Caucasians -- who were involved an Army Air Corps program to train African Americans to fly combat aircraft during World War II. The group was based at Tuskegee Institute, a historically black university in Alabama.

In a 1988 story in The Times-Picayune, Augustus described himself as the only black civilian air show pilot in the country.

The aviator, who said he grew up in a poor neighborhood in New Orleans, was a collector of Pitts Special aerobatic planes and a love for the air show business.

He often visited schools to encourage black students to aspire to become pilots.

"I want to let the young people know that if I can make it, anybody can," he said in article from several decades ago.

Franklin Augustus could often be seen writing messages in the skies ... but he always made time to visit with black children in the New Orleans area (even dressing up as a superhero) as he empowered them to consider becoming pilots themselves.



"If I can make it, anybody can." pic.twitter.com/M2nkxMaGgC — NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) August 17, 2019

"It's difficult to be a black in aviation because there are so few of us now," he continued. "There's not a real color barrier, but when you walk in the door and you're the only black person in the room, it's difficult."

An Ebony article from 1988 contained a photograph of Augustus with a Pitts S-2B plane, which the article said cost $100,000. The accompanying text said he reportedly performed "daredevil aerial maneuvers at some 500 air shows annually."

The Times-Picayune article said Augustus had been flying since he was 19, and that he had gotten hooked on aerobatics after taking advanced flight instruction in 1978.

"I was falling all over the sky because I wasn't used to it," he said, of the spins, rolls and loops.

"It's fun," he added. "When I found out that aerobatic planes can take everything we give them and not fall apart, I wanted to do it every chance I got."

As a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., he helped inform the public about the group of famous pilots and other crew members.

Before 1940, African Americans had been barred from flying for the U.S. military. Under pressure from civil rights organizations, the Tuskegee Airmen were formed in 1941.

The program became the center for African-American aviation during World War II.

"The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II," says the group's website.

"They proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat aircraft," the site continued. "The Tuskegee Airmens' achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military."

According to the group, Augustus was a certified flight instructor. His chapter also partnered with The Drug Fighter, an organization that seeks to prevent substance abuse, youth violence, gang affiliation and crime among youth.

As part of the program, members would dress up as superheros to try and persuade kids to stay away from drugs. The organization aimed to help children from the inner city who might have no experience in flying to develop math and computer skills that would later help them in aviation.

In some of his appearances, according to a 1999 Times-Picayune story, Augustus would mention that he grew up across from the old Magnolia public housing complex, later called C.J. Peete and now called Harmony Oaks. He told kids that one of his challenges was to overcome overtures from people who would have set him on a path to crime.

"Indeed, we teach children to fly, in practical and symbolic terms. They will now get 'high' by soaring to the heights," The Drug Fighter website says.

Voter records indicate Augustus lived on La Salle Street in Uptown New Orleans.