The Sky Was Never the Limit: The Story of America’s First Black-Owned and Operated Airport

In the 1930s, in the small, working-class village of Robbins, Illinois—a predominantly Black suburb just southwest of Chicago—a bold vision took flight. At a time when Jim Crow laws and systemic racism restricted nearly every aspect of African American life, a group of trailblazers dared to claim space in the sky. Their dream: to build the first Black-owned and operated airport in the United States. What they created was more than an airport—it was a training ground, a community hub, and a launchpad for legends.

A Vision Born of Resistance and Hope

The airport was the brainchild of two pioneering aviators, Cornelius Coffey and John C. Robinson. Both were deeply influenced by the legacy of Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license. Denied entry to white aviation schools, Coleman had gone to France for her training—an all-too-common reality for Black aspiring aviators in the early 20th century. Coffey and Robinson, determined to change that, envisioned a place where African Americans could learn to fly right here at home.

In 1931, with support from the community and a fierce determination to defy the odds, they turned a patch of farmland in Robbins into an airfield. It was a modest strip—no paved runways or modern towers—but it was revolutionary.

Lifting Off Against the Odds

The creation of the airport faced no shortage of challenges. Funding was scarce. The government and private investors showed little interest in backing a Black-owned aviation venture. Racial prejudice meant permits were harder to get, resources harder to come by, and respect even harder to earn. Yet Coffey, Robinson, and their allies—including pioneering aviators like Janet Harmon Bragg and Willa Brown—persisted.

They raised money locally, taught each other mechanics and engineering, and built makeshift hangars. With each takeoff, they chipped away at the barriers that sought to keep them grounded.

More Than an Airport: A Legacy Takes Flight

The airport quickly became a hub of Black aviation. Coffey and Brown helped establish a flight school affiliated with the Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical School, one of the few aviation programs that admitted African Americans. Students from across the country came to Robbins to train in mechanics, navigation, and flight—many of whom would go on to become some of the first Black military pilots in U.S. history.

Among them were future members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the all-Black fighter pilot group that served with distinction during World War II. The training they received in Robbins laid the foundation for their service, skill, and discipline.

The impact of Robbins stretched beyond the war years. The area produced future aerospace icons such as Maj. Robert H. Lawrence Jr., the first African American astronaut selected for a space program, and Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space. Even Nichelle Nichols, the actress who portrayed Lt. Uhura on Star Trek, came from this lineage of Black Chicago aviation excellence—breaking ground both in fiction and in NASA recruiting efforts.

The Storm That Changed Everything

In 1933, just two years after the airport’s founding, tragedy struck. A powerful windstorm tore through the area, destroying the runways and much of the infrastructure. The damage was devastating, and with limited resources, the founders struggled to rebuild. Eventually, they were forced to close the facility.

Yet even in its short lifespan, the Robbins Airport left a permanent mark on history. Though the physical structure was gone, the spirit and training endured. The relationships formed, the skills honed, and the possibilities imagined there continued to ripple through generations.

Remembering Robbins

Today, few physical traces of the airport remain, but its legacy lives on in aviation history, in military archives, and in the stories of those whose lives it touched. The Village of Robbins honors this piece of its past with pride, and historians continue to shine light on the incredible achievements of those early Black aviators.

The Robbins Airport was more than just a place for planes—it was a symbol of resistance, resilience, and reach. At a time when the ground beneath Black Americans’ feet was shaky with inequality, this community dared to take to the skies.

And in doing so, they proved the sky was never the limit—it was only the beginning.