Page 80 - Appendix A

class was ready to graduate. We went out and bought the uniforms and
everything, got fitted for them. They were all made up and one of my classmates

he had sent back information to his family that they we were going to graduate
and for them to come down to Tuskegee. And this individual already had his
uniform and everything, invited his parents to come down for graduation, and he
was washed out.

Ivan: Wow.

Bob: And that's probably maybe within a week or something of graduation. So it's hard
to say what was going on, what criteria they used to get rid of the individuals or
wash them out. Whether it was a quota or not, it was never proven. Never really

got to the point that there was any real definite information that it was a quota
system that they had. But there was a great feeling among us cadets that there
was.

Ivan: Now would you say it was subjective? Because being a non-pilot, even you know
I'm fifty-two and so my classmates would have went through pilot training around
1986, ‘87 and I've heard various things. I've heard that “no Ivan, the best people
make it through pilot training. And the best people, out of those that make it
through pilot training, get fighters”. And then I've heard that “no Ivan, it is very

subjective.” And it's very easy to give somebody an UNSAT, to give them a hook.
So I'm hearing you say even back in your day, I guess I'm asking even for
clarification, how much subjectivity would you say was in that? Would you say the
best sticks all got it and if you weren’t one of the best it was that you didn’t?

Bob: Well as I said, you know some of the individuals that they washed out, I thought
they were really good pilots. And I thought they were better than some of the guys
who did not wash out. So that brings in a different area of evaluation of what was
happening at that time. But we never could or never did establish anything. And
of course when we got the black instructors in there this particular difference,

seventy-five percent, sixty percent washed out was still there.

Ivan: Okay.

Bob: So I guess they did take the top of the group but then you had many in the areas
that washed out that were really qualified capable pilots.