John Robinson (aviator)

John C. Robinson
Robinson in Ethiopian Air Force Uniform
Nickname(s)	The Brown Condor
Born	(1903-11-26)November 26, 1903 Carrabelle, Florida, U.S.
Died	March 27, 1954(1954-03-27) (aged 50) Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire (present-day Ethiopia)
Buried	Gulele Cemetery Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Allegiance	Ethiopia
Service / branch	Imperial Ethiopian Air Force
Years of service	1935–1944
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Brown Condor Squadron
Battles / wars	Second Italo-Ethiopian War
Other work	Ethiopian Air Lines

John Charles Robinson (November 26, 1903^[1] – March 27, 1954^[2]) was an American aviator and activist who was hailed as the "Brown Condor" for his service in the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force against Fascist Italy. Robinson pushed for equal opportunities for African-Americans during his early career, and was able to open his own eponymous aviation school in addition to initiating a program for black pilots at his college, the Tuskegee Institute. Robinson's achievements as an aviator were in stark contrast to the limited opportunities for most African-Americans in aviation careers, and were an important factor in reducing racially based prohibitions in the United States. Robinson is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the Tuskegee Airmen" for inspiring this all-black group of pilots who served in the United States Army Air Forces following the United States' entry into World War II.