Tuskegee Airman and Photographer

The late George L. Bing served his country proudly as one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first black aviation unit in World War II. These 1,000 African American fighter pilots, called the Black Birdmen by the Germans, flew more than 1,500 missions. Mr. Bing later recalled telling his instructor during his first training flight, “Up until now the highest I’d ever been was the ninth floor of Brooklyn Technical High School.” After the war he operated a successful photo studio in Brooklyn and then headed photography services for the Brooklyn Air Terminal and Brooklyn College.