BLACK HISTORY 365
Frank Mann
Frank Calvin Mann is an American Engineer who was known for his participation in many of Howard Hughes projects. Scholars have left him out of the history books, and Hollywood couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge his existence either. He was Howard Hughes’ top engineer and lifelong best friend. This is about Frank Mann, the hidden genius behind much of Howard Hughes’ success in the world of aviation and mechanics.
Frank C. Mann was born November 22, 1908. A native of Houston, Texas. His parents wanted him to become a schoolteacher, but from childhood he had a natural ability to fix things. At age 11, he had his own mechanic shop. As a teenager he worked alongside airplane mechanics repairing engines. By the age of 20, he had designed and built several of his own Motel-T cars. It was unheard of in the 1920’s for a Black man to have anything to do with cars, trains, or airplanes. His life long friend Howard Hughes was instrumental in opening doors for Mann’s exceptional talents.
Mann attended the University of Minnesota and U.C.L.A, where he earned a mechanical engineering degree. World War 11 equipment that revolutionized military weaponry would not exist if not for his involvement. Incredibly, few Americans are aware of Frank Mann. He was the first Black commercial pilot for American Airways. He was also a distinguished military officer. In 1935, following Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, Frank Mann flew reconnaissance missions for the Ethiopian Army.
He served in the World War 2. Army corps and was the primary civilian instructor of the famous Tuskegee Airmen in 1941. He left Tuskegee after a rife with the U. S. government, which didn’t want the Squadron, an all -Black unit flying the same high caliber of airplanes as their white counterparts. An anger Mann had refused to have his men fly old “World War 1 biplane crates” because his airmen had proven themselves as equals.
Though they were being given inferior equipment and material, their squadron never lost a plane, bomber, or pilot, and they were nicknamed the “Red Tails”. After the war, Mann was instrumental in designing the first Buick LeSabre automobile and the first communications satellite launched for commercial use.
His pride and joy a miniature locomotive enshrined in the Smithsonian Institute, Mann also played a principal role in the Amos ‘n’ Andy radio show. He moved back to his hometown in the 1970’s.
Frank Man died on November 30, 1992 in Houston Texas.
Priscilla A. Moore 1/22/24
https://en.wikipedia.0rg/wiki/Frank_Mann_
Frank C. Mann was born November 22, 1908. A native of Houston, Texas. His parents wanted him to become a schoolteacher, but from childhood he had a natural ability to fix things. At age 11, he had his own mechanic shop. As a teenager he worked alongside airplane mechanics repairing engines. By the age of 20, he had designed and built several of his own Motel-T cars. It was unheard of in the 1920’s for a Black man to have anything to do with cars, trains, or airplanes. His life long friend Howard Hughes was instrumental in opening doors for Mann’s exceptional talents.
Mann attended the University of Minnesota and U.C.L.A, where he earned a mechanical engineering degree. World War 11 equipment that revolutionized military weaponry would not exist if not for his involvement. Incredibly, few Americans are aware of Frank Mann. He was the first Black commercial pilot for American Airways. He was also a distinguished military officer. In 1935, following Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, Frank Mann flew reconnaissance missions for the Ethiopian Army.
He served in the World War 2. Army corps and was the primary civilian instructor of the famous Tuskegee Airmen in 1941. He left Tuskegee after a rife with the U. S. government, which didn’t want the Squadron, an all -Black unit flying the same high caliber of airplanes as their white counterparts. An anger Mann had refused to have his men fly old “World War 1 biplane crates” because his airmen had proven themselves as equals.
Though they were being given inferior equipment and material, their squadron never lost a plane, bomber, or pilot, and they were nicknamed the “Red Tails”. After the war, Mann was instrumental in designing the first Buick LeSabre automobile and the first communications satellite launched for commercial use.
His pride and joy a miniature locomotive enshrined in the Smithsonian Institute, Mann also played a principal role in the Amos ‘n’ Andy radio show. He moved back to his hometown in the 1970’s.
Frank Man died on November 30, 1992 in Houston Texas.
Priscilla A. Moore 1/22/24
https://en.wikipedia.0rg/wiki/Frank_Mann_