Milton Pitts Crenchaw (January 13, 1919 – November 17, 2015) was an American aviator who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II and was the first Arkansan to be trained by the federal government as a civilian licensed pilot.

[1] Crenchaw went from living the life of a college student to flying in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP).

The CPTP was sponsored by the Army Air Corps under the auspices of the Civil Aeronautics Authority; after the start of WWII in Europe in 1939, there were very few combat pilots in the US and the AAC wanted to increase the number as insurance against any future conflict involving the United States.

Crenchaw passed the CAA examination to become a licensed flight instructor on December 8, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

[3] Crenchaw was instrumental in the creation of the first flight program at Philander Smith College from 1947 to 1953 where he continued to teach pilots.