The Flying Ace (1926) is a black-and-white silent film with an all African-American, or "colored", cast.
This six-reel film, made by Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Florida, features Laurence Criner as the fighter ace, Captain Billy Stokes, who returns to the United States after World War I, with Kathryn Boyd, as Ruth Sawtelle, his admirer and flying pilot. Her character is based on African American aviator Bessie Coleman. It is an inspiring film that is based on real people that fought in World War I.Synopsis
Captain Billy Stokes is World War I veteran fighter pilot who is assigned, at first, to acquire $25, 000 of company payroll through retrieving a stolen satchel. His tasks seem to incline in the level of difficulty and danger, as the second task is to pinpoint a missing employee. Stokes's last command is to catch a gang of railroad thieves. He performs all these threatening tasks after immediately regaining his former job as a railroad company detective.