Both the name and the logo of the Minor League Baseball franchise the Lakeland Flying Tigers were inspired by American pilots who trained at the field where the baseball team currently plays.
In the spring of 1941, the US sent a group of pilots to fight against the Nazis together with the Chinese military. The group, which was nicknamed the Flying Tigers, even received a logo from Roy Williams from the Walt Disney Company.
These and other pilots that took part in World War II had trained at the Lakeland School of Aeronautics, which used an airport called Lodwick Field located near Lakeland, Florida. In 1953, the Detroit Tigers bought the Lodwick Field and turned it into their spring training complex, Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Today, Lakeland Flying Tigers play their home games here. The Lakeland Flying Tigers logo reflects the connection to the local school of Aeronautics in its color palette and shape.