77th Flying Training Wing | |
---|---|
Active | 1943–1946 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
Type | Command and Control |
Role | Training |
Part of | Army Air Forces Training Command |
Engagements | World War II |
The 77th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to the Central Flying Training Command, and was based in Texas between 1943 and its disbandment on 16 June 1946.
There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 77th Aeronautical Systems Wing, established on 5 February 1942 as the 77th Observation Group at Salinas Army Air Base, California, and this organization.
On 14 August 1943, the wing was established at Foster Army Airfield, Texas. It directed Flight Schools in South Texas. The schools provided phase III advanced flying training for Air Cadets, along with advanced single-engine transition training for experienced pilots for reassignment to other flying units. Air Cadet graduates of the advanced schools were commissioned as Second Lieutenants, received their "wings" and were reassigned to First Air Force, Second Air Force, Third Air Force, or Fourth Air Force operational or Replacement Training Units in the Zone of the Interior (the continental United States). [1]
As training requirements changed during the war, schools were activated and inactivated or transferred to meet those requirements. [1] The wing headquarters was moved to Bryan Army Airfield in March 1945, and disbanded there in June 1946.
The schools of the wing used primarily the North American AT-6 as their single-engine advanced trainer. Also some Bell P-39s, Curtiss P-40s and North American P-51s were used for transition training. : [1]
|
|
Foster Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force facility in Texas, located in Victoria County, approximately six miles (10 km) east-northeast of Victoria.
The Flying Division, Air Training Command, was a training formation of the United States Air Force. The unit was established in 1926 as the Air Corps Training Center to be the primary pilot training center for the Air Corps. It was reorganized into one of three training commands created by the Office of the Chief of the Air Corps in 1940 to accommodate the large number of air cadets being recruited as a result of the expansion of the corps after the fall of France. During World War II, thousands of cadets attended various flight schools throughout the Central United States being trained as pilots for fighters, bombers and transports. It also trained the navigators, bombardiers and gunners necessary for the bombers to attack enemy targets in the combat areas overseas. After World War II, it became the primary pilot and aircrew training unit of the United States Air Force Air Training Command.
The 29th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Napier Field, Alabama. The wing controlled World War II Phase One primary flying training units of the Army Air Forces Training Command. Headquartered at Moody Field, Georgia for most of its operational service, it controlled contract civilian-operated pilot schools primarily in the Southeastern United States.
The 31st Flying Training Wing was a training formation of the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II.
The 36th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 1 November 1945 at Santa Ana Army Air Base, California.
The 78th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Central Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 30 June 1945 at the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, Texas.
The 74th Flying Training Wing was wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Eastern Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 30 December 1945 at Maxwell Field, Alabama.
The 32d Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Central Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 13 October 1946 at the Randolph Field, Texas.
The 35th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at the Minter Field, California.
The 37th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Luke Field, Arizona.
The 38th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Williams Field, Arizona.
Matagorda Peninsula Army Airfield is a closed military airfield, located on Matagorda Island, Texas. It was used during World War II as a training airfield by the 77th Flying Training Wing, Army Air Forces Central Flying Training Command.
The 33d Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to the Central Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 13 October 1946 at Randolph Field, Texas.
The 34th Operations Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated as the 34th Flying Training Wing and supervised training of bombardiers and pilots for multiengine aircraftuntil it was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Midland Army Air Field, Texas. The wing was reactivated in 1978 as the 34th Tactical Airlift Training Group and conducted various courses for crews of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules until inactivating in December 1961. It was activated a third time in 1994 as the 34th Operations Group and conducted airmanship training at the United States Air Force Academy.
The 80th Flying Training Wing was a training wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Central Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Ellington Field, Texas.
The 28th Flying Training Wing was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Eastern Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 30 December 1945 at Craig Field, Alabama.
The 30th Flying Training Wing was a training wing of the United States Army Air Forces. This wing oversaw multiple "advanced" flight schools that trained multi-engine bomber pilots for World War 2. It was last assigned to the Flying Division, Air Training Command, and was disbanded on 13 October 1946 at Randolph Field, Texas.
The 27th Flying Training Wing was a training formation of the United States Army Air Forces. From 1943–45 it was assigned to Eastern Flying Training Command. In 1945–46 it was assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and it was disbanded on 15 December 1945 at Randolph Field, Texas.
The 75th Flying Training Wing was a flying training wing of the United States Army Air Forces. At the time, a wing controlled several multi-squadron groups. It was last assigned to the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 15 June 1946 at Buckingham Army Airfield, Florida.
The 76th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, and was stationed from 1943–46 at Smyrna Army Airfield, Tennessee.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency