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| Flight Training in Arizona
4 BFTS Mesa, Arizona opened 16 June 1941 *
British flight schools
The six BFTSs were, with opening dates:
1 BFTS Terrell, Texas 9 June 1941 *
2 BFTS Lancaster, California 9 June 1941 *
3 BFTS Miami. Oklahoma 16 June 1941 *
4 BFTS Mesa, Arizona 16 June 1941 *
5 BFTS Clewiston, Florida 17 July 1941 *
6 BFTS Ponca City, Oklahoma 23 August 1941
7 BFTS Sweetwater, Texas May 1942 but closed August 1942
* All but No. 6 started their training at other bases until their
permanent bases were opened in July/August 1941.
Ref this article >> http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/17/a7189617.shtml
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The British Flying Training Schools in the U.S.A. 1941-1944
by Mike Igglesden
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- Contributed by
- Mike Igglesden
- Location of story:
- U.S.A.
- Background to story:
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:
- A7189617
- Contributed on:
- 22 November 2005
In late August 1942, the writer, with many
other aircrew under training, left the Air Crew Despatch Centre
at Heaton Park, Manchester, for Gourock. There we embarked in an
American troopship, the “Thomas H Barry”, for an Atlantic
crossing. She had been designed for the Caribbean and was not
the ideal length for the Atlantic seas; this led to a good deal
of what might euphemistically be called discomfort among the
passengers. The writer volunteered to work in the galley (giving
the benefit of fresh-water rather than sea-water showers) and
turned out to be impervious to seasickness. On arrival in New
York, we had the exciting experience of travelling by train
through the ‘dim-out’ - bright to our eyes - of coastal USA
and Canada to Moncton in New Brunswick. After a couple of weeks
at No. 31 Personnel Depot there, another rail journey took us to
our destinations, by regular express trains rather than the
troop-carrying superannuated Canadian stock used for the trip to
Canada.
For 50 of us, the destination was No. 6
British Flying Training School (BFTS), Ponca City in Oklahoma,
where we were to stay for 6 months, becoming Course No. 10.
Other than knowing that the mid-West was a centre of
isolationism, portending some opposition to the Brits, we knew
nothing of the place. On arrival, however, we found nothing but
the kindest of welcomes from the citizens, leading to
friendships that last until this day.
read the rest of this article >> http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/17/a7189617.shtml
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Library > Fact
Sheets > Luke
Air Force Base History
LUKE
AIR FORCE BASE HISTORY
Posted 3/11/2014
Printable
Fact Sheet
Luke
Air Force Base is named
for the first aviator to
receive the Medal of
Honor- Lt. Frank Luke
Jr. Born in Phoenix in
1897, the "Arizona
Balloon Buster"
scored 18 aerial
victories during World
War I (14 of these
German observation
balloons) in the skies
over France before being
killed, at age 21, on
Sept. 29, 1918.
In 1940, the U.S. Army
sent a representative to
Arizona to choose a site
for an Army Air Corps
training field for
advanced training in
conventional fighter
aircraft. The city of
Phoenix bought 1,440
acres of land which they
leased to the government
at $1 a year effective
March 24, 1941. On March
29, 1941, the Del. E.
Webb Construction Co.
began excavation for the
first building at what
was know then as
Litchfield Park Air
Base. Another base known
as Luke Field, in Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, released
its name when the base
was transferred to the
Navy in June 1941, and
the fledgling Arizona
base was called Luke
Field at the request of
its first commander, Lt.
Col. Ennis C. Whitehead,
who went on to become a
lieutenant general as
commander of Air Defense
Command in 1950.
The first class of 45
students, Class 41 F,
arrived June 6, 1941 to
begin advanced flight
training in the AT-6,
although only a few
essential buildings had
been completed. Flying
out of Sky Harbor
Airport until the Luke
runways were ready,
pilots received 10 weeks
of instruction and the
first class graduated
Aug. 15, 1941. Capt.
Barry Goldwater served
as director of ground
training the following
year.
During World War II,
Luke was the largest
fighter training base in
the Air Corps,
graduating more than
12,000 fighter pilots
from advanced and
operational courses in
the AT-6, P-40, P-51 and
P-38, earning the
nickname, "Home of
the Fighter Pilot."
By Feb. 7, 1944, pilots
at Luke had achieved a
million hours of flying
time. By 1946, however,
the number of pilots
trained dropped to 299
and the base was
deactivated Nov. 30 that
year.
Soon after combat
developed in Korea, Luke
field was reactivated on
Feb. 1, 1951 as Luke Air
Force Base, part of the
Air Training Command
under the reorganized
U.S. Air Force. Students
progressed from the P-51
Mustang to the F-84
until 1964, then the
F-104 Starfighter.
Flying training at Luke
changed to the F-100,
and on July 1, 1958, the
base was transferred
from Air Training
Command to Tactical Air
Command. During the
1960s, thousands of
American fighter pilots
left Luke to carve their
niche in the annals of
Air Force history in the
skies over Vietnam.
In July 1971, the base
received the F-4C
Phantom II and assumed
its role as the main
provider of fighter
pilots for Tactical Air
Command and fighter
forces worldwide. In
November 1974, the Air
Force's newest air
superiority fighter, the
F-15 Eagle, came to
Luke. It was joined in
December 1982 by the
first F-16 Fighting
Falcon, which officially
began training fighter
pilots Feb. 2, 1983.
Luke units continued to
set the pace for the Air
Force. The 58th TTW had
two squadrons - the
312th and 314th Tactical
Fighter Training
Squadrons - conducting
training in the newest C
and D models of the
Fighting Falcon. The
405th TTW received the
first E model of the
F-15 Eagle in 1988 and
two of its squadrons -
the 461st and 550th -
began training in this
dual-role fighter.
In July 1987, the
Reserve function at Luke
changed when the 302nd
Special Operations
Squadron deactivated its
helicopter function and
the 944th Tactical
Fighter Group was
activated to fly the
F-16C/D.
The early 1990s brought
significant changes to
the base. As a result of
defense realignments ,
the 312th, 426th and
550th TFTSs were
inactivated as were the
832nd Air Division and
the 405th TTW. The F-15A
and B models were
transferred out, and the
58th TTW, being the
senior wing at Luke, was
re-designated the 58th
Fighter Wing and once
again became the host
unit at Luke.
In April 1994, after 24
years at Luke, the 58th
Fighter Wing was
replaced by the 56th as
part of the Air Force
Heritage program. Air
Force officials
established the program
to preserve the Air
Force legacy and its
history during the
defense draw down. The
56th FW is one of the
most highly decorated
units in Air Force
history. Units flying
the F-16 Fighting Falcon
are the 21st, 61st,
62nd, 308th, 309th,
310th, 311th and 425th
Fighter Squadrons.
Point
of Contact
56th
Fighter Wing Public
Affairs
(623) 856-5853
DSN 896-5853 |
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https://books.google.com/books?id=VAVlaUZyMQ8C&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=no+4+british+flying+training+school&source=bl&ots=acgceZleoP&sig=9TiAY2T4GVrGwoUgLtX9fYLyW9s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pfK7VMWeOYacyAT174JY&ved=0CEoQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=no%204%20british%20flying%20training%20school&f=false
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