Flying Division, Air Training Command

Flying Division, Air Training Command
Postwar T-33A Shooting Star jet fighter training
Active	1926–1949
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces  United States Air Force
Type	Command and Control
Role	Training
Part of	Army Air Forces Training Command Air Training Command
Engagements	World War II World War II American Theater
Commanders
Notable commanders	1940 Oct 4[1]-1941 Oct 22: Gerald C. Brant 1941 Oct 23-1941 Nov 30: Frank P. Lahm[2] 1941 Dec 1-1942 Sep: Hubert R. Harmon 1942 Sep-1943 Jul 31: tbd
Insignia
Flying Division, Air Training Command emblem

Flying Division, Air Training Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Air Training Command, stationed at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It was inactivated on 14 November 1949.

The organization was initially organized in 1926 as the main pilot training organization for the Army Air Corps. It was later one of three training commands by the Office of the Chief of Air Corps in 1940 to accommodate the large number of Air Cadets being recruited due to the expansion of the Army Air Corps after the Fall of France. During World War II, thousands of cadets were in training at various flight schools across the Central United States being trained as pilots for fighters, bombers and transports. The command also trained the navigators, bombardiers and gunners necessary for the bombers to attack enemy targets in the combat areas overseas. After World War II ended, it became the primary pilot and aircrew training organization for Air Training Command during the postwar years.

History

Origins

11th School Group Consolidated PT-1 trainers, Brooks Field, Texas, March 1926.

With the demobilization of the Air Service after World War I, the Army's air arm remained quite small during most of the interwar period. In January 1920, pilot training resumed on a small scale at March Field, California, and Carlstrom Field, Florida. Advanced training at that time included the Observation School at Post Field, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and both pursuit and bombardment instruction at Kelly Field, Texas. However, the administrative difficulties of training about 200 flying cadets concurrently at such widely separated locations prompted a decision in 1921–1922 to centralize all flying training in San Antonio, Texas which was considered to be an ideal location because of climate and other factors.^[3]

Flying Division, Air Training Command's origins begin in 1926 when the Army Air Service consolidated it's center for primary training at Brooks Field, Texas, and its advanced center at Kelly Field, Texas. In the era after World War I, each phase of instruction lasted about six months, with the school at Kelly being divided into three months of basic and advanced instruction. With the decision by the Coolidge Administration to expand the Air Service, the Army established the Air Corps Training Center in San Antonio, with the two fight schools, and adding the School of Aviation Medicine at Brooks Field.^[3]

Randolph Field, Texas, 1931

As the new center began to carry out its mission of improving supervision of flying training, it discovered that the facilities in the San Antonio area were insufficient to accommodate the expanded number of cadets entering primary training. Hence, primary pilot training resumed at March Field, California, from 1927 to 1931. With the opening of Randolph Field on 1 January 1931, primary flight training was transferred from March to the new facility there.^[3]

The Air Corps Training Center at Randolph Field was in charge of the entire Army pilot training program in the United States from 1931 to 1939. The Center developed an efficient, well-coordinated flying training program that focused on the quality of its pilots. It was not only critical to the development of military flight training, but also to the training of American pilots, who after graduation spread out over the world, some to commercial airline jobs in Latin America and the Philippines, others to government or industry occupations that took them to Europe and Asia. However, the program only produced about 200 pilots a year.^[4]

In 1939 only two Air Corps flying schools were operating, Randolph Field and, for advanced training, Kelly Field with Brooks as a subpost.^[3][5] Beginning in 1939, the Air Corps contracted primary flight training to civilian schools, and Randolph Field's mission shifted to basic pilot training. It was General Arnold's belief that by turning over the responsibility for primary training to other agencies, he could free the Air Corps to concentrate its full resources on later phases of training, and thus in effect expand the capacity.^[6]

World War II

On May 24, 1940, General Henry H. Arnold submitted a plan to the War Department for 3 training centers.^[7]:131 When the new centers for the West Coast (HQ at Moffett Field CA) and Southeast (Maxwell Field AL) were established^[8] on August 22, 1940; the existing "Air Corps Training Center" was redesignated the Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center.^[9] Funding of a 30,000-pilot training program was approved on April 5, 1941, and included new GCACTC bases at "Enid, Okla.; Perrin Field, Sherman, Tex.; Waco, Tex.; Moore Field, Mission, Tex.; Lubbock, Tex.; Midland, Tex.; and Lake Charles, La."^[7] In 1941, "thirty-two major flying fields comprise[d] the Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center" for basic and advanced flying training^[10] plus 16 civilian flight schools by October (a bombing range was also part of the center).^[5]

World War II locations of airfields controlled by the Central Flying Training Command, AAFTC
NOTE: Marfa Army Airfield, Pecos Army Airfield, & Wink Field in West Texas were part of the West Coast ACTC.

The Central Instructors School began at Randolph in January 1942,and the first "flying sergeants" graduated as combat pilots in May 1942 "at a civil contract flying school in the Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center"^[3]

On September 26, 1942, the GCACTC's Advanced Twin Engine and Bombardier Training Center at Midland, Texas, was redesignated Midland Army Airfield's Army Air Forces Bombardier School (colloq. Bombardier College) which operated 23 bombing ranges in West Texas^[11] (the school had moved to Albuquerque Army Air Base by February 28, 1945).^[12][13]

In conjunction with the USAAF Flying Training Command merging with the Technical Training Command;^[14] on July 31, 1943, the Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center was redesignated as the Central Flying Training Command when the GCACTC schools were consolidated with the separate navigator training (4 schools including 1 at Ellington Field that had been a bombardier school) and .^[15] The consolidation supported the January 1943 Casablanca Conference decision regarding air power in the European Theatre and the resulting "Combined Bomber Offensive from the United Kingdom" plan, which required aircrews for 4 development phases (944, 1192, 1746, & 2702 bombers) through 31 March 1944.^[16]:15

By 1944, Central Flying Training Command (CFTC) controlled a large number of training schools in the Southwestern United States, and established several Wings to provide organizational command and control over them, based on both training types and geography. The schools operated by CFTC part of the Aviation Cadet Training Program. These were:^[3]

Instructors and air cadets at Randolph Field, Texas with Curtiss-Wright AT-9 advanced two-engine trainers, 1944

• Classification: This was the stage where it would be decided whether the cadet would train as a navigator, bombardier, or pilot
• Preflight: Ground training for all air cadets. Successful completion meant being assigned to a flying school for training. "Washouts" were returned to the regular Air Corps ranks for reassignment.
• Primary (Phase I): Taught basic flying using two-seater training aircraft. Usually taught by contract flying schools operated by the WFTC
• Basic (Phase II): Formation flying, air navigation, cross-country flying skills were taught.
• Advanced (Phase II): Single or multi-engine aircraft schools for cadets becoming fighter, bomber or transport pilots. After graduation, the successful Air Cadet received his "wings" and were commissioned Second Lieutenants. In addition, experienced pilots in the field were sent to Training Command "transition schools" to acquire additional single or mulch-engine flying ratings.

In addition to the American Air Cadets, Cadets from the British Royal Air Force and Free French Air Force were trained in flying skills. CFTC also operated aircrew schools for Navigators, Bombardiers and flexible aerial gunners. Radio operators were centrally trained at Scott Field, Illinois. Other aircrew positions, such as B-29 flight engineers and RADAR operators were also trained later in the war as training requirements presented themselves. This included the first jet pilots in 1945.^[3]

Postwar era

Shortly after the end of World War II on 15 December 1945, Central Flying Training Command consolidated with Western Flying Training Command on 1 November 1945, and was re-designated Western Flying Training Command. This reflected the massive demobilization after the end of the war, and the closure of the majority of the wartime training bases.^[3]

On 15 December 1945 Western Flying Training Command consolidated with the Eastern Flying Training Command. The single entity became Army Air Forces Flying Training Command on 1 January 1946, with its headquarters at Randolph Field, Texas. On 1 November 1946 the Flying Training Command was re-designated as the Flying Training Division of the new Air Training Command, established as part of the postwar reorganization of the Army Air Forces.^[3]

May 1946 photo of the parking ramp of San Marcos Field, Texas which operated the Flying Division helicopter and liaison schools

By 1946, all the wartime Flying Training Wings were disbanded, and command and control was consolidated into the Flying Training Division. The flight schools at the bases which remained open were consolidated into the Army Air Forces (later Air Force) base units. After the establishment of the United States Air Force in September 1947 and the implementation of the Hobson Wing-Base plan in 1948, the Base Units were discontinued, and ATC established new Pilot Training Wings at each base. This new plan made the training organizations uniform with the other major commands throughout the Air Force.^[3]

In addition, the pilot training program was consolidated into two classes, Basic and Advanced. Also, the wide variety of training aircraft were reduced to streamline the training program. Jet training aircraft and courses were also added, along with helicopter training as the new wartime technologies were added into the postwar Air Force inventory as fully operational weapons systems.^[3]

Austere postwar military budgets led to additional consolidations and all of the flying programs suffered from shortages of aircraft replacement parts, qualified maintenance personnel, and instructors—problems that existed been with the schools throughout the postwar era. The last half of 1949 was an exercise in austerity. President Harry S. Truman decided that the country could only afford a 48-group Air Force. With only a minimum of operating funds available, the Secretary of Defense directed major spending cuts throughout the Department of Defense (DOD). In a re-organization, Flying Division, Air Training Command was inactivated on 14 November 1949 when Air Training Command absorbed its subordinate Divisions into its command organization to comply with the budget reduction directive.^[3]

Lineage

• Constituted as the Air Corps Training Center

Activated on 1 September 1926

Redesignated Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center on 8 July 1940

Redesignated Army Air Forces Gulf Coast Training Center on 29 October 1942

Redesignated Central Flying Training Command on 31 July 1943

Redesignated Western Flying Training Command on 15 December 1945

Redesignated Army Air Forces Flying Training Command on 1 January 1946

Redesignated Flying Division, Air Training Command on 1 July 1946

Inactivated on 14 November 1949^[3]

Assignments

• Office of the Chief of Air Corps, 1 September 1926
• Air Corps Flying Training Command (later Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, Army Air Forces Training Command, Air Training Command), 23 January 1942 – 14 November 1949^[3]

Stations

• San Antonio, Texas, 1 September 1926
• Randolph Field (later Randolph Air Force Base), Texas, 1 January 1931 – 14 November 1949^[3]

Major Components

Inter-war years

*All primary flying school units consolidated at Randolph Field, 31 December 1931

World War II

Postwar

Major Aircraft

Inter-war years

Primary trainers

Consolidated PT-1, 1921–1928

Consolidated PT-3 (PT-11, PT-12), 1927–1937

Boeing-Stearman PT-13, 1937-^[4]

Basic trainers

Curtiss-Wright (de Havilland) DH-4 1921-1932

Douglas O-2K (Converted to BT-1), 1930-

Douglas O-32A (Converted to BT-2), 1930-^[4]

Advanced trainers

Curtiss P-1 Hawk (Converted to AT-4, AT-5), 1926-^[4]

World War II

Primary flight training

Boeing-Stearman PT-17, Fairchild PT-19 and Ryan PT-22 twin-seat, single engine trainers^[3]

Basic flight training

Vultee BT-13 and Vultee BT-15^[3]

Advanced flight training

North American AT-6 (single engine); Cessna AT-17 (two-engine)^[3]

Specialized schools:

Curtiss-Wright AT-9s were used for high performance two-engine training in perpetration for Lockheed P-38 Lightning training

Beechcraft AT-10s were used for pilots in training for two engine bombers (B-25s and B-26s)

Beechcraft AT-11s were used for pilots in training for C-47 transports along with bombardier training

Beechcraft AT-7s were used for two-engine pilot training and also navigator training

Boeing B-17s and Consolidated B-24s were used for four-engine pilot training

L-2, L-3, L-4, TG-5 and TG-6s were used for glider and liaison pilot training

Gunnery training schools flew A-33, AT-6s, AT-1s, B-34s, B-10s and RP-63s for air-to-air flexible gunnery training.^[3]

Postwar

See also

• List of Training Section Air Service airfields

World War I training fields of the Air Service, United States Army

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

Army Air Forces Training Command Flying Training Flying Schools Eastern Flying Training Command Central Flying Training Command Western Flying Training Command Specialized Schools Bombardier Contract Flying Glider Training Gunnery Navigator Technical Training Eastern Technical Training Command Central Technical Training Command Western Technical Training Command