28th Flying Training Wing (World War II)

The 28th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Eastern Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 30 December 1945 at Craig Field, Alabama.

There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 28th Bomb Wing, established on 28 July 1947 at Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, and this organization.

History

The wing was a World War II Command and Control organization which supported Eastern Flying Training Command Flight Schools in the Southeastern United States. Graduates of the advanced schools were commissioned as Second Lieutenants, received their "wings". Most of the assigned schools provided phase III advanced single-engine flying training for Air Cadets, from which the graduates would attend Replacement Training schools operated by one of the numbered air forces in single-engine fighters. From there they would be deployed overseas to the combat theaters as replacement pilots.^[1]

The command also operated several specialized schools at Jackson, Tuskegee, Spence and Clewiston. Jackson Army Air Base was the home of the Royal Netherlands Flight Academy, which trained pilots for their air force. It also hadd a two-engine school for B-25 Mitchell medium bomber training for Dutch pilots. Riddle Field at Clewiston, Florida was a contract pilot school which taught both primary and basic flight training. Tuskegee Field, Alabama was exclusively for black air cadets, who received their basic and single-engine advanced training by black Army instructors after graduating from the primary school at Moton Field, operated by the Tuskegee Institute.^[1]

As training requirements changed during the war, schools were activated and inactivated or transferred to meet those requirements.^[1]

Lineage

• Established as 28th Flying Training Wing on 17 December 1942

Activated on 26 December 1942

Disbanded on 30 December 1945^[2]

Assignments

• Army Air Forces Southeast Training Center, 26 December 1942
• Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command, 15 Sep 1943-30 Dec 1945^[2]

Training aircraft

The advanced trainer operated by the schools was the North American AT-6 Texan. The contract primary school at Clewiston flew Boeing-Stearman PT-17s. The basic schools at Jackson, Tuskegee and Spence Fields flew Vultee BT-13 Valiant single-engine trainers.

Assigned Pilot Schools

Stations

• George Army Airfield, Illinois, 26 December 1942
• Craig Field, Alabama, 15 August 1943 – 30 December 1945.^[2]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 28th Flying Training Wing (World War II).

• Army Air Forces Training Command

• Other Eastern Flying Training Command Flight Training Wings:

27th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Basic Flight Training

29th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Primary Flight Training

30th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Advanced Flight Training, Two Engine

74th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Classifcation/Preflight/Specialized/Navigation

75th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Gunnery

76th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Specialized Four-Engine Training

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