86th Flying Training Squadron
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The 86th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 47th Flying Training Wing at
Laughlin Air Force Base Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located east of Del Rio, Texas. Overview Laughlin AFB, the largest Aviator, pilot training base in the US Air Force, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing of the Air Educa ...
, Texas. It operates
Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk The Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk is a twin-engined jet aircraft used by the United States Air Force for advanced pilot training. T-1A students go on to fly airlift and tanker aircraft. The T-400 is a similar version for the Japan Air Self-Defense For ...
aircraft conducting flight training.


Mission

Currently, the mission of the 86th Flying Training Squadron is to educate and train undergraduate pilots to fly the
T-1A Jayhawk The Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk is a twin-engined jet aircraft used by the United States Air Force for advanced pilot training. T-1A students go on to fly airlift and tanker aircraft. The T-400 is a similar version for the Japan Air Self-Defense For ...
which prepares them to fly mobility and tanker aircraft, such as the
C-130J Super Hercules The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is the ...
.


History


World War II

On 20 November 1940, a new squadron was designated the 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light. Activated on 15 January 1941 and stationed at
McChord Field McChord Field (formerly and still commonly known as McChord Air Force Base) is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord AFB is the home of the 62nd Airlift Wing, ...
, Washington, its primary mission was antisubmarine patrols utilizing
Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American twin-engined medium bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Airc ...
aircraft. In the six years that followed, the 86th traveled to all parts of the world. The mission was later expanded to include training personnel for overseas duty and combat operations. In 1942, the 86th started its journey through various parts of Europe and North Africa. It was stationed in approximately 20 different locations including French Morocco,
Canrobert Airfield Canrobert Airfield was a World War II military airfield in Algeria, located approximately 4 km south of Oum el Bouaghi, approximately 70 km southeast of Constantine. It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force ...
, Algeria, and Salon-de-Provence Airfield, France. During that time, the 86th supported combat operations with the Douglas DB-7 and
Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...
and the
Douglas A-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and attack aircraft, ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during ...
aircraft. The 86th Bombardment Squadron received numerous campaign streamers and the
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
in 1943 and again in 1945. It went on to fly combat missions in the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army for ...
from 14 December 1942 until 30 April 1945.


Bomber operations in the United States

In 1945, the 86th returned to the United States to begin training in support of a new mission of night tactical operations. Stationed at
Biggs Field Biggs Army Airfield (formerly Biggs Air Force Base) is a United States Army military airbase located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. History Biggs Field/Biggs Army Airfield (1916–47) On 15 June 1919, following an attack b ...
, Texas, in 1946, and then
Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwest ...
, Louisiana, in 1948, the 86th was redesigned the 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light, Jet, flying the A-26 and then B-45 aircraft. With the slowdown of military operations, the 86th was inactivated in 1949.


Bomber operations in Europe

On 23 March 1954, the 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light, jet was reactivated. It was stationed at Sculthorpe RAF Station and Alconbury RAF station, England, flying the B-45 and B-66 aircraft. On 1 Oct 1955, the 86th was redesigned as the 86th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical. The 86th remained in England, maintaining proficiency in a variety of tactical operations and was awarded the
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force ...
for operations from July 1958 to June 1960. Through the early years of the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
the 86th transitioned to the
North American B-45 Tornado The North American B-45 Tornado is an early American jet bomber designed and manufactured by aircraft company North American Aviation. It has the distinction of being the first operational jet bomber to enter service with the United States Air ...
and later the
Douglas B-66 Destroyer The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is a light bomber that was designed and produced by the American aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company. The B-66 was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) and is derivative of the United States N ...
aircraft and served as a bomber unit, primarily stationed in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.


Flying training

On 22 March 1972, the 86th was redesignated the 86th Flying Training Squadron. The former 3646th Pilot Training Squadron at
Laughlin Air Force Base Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located east of Del Rio, Texas. Overview Laughlin AFB, the largest Aviator, pilot training base in the US Air Force, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing of the Air Educa ...
was discontinued and its personnel and equipment transferred to the 86th and the squadron continued to train undergraduate student pilots in the
Northrop T-38 Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet Supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet trainer designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Northrop Corporation. It was the world's first supersonic trainer as well as the most produced. ...
. From 1976 to 1979, the squadron also trained
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...
co-pilots in the ACE program. The squadron was inactivated in September 1992. During its twenty years as a pilot training squadron, the 86th Flying Training Squadron earned five Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards. On 17 February 1994, the 86th Flying Training Squadron was reactivated. The training mission continues utilizing the T-1A Jay Hawk for Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training. Today, the squadron flies the
Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk The Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk is a twin-engined jet aircraft used by the United States Air Force for advanced pilot training. T-1A students go on to fly airlift and tanker aircraft. The T-400 is a similar version for the Japan Air Self-Defense For ...
conducting the specialized undergraduate pilot training phase for airlift-tanker-bomber track pilots.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 86th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 20 August 1943 : Redesignated 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light (Night Attack) on 16 April 1946 : Redesignated 86 Bombardment Squadron, Light, Jet on 23 June 1948 : Inactivated on 2 October 1949 * Redesignated 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 1 March 1954 : Activated on 23 March 1954 : Redesignated 86th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical on 1 Oct 1955 : Discontinued and inactivated on 22 June 1962 * Redesignated 86th Flying Training Squadron on 22 March 1972 : Activated on 1 September 1972 : Inactivated on 15 September 1992 * Activated on 1 December 1993


Assignments

*
47th Bombardment Group 47th may refer to: Chicago Transit Authority stations * 47th station (CTA Green Line) 47th is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's "L" system, located in the Grand Boulevard community area of Chicago, Illinois and serving the Gree ...
, 15 January 1941 – 2 October 1949 * 47th Bombardment Group, 23 March 1954 (attached to
47th Bombardment Wing The 47th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force pilot training wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, near Del Rio, Texas. It is one of five pilot training units in the Air Force's Air Education and Training Command which conducts ...
) * 47th Bombardment Wing, 8 February 1955 – 22 June 1962 * 47th Flying Training Wing, 1 September 1972 * 47th Operations Group, 15 December 1991 – 15 September 1992 * 47th Operations Group, 1 December 1993 – present


Stations

* McChord Field, Washington, 15 January 1941 *
Army Air Base Fresno Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a joint military–public airport in Fresno, California, United States. It is the primary commercial airport for the San Joaquin Valley and three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. It ...
, California, 11 August 1941 *
Will Rogers Field Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
, Oklahoma, 15 Feb 1942 * Greensboro Army Air Base, North Carolina, 16 July–17 October 1942 *
Mediouna Airfield Mediouna may refer to: *Mediouna, Algeria *Mediouna, Morocco Mediouna is a town and municipality in Médiouna Province of the Casablanca-Settat region of Morocco. It lies along National Route 9, southeast of downtown Casablanca Casablanca ...
, French Morocco, 17 November 1942 * Youks-les-Bains Airfield, Algeria, December 1942 * Canrobert Airfield, Algeria, 21 February 1943 * Thelepte Airfield, Tunisia, 30 March 1943 *
Souk-el-Arba Airfield The Souk-el-Arba Airfields are a pair of World War II military airfields in Tunisia, located near what was at the time the village of Souk-el-Arba but since 1966 has been known as Jendouba. The location is approximately 130 km west-southwe ...
, Tunisia, 16 April 1943 * Soliman Airfield, Tunisia, c. 1 Jun 1943 * Ta Kali Airdrome,
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, 22 July 1943 * Torrente Comunelli,
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, Italy 13 Aug 1943 *
Gerbini Airfield Gerbini Airfield is a series of abandoned World War II military airfields in Paternò, Sicily, located west of Catania, near the intersection of the A19 and SP24 highways. The airfields consisted of a series of flat agricultural fields, used ...
, Sicily, 19 August 1943 * Grottaglie Airfield, Italy, 27 September 1943 * Vincenzo Airfield, Italy, 12 October 1943 * Vesuvius Airfield, Italy, 13 Jan uary1944 *
Capodichino Airport San Pietro a Patierno is a suburb of Naples, the chief city in Campania, Italy. Geography It is one of the largest suburbs of Naples and is relatively lightly populated compared to surrounding areas, with around 20,000 residents. The district ...
, Italy, 22 March 1944 * Vesuvius Airfield, Italy, 25 April 1944 * Ponte Galeria Airfield, Italy, 9 June 1944 * Ombrone Airfield, Italy, 23 June 1944 * Poretta Airfield,
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
, France, 12 Jul 1944 * Salon-de-Provence Airfield (Y-16), France, 5 September 1944; *
Follonica Airfield Follonica Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, located in the vicinity of Follonica in Tuscany; about 180 km northwest of Rome. It was an all-weather temporary field built by the United States Army Air Force X ...
, Italy, 19 September 1944 *
Rosignano Airfield Rosignano Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, located near the comune of Rosignano Marittimo in the Province of Livorno in Tuscany. The area was captured by the Fifth Army in the early summer of 1944, and the air ...
, Italy, 4 October 1944 * Grosseto Airfield, Italy, 2 January 1945 *
Pisa Airport Pisa International Airport — also named Galileo Galilei Airport — is an international airport located in Pisa, Italy. It is one of the two major airports in Tuscany, the other being Florence Airport. Pisa is ranked 10th in Italy in terms o ...
, Italy, 15–23 June 1945 *
Seymour Johnson Field Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an F4F Wildcat crash near Norbeck, Maryla ...
, North Carolina (1945) *
Lake Charles Army Air Field A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...
, Louisiana, 9 September 1945 * Biggs Field, (later Biggs Air Force Base), Texas, 20 October 1946 * Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 19 November 1948 – 2 October 1949 * RAF Sculthorpe,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, 23 March 1954 *
RAF Alconbury Royal Air Force Alconbury, or more simply RAF Alconbury, is an active Royal Air Force station near Huntingdon, England, that for many years was used by the USAF. The airfield is in the civil parish of The Stukeleys, close to the villages of G ...
, England, 15 September 1955 * RAF Sculthorpe, England, 5 August 1959 – 22 June 1962 * Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, 1 September 1972 – 15 September 1992 * Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, 1 December 1993 – present


Aircraft

* Douglas B-18 Bolo (1941–1942) * Douglas DB-7 Boston (1942) * Douglas A-20 Havoc (1942–1945) * Douglas A-26 (later B-26) Invader (1945–1949) * North American B-45 Tornado (1949, 1954–1958) * Douglas B-66 Destroyer (1958–1962) * Northrop T-38 Talon (1972–1992) * Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk (1993–2024)


Campaigns

World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater; Algeria-French Morocco; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Southern France; North Apennines; Po Valley; Air Combat, EAME Theater


Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citations: North Africa, 22 Feb 1943; Po Valley, 21-24 Apr 1945. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jul 1958 – 30 Jun 1960; 1 Jan-31 Dec 1973; 1 Jan 1976 – 28 Feb 1977; 1 Jan 1979-30 Apr 1980; 1 May 1982 – 29 Feb 1984; 1 Mar 1985-28 Feb 1987; Mar1987-31 Mar 1988; 16 Mar 1989 – 15 Mar 1991; 1 Jul 1991- 5 Sep 1992 Dec 199330 Jun 1995; 1 Jul 1997 – 30 Jun 1999; 1 Sep 2003-30 Jun 2005; 1 Jul 2005 – 30 Jun 2007


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * *


External links


86th Flying Training Squadron Official Facebook Page


See also

{{US Air Force navbox Military units and formations in Texas 0086