During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

civilian flying schools, under government contract, provided a considerable part of the flying training effort undertaken by the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

.Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas

History

With the consolidation of pilot training by the United States Army Air Corps in 1931, nearly all flying training had taken place at

Randolph Field Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the Uni ...

, near San Antonio, Texas. During the 1930s, Randolph had produced about 500 new pilots per year, which was adequate for the peacetime air corps.Willard Weiner (1945), Two Hundred Thousand Flyers,: the Story of the Civilian AAF Pilot Training Program. Publisher: The Infantry Journal With war clouds gathering in Europe, especially after the 1938

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

General Henry H. Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

, the Chief of Staff of the Air Corps, realized that the Army was going to have to increase the number of its pilots in case of a general war breaking out again. As a result, Arnold and his command staff developed a plan to supplement the training at Randolph with military pilot training conducted by the civil flight schools in the United States.

Prewar years

In late 1938, eleven flight schools were contacted by the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

by Arnold without any funding or Congressional Authorization. Arnold asked if they would, at their own expense, set up facilities to house, feed and train Army pilots. He promised that the Army would pay the schools $1,170 for each pilot that completed a primary flight training course, and $18 per flight hour for each student that washed out. Arnold received a commitment from eight flying schools, accepting his proposal. Sequoia Field - Cadets Marching along Flight Line

Sequoia Field - Cadets Marching along Flight Line

In April 1939, Congress authorized $300 million for the Air Corps to procure and maintain 6,000 aircraft. In the authorization, the Air Corps was authorized to enroll Army Flight Cadets in civilian training schools. Moving forward, in June 1939, the War Department approved Arnold's request to organize nine civilian flight schools to train Army pilots. Flight training would begin at most of these schools in July 1939. After the spring offensive by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wo ...

in May, 1940, the Army, Arnold increased the rate of pilot training from 4,500 to 7,000 pilots per year. Each of the nine Contract Pilot Schools (CPS) were requested to open an additional school to accommodate this increase. In August 1940, the rate of pilot training was ordered increased to 12,000 per year. All civil flying instructors had to be certified by the CAA, as well as the ground school instructors and aircraft mechanics. Also flying instructors had to undergo a two-week Army refresher program. In order to exempt the instructors and mechanics from the wartime draft, all were enlisted into the Army as privates in the Army Reserve. Each CPS was commanded by an Army officer (mostly, but not all

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

graduates), who supervised all aspects of the program as well as insuring that military discipline was maintained. Also, a few Air Corps pilots conducted all check rides. Fairchild PT-19 aircraft and Flight Instructors at Arledge Field Texas

Fairchild PT-19 aircraft and Flight Instructors at Arledge Field Texas

However, the existing CPS contractors were unable to expand to train this increased number. In response, the Air Corps issued a request for bid (RFB) to all of the 38 Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) approved flying schools in the country outlining the specifications for Army pilot training. From the schools responding to the RFB, the Air Corps selected eleven new contractors for Army primary flight training. With the war in Europe expanding, and the threat of war with the

Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

becoming more and more a possibility, the Chief of Staff of the Army directed Arnold to increase pilot training to 30,000 per year. To meet this new rate, the CPS concept was again expanded by converting three of the Level 1 primary CPS schools to Level 2 basic flying training and expanded the number of CPS contractors. However, in the strictest sense, these schools were not owned or leased by the USAAF, and for the most part, they were not designated or activated as Army Air Fields. In official Army directories, they were listed by the name of the civilian flying school, the name of the airport on which it operated, or sometimes just by the city name. In addition to the Air Corps demands for civil flying schools to train military pilots, in late 1940, President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

accepted a proposal from

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

Winston Churchill that the United States train

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) pilots at civilian flying schools. The first RAF flight cadets began training in the United States in June 1941. The Army Air Corps (later Army Air Forces) maintained a small liaison detachment at each of these schools, however the RAF provided a cadre of officers for military supervision and training, while flight training was conducted by contract flying schools.

World War II

Primary Flight Training

After the

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ...

and both

Fascist Italy Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

and Nazi Germany's declaration of war against the United States in December 1941, plans were made by the Army to increase the training rate to 50,000, then 70,000 and finally 102,000 pilots per year. The

Defense Plant Corporation The Defense Plant Corporation,(DPC), was subsidiary of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, a government corporation run by the United States Federal Government between 1940 and 1945. To win World War II the United States and its Allied Natio ...

(DFC) purchased all of the CFS's and leased the facilities back to the civilian contractors. This effectively made them government property, although they continued to be operated by the civilian contractors. The DFC then funded the construction of all future CPSs. Rankin Field - Flight Cadets with PT-17s

Rankin Field - Flight Cadets with PT-17s

British Flight Training School No 1 - Retreat Ceremony

Hicks Field - Fairchild PT-19 Cadets with Instructor

The CFS's were assigned to the various Flying Training Commands, and each had a designated USAAF Flying Training Detachment assigned for supervision and liaison with the command. According to the contract, the government supplied students with training aircraft, flying clothes, textbooks, and equipment. Schools furnished instructors, training sites and facilities, aircraft maintenance, quarters, and mess halls. To the flying cadets, the CPSs were just another training assignment—although the flight instructors were civilian contractors, the cadets still experienced the discipline and drudgery of military life. Due to the wartime pressure to produce pilots rapidly the AAF paid scant attention to their military training. The atmosphere of the civilian-operated primary schools was not conducive to the development of rigid discipline, and too little time was available for military instruction at all the stages of pilot training. What instruction there was, over and above the regimen of Army life, was restricted largely to marching, ceremonies, inspections, and military customs and courtesies. The vigorous physical conditioning, however, continued and intensified during flying training.Craven & Cate, The Army Air Forces in World War II. Volume VI Men and Planes, Chapter 17, Individual Training of Flying Personnel
Trainers used were primarily

Fairchild PT-19 The Fairchild PT-19 (company designation Fairchild M62) is an American monoplane primary trainer aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Forces, RAF and RCAF during World War II. Designed by Fairchild Aircraft, it was a contempora ...

PT-17 Stearman The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane formerly used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely know ...

s and

Ryan PT-22 The Ryan PT-22 Recruit, the main military version of the Ryan ST, is a military trainer aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps during WWII for primary pilot training. Design and development The PT-22's fuselage is a simple monocoque ...

s, although a wide variety of other types could be found at the airfields. The primary training syllabus was initially twelve weeks in length including 60 hours of flight time and 225 hours of ground training. However this was changed by the Army as the situation required. Although the number of flight hours remained at 60 throughout the war, the demands of the increasing pilot training rate resulted in the primary training to be reduced to ten weeks in 1940, then reduced to nine weeks in 1942. The instruction given at the CPSs was an adaptation of the primary phase formerly taught at

. Each student in primary was required to make at least 175 landings. As given at the height of the effort, primary flying training was divided into four standard phases. In the pre-solo phase students became familiar with the general operation of a light aircraft. In the second, or intermediate phase, pre-solo work was reviewed, and precision of control was developed. The third, or accuracy, phase demanded high proficiency in various types of landing approaches and landings, and the fourth, or acrobatic, phase required ability to perform loops, Immelmann turns, slow rolls, half-rolls, and snap rolls. In 1944, after the training demand had peaked, the course length was increased back to ten weeks. The Army Air Forces never reached the 102,000 pilot training rate. This was reduced to a more realistic rate of 93,600 in June 1943. The peak of AAF flying training was reached in November 1943 when the CPSs graduated 11,411 cadets. After that AAF flight training began a gradual reduction that resulted in the closing of most of the CPSs in the fall of 1944. Ten CPSs remained in operation in 1945, which were closed at the end of World War II and the Army Air Forces returned to in-house primary pilot training.

Glider Pilot Training

A subset of the CFS's were Glider Training Schools. Their mission was to train unpowered glider pilots; not powered aircraft pilots. Military Gliders were a new development that began in the 1920s when after the

Treaty of Versailes The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...

, the German Air Force was disbanded. However, the treaty did not prohibit Germany from having sport gliding clubs, and by the late 1920s, many glider flying clubs had been established throughout the country. When the Nazi Party took over Germany in the early 1930s, the young men in the glider clubs formed the core of the new

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

.Lowden, John L, A Brief History of the Combat Glider in World War II German DFS-230 combat gliders were used in the invasion of Belgium in May 1940 when they landed on top of the Eben Emael Fort and captured it. They were also used in the invasion of Crete. These actions led to the British and later American interest in Combat Gliders and their integration into their armed forces. Laister-Kauffman TG-4A Sailplane

5th Glider Training Detachment - Glider Cadets and a Taylorcraft TG-6A Glider

In 1941 the Air Corps directed Flying Training Command to establish a glider training program, however given the Army's inexperience, it was decided to utilize civilian glider and soaring schools in a similar manner to the primary powered flight program. Many glider pilots were already qualified and skilled powered aircraft pilots who had earned their CAA (Civil Aeronautic Administration) civilian pilot's license before war broke out. Other trainees for the glider pilot program had already gone through flight training but had been disqualified, not for lack of skill, but for problems beyond their control such as slightly deficient eyesight. The main operation got under way at

Twenty Nine Palms Army Airfield Twentynine Palms Airport is a public use airport located six nautical miles (11 km) east of the central business district of Twentynine Palms, a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is owned by the County of San ...

, in the California desert, where thermal conditions were great for soaring flights. A facility, named Condor Field, was utilized with

C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained ...

s flown by

Women Airforce Service Pilots The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) (also Women's Army Service Pilots or Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots) was a civilian women pilots' organization, whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Members of WASP became t ...

(WASP)s being used as tow tugs for the gliders, with

Laister-Kauffman TG-4 The Laister-Kauffmann TG-4 (designated LK-10 Yankee Doodle 2 by its designer) was a sailplane produced in the United States during the Second World War for training cargo glider pilots. It was a conventional sailplane design with a fuselage of s ...

A sailplanes used for glider training. However, it was learned that the military gliders under development were fundamentally different in their flight characteristics than sailplanes in their handling, and especially the fact that once released, a military glider did not soar as a sailplane does. The combat gliders under development could not soar and gain altitude once the pilot released the tow line as a sailplane could. They could only descend, and once a pilot committed to a landing and discovered, as he got closer, that the landing zone was under fire, mined, or otherwise obstructed, he had little room to maneuver to make a safe landing. As a result, the TG-4A sailplanes were replaced by

Aeronca TG-5 Aeronca, contracted from Aeronautical Corporation of America, located in Middletown, Ohio, is a US manufacturer of engine components and airframe structures for commercial aviation and the defense industry, and a former aircraft manufacturer. Fr ...

As,

Taylorcraft TG-6A The Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper is an American observation and liaison aircraft built by Taylorcraft for the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Design and development In 1941 the United States Army Air Forces ordered four Taylorc ...

s, and

Piper TG-8A The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is P ...

s unpowered glider conversions of powered light observation aircraft which had similar characteristics to the military gliders under development.Combat Glider Pilot Training
/ref> As part of the training program, cadets learned to perform maintenance and, in an emergency, to rebuild wrecked gliders. This was a relatively simple operation, considering that the primary glider consisted of little more than a shell, equipped with radio, wheels, and brakes. The schools at Twentynine Palms, CA, Mobile, AL, Wickenburg, AZ, and Lamesa, AZ, were the first Glider Training Schools to open.
/ref> Once the Glider Pilot Cadet successfully completed their primary training, they moved on to advanced training, taught by AAF instructors at several military glider schools using the CG-4A Waco and British

Airspeed Horsa The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British troop-carrying glider used during the Second World War. It was developed and manufactured by Airspeed Limited, alongside various subcontractors; the type was named after Horsa, the legendary 5th-century ...

s that the pilots would eventually fly into combat during several operations primarily in the European Theater. Once in operational Troop Carrier squadrons, the gliders and their pilots were initially established as separate flights in the squadron organization. However, in late 1943, it was decided that having a separate glider force within the Troop Carrier squadrons, it was decided to end the separate glider instruction program and integrate the glider flying and maintenance training program into the Troop Carrier training program. The contract Glider Schools were subsequently closed or converted into Primary Flight Schools and all glider training was conducted by military glider pilot instructors at schools at Army Air Bases.

Closure

During the course of the war, the schools graduated approximately 250,000 student pilots. All of the CFS's were inactivated by the end of the war, and were either turned over to the War Assets Administration (WAA) for disposal, or sold back to their previous private owners. Most today are small general aviation airports; some are major municipal airports, and some were abandoned with little or no evidence of their existence.

List of Contract Flying Schools

Eastern Flying Training Command

29th Flying Training Wing The 29th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last based at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama. It was inactivated when Craig was closed when the Air Force reduced its pilot training program after the Vietnam War. The un ...

* Albany Army Airfield, Albany Georgia : 52d Flying Training Detachment29th Flying Training Wing, lineage and history document Air Force Historical Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama : Operated by: Darr Aero-Tech Primary Flying SchoolW.W.II Army Air Forces Contract Flying School Airfields – Database Summary
/ref> * Augustine Field, Madison, Mississippi : 62d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Mississippi Institute of Aeronautics *

Avon Park Army Airfield Avon Park Executive Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of Avon Park, a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States. Overview According to the FAA's N ...

, Avon Park, Florida : 61st Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Lodwick Aviation Military Academy *

Carlstrom Field Carlstrom Field is a former military airfield, located southeast of Arcadia, Florida. The airfield was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established in 1917 after the United States entry into World War I. History Carlstrom Field w ...

, Arcadia, Florida : 53d Flying Training Detachment : 2148th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Operated by: Embry-Riddle Company * Chester Field, McBride, Missouri : 74th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Anderson Air Activities * Decatur Airport, Decatur, Alabama : 65th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Southern Regional Airways, Inc * 63rd Army Air Forces Contract Pilot School, Douglas, Georgia : 63d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: South Georgia College * Dorr Field, Arcadia, Florida : 54th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Embry-Riddle Company * Fletcher Field, Clarksdale, Mississippi : 69th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Clarksdale School of Aviation *

Harrell Field Harrell Field (Camden Regional Airport, or Camden Municipal Airport) is five miles northeast of Camden, in Ouachita County, Arkansas, United States. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 categorizes it as a '' g ...

, Camden, Arkansas : 59th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Wiggings-Marden Aero Corp * Harris Army Airfield, Cape Giardeau, Missouri : 73d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Cape Institute of Aeronautics, Inc * Hawthorne School of Aeronautics, Orangeburg, South Carolina : 58th Flying Training Detachment : 2162d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Hawthorne School of Aeronautics * Lodwick Field, Lakeland, Florida : 61st Flying Training Detachment : 2160th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Operated by: Lodwick School of Aeronautics *

Lafayette Airport Lafayette Regional Airport(French: Aéroport régional de Lafayette) is a public use airport two miles (4 km) southeast of Lafayette, in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the City Parish of Lafayette. ...

, Lafayette, Louisiana : 70th Flying Training Detachment : Lafayette School of Aeronautics *

McKellar Field McKellar is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Archibald McKellar (1816–1894), Canadian politician * Archie McKellar (1912–1940), Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain * Colin McKellar (1903–1970), Aus ...

, Jackson, Tennessee : 68th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Georgia Air Services, Incorporated *

Moton Field Moton may refer to: People Given name * Moton Hopkins (born 1986), American professional gridiron football player Surname * LeVelle Moton (born 1974), American college basketball coach * Robert Russa Moton (1867–1940), African American educator a ...

, Tuskegee, Alabama : 66th Flying Training Detachment : 2564th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary) (Colored), April 1944 : Operated by: Tuskegee Institute * Palmer Field, Bennettsville, South Carolina : 53d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Georgia Air Service, Incorporated and Southeastern Air Service, Incorporated *

Souther Field Souther Field is a former military airfield, located Northeast of Americus, Georgia. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I in April 1917. After World War II, the proper ...

, Americus, Georgia : 56th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Graham Aviation Co. * Taylor Field, Ocala, Florida : 57th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Greenville Aviation School * Thompson-Robbins Field, Helena, Arkansas : 59th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Helena Aerotech * Van de Graaff Field, Tuscaloosa, Alabama : 51st Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Alabama Institute of Aeronautics, Inc * Woodward Field, Camden, South Carolina : 64th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Southern Aviation School ; Glider Training Schools * Antigo Airport, Antigo, Wisconsin : 14th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Anderson Air Activities *

Bates Field Mobile Regional Airport is a public/military airport west of Mobile, in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The airport is owned and operated by the Mobile Airport Authority, a self-funded entity that receives no local tax dollars. The Nat ...

, Mobile Alabama : 18th Glider Training Detachment : Basic Glider Training School : Operated by: Mobile Area Soaring Corp. * Greenville Municipal Airport, Greenville, South Carolina : 48th Glider Training Detachment : Elementary/Advanced Training School : Operated by: Southern Airways, Inc. *

Grand Forks Airport Grand Forks Airport is located south southeast of Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward ...

, Grand Forks, North Dakota : 24th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Jolly Flying Service * Kirkwood Field, Crookston, Minnesota : 33D Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: L. Millar-Wittig * Lobb Field, Rochester, Minnesota : 32d Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Fontana School of Aeronautics * Stillwater Airport, Stillwater, Minnesota : 34th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: North Aviation Company * Monticello Field, Monticello, Minnesota : 35th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Hinck Flying Service, Inc.

Central Flying Training Command Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

31st Flying Training Wing *

Arledge Field Arledge Field is a public general aviation airport located approximately east of Stamford, Texas. Owned by the city of Stamford, it provides general aviation service. Approximately 80 aircraft use the airport on a weekly basis. History In ...

, Stamford, Texas : 308th Flying Training Detachment31st Flying Training Wing, lineage and history document Air Force Historical Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama : Operated by: Stamford Flying School and Lou Foote Flying Service and Coleman Flying School * Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas : 319th Flying Training Detachment : 2563d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Women Air Service Pilots), April 1944 : Operated by: Aviation Enterprises. Conducted Primary, Basic and Advanced (WASP) training *

Bruce Field Bruce Field is a city-owned public-use general aviation airport located five nautical miles (6 mi, 9 km) southwest of the central business district of Ballinger, a city in Runnels County, Texas, United States. Facilities ...

, Ballinger, Texas : 306th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Fred Harmon Flying School *

Chickasha Municipal Airport Chickasha Municipal Airport is four miles northwest of Chickasha, in Grady County, Oklahoma. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a '' general aviation'' facility. Facilities The airport covers ...

, Chickasha, Oklahoma : 316th Flying Training Detachment : 2549th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Operated by: Wilson-Bonfils Flying School *

Cimarron Field Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport is a public-use airport owned by the city of Oklahoma City and located in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is 15 nautical miles (28 km) west of the central business district of Oklahoma Ci ...

, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma : 310th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Oklahoma Air College *

Coleman Municipal Airport Coleman Municipal Airport is an airport two miles northeast of Coleman, Texas. History Opened on 1 October 1941. Began training United States Army Air Corps flying cadets under contract to Coleman Flying School under 304th Flying Training De ...

, Coleman, Texas : 304th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Coleman FLying School, Limited * Corsicana Field, Corsicana, Texas : 301st Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Air Activities of Texas * Cuero Municipal Airport, Cuero, Texas : 303d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Brayton Flying Services, Inc. * Fort Stockton Field, Fort Stockton, Texas : 313th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Pacific Air School Limited * Garner Field, Uvalde, Texas : 305th Flying Training Detachment : 2566th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Operated by: Hangar Six, Incorporated *

Grider Field Grider Field , also known as Pine Bluff Regional Airport, is a municipal airport at Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It was established in 1941 as a U.S. Army Flight Training School operated by the Pine Bluff School of Aviation. After World War II, the ci ...

, Pine Bluff, Arkansas : 312th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Pine Bluff School of Aviation *

Harvey Parks Airport Sikeston Memorial Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Sikeston, in Scott County, Missouri, United States. It is included in the Nation ...

, Sikeston, Missouri : 311th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Missouri Institute of Aeronautics * Hatbox Field, Muskogee, Oklahoma : 315th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by Spartan Aircraft Company and Spartan School of Aeronautics *

Hicks Field Hicks Field (Camp Taliaferro Field #1) is a former World War I military airfield, located North-northwest of Saginaw, Texas. It operated as a training field for the Air Service, United States Army between 1917 until 1920. It was one of thi ...

, Fort Worth, Texas : 307th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Texas Aviation School and W. F. Long Flying School. * Jones Field, Bonham, Texas : 302d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Bonham Aviation School * Miami Municipal Airport, Miami, Oklahoma : 322d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Spartan School of Aeronautics * Mustang Field, El Reno, Oklahoma : 320th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Midwest Air School *

Parks Metropolitan Airport St. Louis Downtown Airport is a public-use airport located in Greater St. Louis, one mile (2 km) east of the central business district of Cahokia Heights, in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It is owned by the Bi-State Develop ...

, East St. Louis, Illinois : 309th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Parks Air College *

Ponca City Municipal Airport Ponca City Regional Airport is a city-owned airport two miles northwest of Ponca City, in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. Scheduled passenger flights on Great Lakes Airlines to Denver and Dodge City ended in August, 2006. The service w ...

, Ponca City, Oklahoma : 323d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Darr School of Aeronautics * Terrell Municipal Airport, Terrell, Texas : 321st Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Terell Aviation School, Limited *

Tulsa Municipal Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929; : Operated by: Spartan School of Aeronautics * Victory Field, Vernon, Texas : 317th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Hunter Flying Service and Richey Flying Service. ; Glider Training Schools *

Aberdeen Regional Airport Aberdeen Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) east of the central business district of Aberdeen, a city in Brown County, South Dakota, United States. It is mostly used for general aviati ...

, Aberdeen, South Dakota : 26th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Anderson & Brennan Flying Service * Eberts Field, Lonoke, Arkansas : 15th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Kenneth Starnes Flying Service * Renner Field, Goodland, Kansas : 22d Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: William A. Ong * Hale County Airport, Plainview, Texas : 4th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Clint Breedlove Aerial Service * Hartlee Field Airport, Denton, Texas : 17th Glider Training Detachment : Basic Glider Training School : Operated by: Harte Flying Service *

Hays Airport Hays Regional Airport is three miles southeast of Hays, in Ellis County, Kansas, United States. It is used for general aviation and sees one airline, United Express. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025 categorize ...

, Hays, Kansas : 19th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Morey Airplane Company * Janesville Field, Janesville, Wisconsin : 16th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Bonham Aviation School * Okmulgee Municipal Airport, Okmulgee, Oklahoma : 25th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Sooner Air Training Corp. *

Pittsburg Airport Atkinson Municipal Airport is three miles northwest of Pittsburg, in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a '' general aviation'' facility. History It was est ...

, Pittsburg, Kansas : 21st Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: McFarland Flying Service * Spencer Municipal Airport, Spencer, Iowa : 23d Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Hunter Flying Service : Hunter Flying Service moved from Spencer, Iowa, to Hamilton Airport at Hamilton, Texas, on 20 October 1942. * Theldor Airfield, Vinita, Oklahoma : 27th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Burke Aviation Service

Western Flying Training Command 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 int ...

36th Flying Training Wing * Dos Palos Airport, Firebaugh/Dos Palos, California : 13th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Coast Aviation Corporation *

Falcon Field Falcon Field may refer to: * Falcon Field (Arizona), an airport in Mesa, Arizona, United States * Falcon Field (Georgia), an airport in Peachtree City, Georgia, United States * Falcon Field (Corinth, Texas), a baseball field * Falcon Baseball Fiel ...

, Mesa, Arizona : 15th Flying Training Detachment36th Flying Training Wing, lineage and history document Air Force Historical Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama : 3044th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Southwest Airways Co * Gary Field, Riverside, California : 10th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Morton Mfg. Company/Morton Air Academy * Grand Central Airport, Glendale, California : 9th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Cal-Aero Academy * Lone Pine Airport, Lone Pine, California : 16th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Lone Pine Academy * Ontario Army Airfield, Ontario, California : 7th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Cal-Aero Academy *

Oxnard Army Airfield Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

, Oxnard, California : 14th Flying Training Detachment : 3043d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Operated by: Mira Loma Flight Academy *

Palo Alto Airport Palo Alto Airport is a general aviation airport in the city of Palo Alto in Santa Clara County, California, United States, near the south end of San Francisco Bay on the western shore. Facilities Palo Alto Airport covers and has one asphalt ...

, King City, California : 3d Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Palo Alto School of Aviation Airport *

Rankin Field Rankin Field is a former airport and military airfield located approximately southeast of Tulare, California. It was a United States Army Air Forces basic (Level 1) flying training facility during World War II. It is now an agricultural and li ...

, Tulare, California : 4th Flying Training Detachment : 3050th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Operated by: Rankin Aeronautical Academy * Ryan Airfield, Tucson, Arizona : 11th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Ryan School of Aeronautics *

Sequoia Field Sequoia Field Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located eight nautical miles (15 km) north of the central business district of Visalia, a city in Tulare County, California, United States. Facilities and aircraft Sequoi ...

, Visalia, California : 8th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Visalia-Dinuba School of Aeronautics * Santa Maria Army Airfield, Santa Maria, California : 1st Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Hancock College of Aeronautics * Thunderbird Field No. 1, Phoenix, Arizona : 12th Flying Training Detachment : 3040th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School, Primary), April 1944 : Operated by: Southwest Airways * Thunderbird Field No. 2, Scottsdale, Arizona : 6th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Thunderbird Corporation *

, Twenty-Nine Palms, California : 17th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Twenty-Nine Palms Air Academy * War Eagle Field, Lancaster, California : 18th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by: Polaris Flight Academy ; Glider Training Schools *

Artesia Municipal Airport Artesia Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) west of the central business district of Artesia, a city in Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. It is included in the National Pla ...

, Artesia, New Mexico : 11th Glider Training Detachment : Basic/Advanced Glider Training School : Operated by: Big Spring Flying Service *

Big Spring Army Glider Training School Big Spring Army Glider Training School is an abandoned facility located approximately north-northwest of Big Spring, Texas. It is now farmland and no trace of it exists. History The facility consisted of a 7,000' dirt runway located in a spa ...

, Big Spring, Texas : 28th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Big Spring Flying Service * Echeverria Field, Wickenburg, Arizona. : Opened initially as Wickenburg Airport : 5th Glider Training Detachment : Basic Glider Training School : Operated by: Arizona Gliding Academy : Converted to Primary flight training school in March 1943, re-named Echeverria Field : 20th Flying Training Detachment : Operated by Claiborne Flight Academy * Condor Field, Twenty-Nine Palms, California : 6th Glider Training Detachment : Basic Glider Training School : Operated by: Twenty-Nine Palms Air Academy * Fort Morgan Municipal Airport, Fort Morgan, Colorado : 1st Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Plains Airways, Inc * Lamesa Army Airfield, Lamesa, Texas : 29th Glider Training Detachment : Pre-Glider/Primary Training School : Operated by: Clint Breedlove Aerial Service * Tucumcari Municipal Airport, Tucumcari, New Mexico : 9th Glider Training Detachment : Elementary/Advanced Training School : Operated by: Cutter-Carr Flying Service

British Flight Training Schools

Royal Air Force flying cadets used the PT-17 or PT-19; the BT-13 and AT-6 for their training in the United States. Unlike the Army Air Forces, RAF cadets remained at the same airfield for all three levels of their training.British Flight Training Schools (BFTS)
/ref> : Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, The Army Air Corps determined that the schools should double from the 50 students input, to 100 students, and that 20% of :the class would be USAAC cadets. Also, that the USAAC would take the BT-13 aircraft, and increase the PT-17's and AT-6's. Also the course would increase to 200 hours. This was eventually adopted by the USAAF beginning in the fall of 1944. * British Flight Training School No. 1 : 321st Flying Training Detachment (31st FTW) : 2564th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School Primary/Advanced), April 1944 : Terrell Municipal Airport, Texas : Operated by: Dallas Aviation School * British Flight Training School No. 2 : 14th Flying Training Detachment (36th FTW) : 3043d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School Primary/Advanced), April 1944 : Lancaster Airport, California : Operated by: Polaris Flight Academy * British Flight Training School No. 3 : 322d Flying Training Detachment (31st FTW) : 2565th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School Primary/Advanced), April 1944 : Miami Municipal Airport, Oklahoma : Operated by: Spartan School * British Flight Training School No. 4 : 15th Flying Training Detachment (36th FTW) : 3052d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School Primary/Advanced), April 1944 :

, Mesa, Arizona : Operated by: Southwest Airways * British Flight Training School No. 5 : 75th Flying Training Detachment (29th FTW) : 2155th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School Primary/Advanced), April 1944 : Airglades Airport, Clewiston, Florida : Operated by: Embry-Riddle Aero School * British Flight Training School No. 6 : 323d Flying Training Detachment (31st FTW) : 2542d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Contract Pilot School Primary/Advanced), April 1944 : Ponca City Airport, Oklahoma : Operated by: Darr School * British Flight Training School No. 7 : 318th Flying Training Detachment (31st FTW) : Open June 16–August 18, 1942, assets dispersed afterwards : Sweetwater Municipal Airport, Sweetwater, Texas : Operated by: Aviation Enterprises, Ltd. : (Last class, from #2 BFTS, Lancaster, California, transferred to Sweetwater, : Aircraft, 51 students, and RAF Staff. Students further displaced to : other BFTS schools, in August, 1942.

References

{{Portal bar, Aviation, Schools, World War II USAAF Contract Flying School Airfields Flying Training Schools of air forces