86th Flying Training Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 86th Flying Training Squadron (86 FTS) is part of the 47th Flying Training Wing
based at Laughlin Air Force Base
, Texas
. It operates T-1 Jayhawk aircraft conducting flight training.
patrols from, 9 December 1941-15 January 1942. It went on to fly combat missions in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations
from, 14 December 1942-30 April 1945. During the course of the war the squadron earned two Distinguished Unit Citations.
Through the early years of the Cold War
the 86th transitioned to the B-45 Tornado
and later the B-66 Destroyer
aircraft and served as a bomber unit, primarily stationed in England
.
In 1972 the squadron was reassigned to a training mission. It replaced the 3646th Pilot Training Squadron at Laughlin Air Force Base
, Texas
where it specialized in training Strategic Air Command
co-pilots. Today the squadron flies the T-1 Jayhawk conducting the specialized undergraduate pilot training phase for airlift-tanker-bomber track pilots.
47th Flying Training 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...
based at Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located five miles east of the central business district of Del Rio, Texas.-Overview:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It operates T-1 Jayhawk aircraft conducting flight training.
History
The 86th flew AntisubmarineAnti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
patrols from, 9 December 1941-15 January 1942. It went on to fly combat missions in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army was originally called North African Theater of Operations and is an American term for the conflict that took place between the Allies and Axis Powers in North Africa and Italy during World War II...
from, 14 December 1942-30 April 1945. During the course of the war the squadron earned two Distinguished Unit Citations.
Through the early years of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
the 86th transitioned to the B-45 Tornado
B-45 Tornado
The North American B-45 Tornado was the United States Air Force's first operational jet bomber, and the first jet aircraft to be refueled in the air. The B-45 was an important part of the United States's nuclear deterrent for several years in the early 1950s, but was rapidly succeeded by the Boeing...
and later the B-66 Destroyer
B-66 Destroyer
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Baugher, Joe. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft: Third Series of USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers, 2001. Retrieved: 27 July 2006....
aircraft and served as a bomber unit, primarily stationed in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In 1972 the squadron was reassigned to a training mission. It replaced the 3646th Pilot Training Squadron at Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located five miles east of the central business district of Del Rio, Texas.-Overview:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
where it specialized in training Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
co-pilots. Today the squadron flies the T-1 Jayhawk conducting the specialized undergraduate pilot training phase for airlift-tanker-bomber track pilots.
Lineage
- 86th Bombardment Squadron (Light) (1940–1943)
- 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light (1943–1946)
- 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light (Night Attack) (1946–1948)
- 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light, Jet (1948–1954)
- 86th Bombardment Squadron, Light (1954–1955)
- 86th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical (1955–1972)
- 86th Flying Training Squadron (1972–Present)
Assignments
- 47th Bombardment Group (1941–1949)
- 47th Bombardment Wing (1951–1962)
- 47th Flying Training Wing47th Flying Training WingThe 47th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force pilot training wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, near Del Rio, Texas...
(1972–1992, 1993–Present)
Stations
- McChord Field, Washington (1941)
- FresnoFresnoFresno is the fifth largest city in California.Fresno may also refer to:-Places:Colombia* Fresno, TolimaSpain* Fresno, a ghost village in Nidáliga, Valle de Sedano, Burgos* Aldea del Fresno, Madrid* Fresno de la Vega, Ribera del Esla, León...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(1941–1942) - Will Rogers Field, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
(1942) - Greensboro, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(1942) - Mediouna AirfieldMédiouna AirfieldMédiouna Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Morocco, located in the Casablanca area.-History:Established as a French military airfield in French Morocco during the 1920s, after the Fall of France in June, 1940, the reconstituted Vichy Air Force established a military airfield at the...
, French MoroccoFrench MoroccoFrench Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
(1942) - Youks-les-Bains AirfieldYouks-les-Bains AirfieldYouks-les-Bains Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Algeria, located about 20 km northwest of Tebessa. The airfield today consists of several agricultural fields, with the faint remains of its main runway, parts of a taxiway and a few aircraft dispersal hardstands visible in aerial...
, AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
(1942–1943) - Canrobert AirfieldCanrobert AirfieldCanrobert 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 during the North African Campaign against the German...
, AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
(1943) - Thelepte AirfieldThelepte AirfieldThelepte Airfield is an airfield in Tunisia, located about 20 km southwest of Kasserine. It currently is active and in use.It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force in 1943 during the North African Campaign against the German Afrika Korps...
, TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
(1943) - Souk-el-Arba AirfieldSouk-el-Arba AirfieldSouk-el-Arba Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, located approximately 2.3 km southeast of Jendouba; 130 km west-southwest of Tunis...
, TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
(1943) - Soliman AirfieldSoliman AirfieldSoliman Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, located approximately 12 km west-northwest of Manzil Bū Zalafah, and 39 km southeast of Tunis. It was a temporary airfield, not designed for heavy bomber or long-term use. During the North African Campaign, it...
, TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, (1943) - Ta Kali Airdrome, MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
(1943) - Torrente Comunelli, SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
(1943) - Gerbini AirfieldGerbini AirfieldGerbini Airfield is a series of abandoned World War II military airfields in Sicily, located 23 KM West of Catania, near the intersection of the A19 and SP24 highways. The airfields consisted of a series of flat agricultural fields, used for runways and parking areas...
, SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
(1943) - GrottaglieGrottaglieGrottaglie is a town and comune in the province of Taranto, Puglia, southern Italy.-Geography:Grottaglie is located in the Salento peninsula, a whole rock of limestone dividing Adriatic sea from Ionian sea. The countryside around the city is scattered with vast and deep ravines that open the ground...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1943) - Vincenzo Airfield, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1943–1944) - Vesuvius Airfield, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1944) - Capodichino, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1944)
- Ponte GaleriaPonte GaleriaPonte Galeria is a zona in the comune of Rome, Italy. On 31 May 2005, it had a population of 7,501....
, Italy (1944) - Ombrone Airfield, Italy (1944)
- Poretta, CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
(1944) - Salon, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1944) - FollonicaFollonicaFollonica is a town and comune of province of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany, on the Gulf of Follonica , about 40 km NW of the city of Grosseto.-History:...
, Italy (1944) - Rosignano AirfieldRosignano AirfieldRosignano 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....
, Italy (1944) - GrossetoGrossetoGrosseto is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies 14 km from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain, on the Ombrone river....
, Italy (1944–1945) - PisaPisaPisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, Italy (1945) - Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina (1945)
- Lake Charles Army Air Field, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
(1945–1946) - Biggs Field, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(1946–1948) - Barksdale Air Force BaseBarksdale Air Force BaseBarksdale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east-southeast of Bossier City, Louisiana.The host unit at Barksdale is the 2d Bomb Wing , the oldest Bomb Wing in the Air Force. It is assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force...
, Louisiana (1948–1949) - RAF SculthorpeRAF SculthorpeRAF Sculthorpe is a military training facility for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence, situated about west of Fakenham in Norfolk, England...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(1954–1955) - RAF AlconburyRAF AlconburyRAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
, England (1955–1959) - RAF Sculthorpe, England (1959–1962)
- Laughlin Air Force BaseLaughlin Air Force BaseLaughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located five miles east of the central business district of Del Rio, Texas.-Overview:...
, Texas (1972–1992, 1993–Present)
Aircraft Operated
- B-18 BoloB-18 BoloThe Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
(1941–1942) - DB-7 Boston (1942)
- A-20 Havoc (1942–1945)
- B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
(1945–1949) - B-45 TornadoB-45 TornadoThe North American B-45 Tornado was the United States Air Force's first operational jet bomber, and the first jet aircraft to be refueled in the air. The B-45 was an important part of the United States's nuclear deterrent for several years in the early 1950s, but was rapidly succeeded by the Boeing...
(1949, 1954–1958) - B-66 DestroyerB-66 Destroyer|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Baugher, Joe. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft: Third Series of USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers, 2001. Retrieved: 27 July 2006....
(1958–1962) - T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
(1972–1992) - T-1 Jayhawk (1993–Present)