Air Training Command - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

and United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946. Its headquarters were located at Randolph Air Force Base

Randolph Air Force Base

Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located east-northeast of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....

near San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

.

Air Training Command and Air University merged to form the Air Education and Training Command

Air Education and Training Command

Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....

(AETC) on July 1, 1993. Headquarters AETC is located at Randolph AFB today.

History

Air Training Command's official organs begin with its establishment on 23 January 1942 as the Air Corps Flying Training Command. However, the history of military aviation training in the United States dates to 8 October 1909 when Wilbur Wright began instructing Lieutenants Frank P. Lahm and Fredric E. Humphries on Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, which the United States Army had recently purchased from the Wright Brothers

Wright brothers

The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...

. Each of the two men received a little over three hours training before soloing on 26 October 1909.

Lineage

Established as Air Training Command on 1 July 1946 by resignation of Army Air Forces Training Command

Inactivated on 1 July 1993, assets immediately redesignated as Air Education and Training Command.

Assignments

Headquarters, Army Air Forces, 1 July 1946
Headquarters United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

, September 17, 1947 – July 1, 1993

Stations

Barksdale Field (later, AFB), Louisiana, 1 July 1946
Scott AFB, Illinois, October 17, 1949
Randolph AFB, Texas, September 15, 1957 – July 1, 1993

Major components

Divisions

AAF Flying Training Command, 1 July 1946

Redesignated: Flying Division, ATC, 1 November 1946-14 November 1949

Flying Training Air Force: May 1, 1951 – April 1, 1958
Crew Training Air Force: March 16, 1952 – July 1, 1957

AAF Technical Training Command, 1 July 1946

Redesignated: Technical Division, ATC, 1 November 1946– November 14, 1949

Technical Training Air Force: May 1, 1951 – June 1, 1958

Indoctrination Division, ATC: November 1, 1946 – November 1, 1949

Air Training Communications Division: October 1, 1990 – October 1, 1991.

University

Air University (formerly, a Major Command): May 15, 1978 – July 1, 1983

Agency

San Antonio Real Property Maintenance: February 15, 1977 – October 1, 1989.

Service

USAF (later, AF) Recruiting: July 8, 1959 – July 1, 1993

Command

San Antonio Joint Military Medical: February 16, 1987 – October 1, 1991

Corps

AF Reserve Officers Training: June 30, 1983 – July 1, 1993

Hospital

3545 USAF: October 1, 1958 – June 30, 1971

College

Community College of the Air Force
Community College of the Air Force
The Community College of the Air Force is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force which grants two year Associate of Applied Science degrees in association with Air University....

: April 1, 1972 – July 1, 1993

Schools

Medical Service, USAF: October 1, 1961 – June 7, 1971
Officer Training, USAF (later, School of Military Sciences, Officer; Officer Training): June 1, 1972 – November 14, 1986.

Centers

Goodfellow Technical Training Center: March 1, 1985 – July 1, 1993

3480 Technical Training Wing

Goodfellow AFB, Texas

Amarillo Technical Training Center: June 1, 1958 – December 31, 1968

3320 Technical Training Wing

Amarillo AFB, Texas (Closed 1968)

Chanute Technical Training Center: June 1, 1958 – July 1, 1993

3345 Technical Training Wing

Chanute AFB, Illinois (Closed 1993)

Keesler Technical Training Center: June 1, 1958 – July 1, 1993

3380 Technical Training Wing

Keesler AFB, Mississippi

Lowry Technical Training Center: June 1, 1958 – July 1, 1993.

3415 Technical Training

Lowry AFB, Colorado (Closed 1993)

Lackland Military Training Center: June 1, 1958 – July 1, 1993

3700 Military Training Wing

Lackland AFB, Texas

Sheppard Technical Training Center: June 1, 1958 – July 1, 1993

3750 Technical Training Wing

Sheppard AFB, Texas

Human Resources Research: October 10, 1949 – April 1, 1953
San Antonio Procurement (later, San Antonio Contracting): January 1, 1977 – April 1, 1989
USAF Aerospace Medical: October 1, 1959 – November 1, 1961
USAF Instrument Flight: October 1, 1983 – May 1, 1992
USAF Occupational Measurement (later, Squadron): May 1, 1978 – October 1, 1990

Wings

64th Flying Training Wing: October 1, 1972 – September 30, 1997

Reese AFB, Texas (Closed September 30, 1997)

3510 Combat Crew Training (later, 3510 Pilot Training): April 1, 1958 – May 1, 1972

Replaced by: 12 Flying Training

12th Flying Training Wing

The 12th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas...

: May 1, 1972 – July 1, 1993

Randolph AFB, Texas

3650 Pilot Training: February 15, 1969 – June 1, 1972

Replaced by: 14 Flying Training

14th Flying Training Wing

The 14th Flying Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.-Mission:...

: June 1, 1972 – July 1, 1993

Columbus AFB, Mississippi

3615 Flying Training: April 1, 1958 – July 1, 1972

Replaced by: 29 Flying Training: July 1, 1972 – September 30, 1977

Craig AFB, Alabama (Closed 1977)

3640 Pilot Training: April 1, 1958 – August 1, 1972

Replaced by: 38 Flying Training

38th Combat Support Wing

The 38th Combat Support Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force , being inactivated on 1 May 2007 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

: August 1, 1972 – September 30, 1973; December 1, 1973 – December 1, 1975

Laredo AFB, Texas (Closed 1973), later Moody AFB, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

3646 Pilot Training: October 16, 1961 – September 1, 1972

Replaced by: 47 Flying Training

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...

: September 1, 1972 – July 1, 1993

Laughlin AFB, Texas

3500 Pilot Training: April 1, 1958 – October 1, 1972

Replaced by: 64 Flying Training

64th Air Expeditionary Group

The 64th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time....

: October 1, 1972 – September 1, 1997

Little Rock AFB, Arkansas

3575 Pilot Training: April 1, 1958 – November 1, 1972

Replaced by: 71 Flying Training

71st Flying Training Wing

The 71st Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma where it also is the host unit....

: November 1, 1972 – July 1, 1993

Vance AFB, Oklahoma

3560 Pilot Training: April 1, 1958 – December 1, 1972

Replaced by: 78 Flying Training

78th Air Base Wing

The 78th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The 78th ABW acts as the host unit at Robins.-Mission:...

: December 1, 1972 – September 30, 1977

Webb AFB, Texas (Closed 1977)

3630 Flying Training: December 10, 1965 – April 1, 1967; March 15, 1971 – January 1, 1973

Replaced by: 80 Flying Training

80th Flying Training Wing

The 80th Flying Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.-Mission:...

: January 1, 1973 – July 1, 1993

Sheppard AFB, Texas

3525 Pilot Training: October 1, 1960 – February 1, 1973

Replaced by: 82 Flying Training (later, 82 Training)

82d Training Wing

The 82d Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Second Air Force. It is stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas where it also is the host unit....

: February 1, 1973 – March 31, 1993

Williams AFB, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

(Closed 1993, Base Realignment and Closure

Base Realignment and Closure

Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...

3535 Navigator Training: April 1, 1958 – April 1, 1973

Replaced by: 323 Flying Training

323rd Air Expeditionary Wing

The 323d Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time....

: April 1, 1973 – July 1, 1993

Mather AFB, California (Closed 1993, Base Realignment and Closure

Base Realignment and Closure

59 Medical (formerly, Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center): January 15 – February 16, 1987; October 1, 1991 – July 1, 1993

Lackland AFB, Texas

3480 Technical Training: July 1, 1978 – March 1, 1985

Goodfellow AFB, Texas

3499 Field Training: June 1, 1958 – September 1, 1959

Chanute AFB, Illinois (Closed 1993, Base Realignment and Closure

Base Realignment and Closure

3500 USAF Recruiting Wing (WAF): June 1, 1958 – July 8, 1959

Randolph AFB, Texas

3505 Pilot Training: April 1, 1958 – December 1, 1960

Greenville AFB, Mississippi (Closed 1965)

3545 Pilot Training: April 1 – October 1, 1958

Goodfellow AFB, Texas

3565 Navigator Training: April 1, 1958 – January 1, 1966

Connally AFB, Texas (Closed 1966)

3610 Navigator Training: April 1, 1958 – July 1, 1962

Harlingen AFB, 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...

(Closed 1962)

3550 Combat Crew Training (Interceptor) (later, 3550 Flying Training): April 1, 1958 – December 1, 1973

Moody AFB, Georgia

3555 Combat Crew Training (Interceptor) (later 3550 Flying Training): April 1, 1958 – July 1, 1962

Perrin AFB, Texas (Closed 1971)

3635 Combat Crew Training (Survival) (later, 3635 Flying Training): April 1, 1958 – June 15, 1966

Stead AFB, Nevada (Closed 1966)

3636 Combat Crew Training (Survival) (later, 336 Crew Training Group): April 1, 1971 – July 1, 1993

Fairchild AFB, Washington

World War II

see Army Air Forces Training Command
Army Air Forces Training Command
Army Air Forces Training Command was a command of the United States Army Air Forces. It was redesignated Air Training Command on 1 July 1946 as part of the reorganization of the Army Air Forces after World War II....

for more information

Air Training Command (ATC) traces its history though the history of three World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

organizations: Air Corps Technical Training Command; Air Corps Flying Training Command and Training Command.

The Technical Training Command and Flying Training Command were consolidated on 7 July 1943 as Army Air Forces Training Command, and the combined command assumed responsibility for both flying and technical training. The two training commands had undergone enormous and rapid expansion in an effort to meet the needs of US forces in World War II

World War II

. The latter half of 1943 inaugurated a period of continuation, refinement, adaptation, and eventual contraction of training for the Army Air Forces. The basic training centers and technical schools had already reached their peaks of production in February and May, but the apexes of training for most other major categories did not occur until 1944. The one exception to this generalization was primary pilot training, which achieved its maximum production level in November 1943, when 11,411 student pilots graduated.

While war continued to rage in the Pacific and Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

in 1944, the training pipeline began to catch up with the demand for most categories of graduates. The high point of training in the standard sequence of flying training occurred, for example, at the end of February 1944, with the peak production of graduate pilots occurring two months later. June 1944 brought the high point in the graduation of four-engine pilots, but the production of aircraft commanders for very heavy bombers continued to rise into 1945.

As World War II

World War II

approached its conclusion (effectively on 14 August but formally not until 2 September 1945), training activities and the strength of Training Command declined. The end of the war in Europe in May caused the focus of training to shift from the needs of the European Theater to those of the Pacific, particularly courses associated with very heavy bombardment. Then, with the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific, most training ceased for those students not planning to remain in the post-war air forces. Before that time, however, the trend in training had gone increasingly toward specialized training on particular types of aircraft. Then during the last four months of 1945, rapid retrenchment in training occurred, and emphasis shifted to separating people from the Army Air Forces and reorganizing Training Command for its still undetermined peacetime goals.

At the end of World War II, the post-war drawdown resulted in several organizational changes for the Army Air Forces. In February 1946, AAF Training Command's headquarters moved from the leased facility in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...

to Barksdale Field, Louisiana.

Postwar era, 1940s

On July 1, 1946, Army Air Forces redesignated Training Command command as Air Training Command (ATC), and designated ATC as one of the new major commands of the postwar AAF organizational structure.

As part of this reorganization, the "command" echelon was eliminated, being replaced by the "division

USAF Air Division

In the United States Air Force, a Division was an intermediate level of command, subordinate to a Numbered Air Force, controlling one or more Wings. It also controlled squadrons without associated same-function wings, i.e., 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron had no associated wing, but its...

". For that reason on 1 November 1946 Air Training Command adopted a three-division organizational structure – Flying Division, Technical Division, and Indoctrination Division. And in September 1947, the National Defense Act

National Security Act of 1947

The National Security Act of 1947 was signed by United States President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1947, and realigned and reorganized the U.S. Armed Forces, foreign policy, and Intelligence Community apparatus in the aftermath of World War II...

established the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

as a separate service.

Once the victory in World War II had been gained, the United States plunged into demobilization

Demobilization

Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...

, just as it had done at the end of the First World War. Officers and men were sent home. Bases were closed. Airplanes were stored or sold. This rapid demobilization led to a massive reduction of ATC installations being declared surplus or being placed in inactive status; leading to a much smaller command than its wartime predecessor. At the beginning of 1945, AAF Training Command had 170 primary installations. At the end of 1946, the new Air Training Command consisted of the following fourteen major units and bases:
Flying Division, Randolph Field, Texas

Texas

Barksdale Field, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana 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...

(Adv Twin-Engine)
Enid Field, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma 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...

(Adv Four-Engine)
Goodfellow Field, 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...

(Primary, Basic)
Mather Field, California
California
California 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...

(B-29 Flight Engineer)
San Marcos Field, 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...

(Liaison-Helicopter)
Williams Field
Williams Field
Williams Field or Willy Field is a United States Antarctic Program airfield in Antarctica. Williams Field consists of two snow runways located on approximately 8 meters of compacted snow, lying on top of 80 meters of ice, floating over 550 meters of water...

, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

(Adv Single-Engine, Jet Engine)

Technical Division, Scott Field

Scott Air Force Base

Scott Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force in St. Clair County, Illinois, near Belleville.-Overview:The base is named after Corporal Frank S. Scott, the first enlisted person to be killed in an aviation crash...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

Boca Raton Field, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Chanute Field, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Geiger Field, Washington
Keesler Field, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
Lowry Field, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

Indoctrination Division

San Antonio, Texas

AAF Basic Military School, established 1 February 1946

AAF Officer Candidate School, established 11 July 1947

In 1946 AAF Training Command began its first jet fighter transition course at Williams. However, by early 1947 the AAF had sped up its conversion to jet aircraft. The only way training needs could be met was by limiting course quotas to commands already using jet aircraft. Also, the training program was
handicapped by the fact that no dual jet trainer aircraft existed

By 1947 AAF personnel shortages were critical. The Army Air Forces had set a post-war goal of building its strength to 70 groups, however organizing, equipping and manning 55 groups was difficult. Many of the major commands felt their personnel cupboards had been stripped clean in order to accomplish this goal.

In 1948 Air Training Command began rebuilding its training complex. The command was still reeling
from the heavy losses it sustained in its instructor force in 1947. Then the personnel withdrawals that had to be made in support of the Berlin Airlift and the expansion of 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...

combined to handicap even more the training bases just at the time pilot production increased.

Plans called for ATC to add five additional flying stations. By year's end, the command had already activated four: Perrin AFB, Texas

Texas

; Enid AFB, Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma 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...

; Waco AFB, Texas

Texas

; and Las Vegas AFB, Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

. In a 17 September letter to the field, Headquarters USAF directed all commands to release many highly experienced personnel in support of the Berlin Airlift. Officials in Air Training Command were so concerned about the effect this loss of personnel would have on mission accomplishment that a return letter was sent to Washington asking which of the new flying training bases—Waco or Enid—was to be written off. The only way ATC was able to provide personnel for these schools was by taking individuals from other bases.

When the Berlin Blockade

Berlin Blockade

The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War and the first resulting in casualties. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied...

ended in 1949, the Air Force was again hit with reductions that resulted in forced reorganizations and reduced training. In November 1949, Defense Department directives targeting intermediate levels of command compelled ATC to abolish its three-division organizational structure and take over direct administration of the entire training program.

ATC implemented the Hobson organization plan in 1949. Known as the Wing-Base organization, the wing commander would control both the base and the operating units on that base. General
organization of the wing included an air base group, a tactical group, a maintenance and supply group, and a medical group. In ATC a training group replaced the tactical group. This new plan made organizations uniform throughout the Air Force.

The last half of 1949 was an exercise in austerity. President Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

decided that the country could only afford a 48-group Air Force. By this time, the Air Force had activated 59 groups. With the new announcement, the Air Force had to shift quickly from expansion to contraction. ATC had to cut flying hours and separate large numbers of reserve officers, as well as convert rated officers to non-rated status. Even with the abolishment of the three divisional headquarters—Flying, Technical, and Indoctrination, ATC operations remained crippled by a lack of funding. Also, because the long runways at Barksdale AFB were better suited to strategic bombers than trainer aircraft, Air Force transferred Barksdale to Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

in September 1949. Headquarters ATC consequently was moved to Scott AFB, Illinois

Illinois

, effective October 17, 1949.

The reorganized Air Training Command at the end of the decade began to take the form of the modern Air Education and Training Command of today's Air Force. Its major subordinate units were:

3500th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Multi-Engine)

Reese AFB, Texas

Texas

3510th Pilot Training Wing (Basic)

Randolph AFB, Texas

Texas

3525th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Single-Engine; Jet)

Williams AFB, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

3545th Pilot Training Wing (Basic)

Goodfellow AFB, Texas

Texas

3555th Pilot Training Wing (Basic)

Perrin AFB, Texas

Texas

3556th Pilot Training Wing (Basic)

Connally AFB, Texas

Texas

3575th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Multi-Engine)

Vance AFB, Texas

Texas

3525th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Single-Engine)

Las Vegas AFB, Nevada

Nevada

3515th Bombardment Training Wing

Mather AFB, California

California

California 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...

3605th Navigator Training Wing

Ellington AFB, Texas

Texas

3700th Indoctrination Wing

Lackland AFB, Texas

Texas

3310th Technical Training Wing

Scott AFB, Illinois

Illinois

3345th Technical Training Wing

Chanute AFB, Illinois

Illinois

33480th Technical Training Wing

Keesler AFB, Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

3415th Technical Training Wing

Lowry AFB, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

3450th Technical Training Wing

Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...

3750th Technical Training Wing

Sheppard AFB, Texas

Texas

3499th Training Aids Wing

Chanute AFB, Illinois

Illinois

Korean War

This lull in training production, combined with Fiscal Year 1950 budget cuts, resulted in a shortage of trained manpower when the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

erupted on 25 June 1950.

The Air Force initially resorted to an involuntary recall of reservists to fill the gap while Air Training Command expanded its training efforts to meet wartime demands. By 1 July the Air Force had directed ATC to accelerate training to fill the needs of a new 95-wing Air Force. A few days later ATC found itself with a new mission—combat crew training.

The USAF had Far East Air Force engaging in direct combat, and Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...

mobilizing reserve forces and deploying active duty units and personnel to the combat zone. Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

, while not deploying its Atomic-capable strategic bomber force, brought B-29 Superfortress

B-29 Superfortress

The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...

es out of five years of storage and deployed them to Okinawa with combat crews from active duty and reserve units.

ATC's primary mission in the Korean War was to train pilots for combat and to fill the need of the expanded 95-wing USAF. The first school opened at Nellis AFB, Nevada

Nevada

. In August the Air Staff raised the rate of pilot production from 3,000 to 4,000 per year, and by the end of the year, it had climbed to 7,200. At the same time, the need for training technicians also rose. As it had in World War II

World War II

, ATC met the increased training requirements by contracting with civilian schools.

Bainbridge Air Base, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
Bartow Air Base, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Graham Air Base
Graham Air Base
Graham Air Base was a United States Air Force base located in Marianna, Florida. After it was closed, it was reused as Marianna Municipal Airport.-Marianna Army Airfield:...

, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Hondo Air Base
Hondo Air Base
Hondo Air Base is an inactive United States Air Force base, approximately 2 miles west-northwest of Hondo, Texas. It was active during World War II and during the early years of the Cold War as a training airfield...

, 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...
Malden Air Base, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

Marana Air Base, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Moore Air Base, 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...
Spence Air Base
Spence Air Base
Spence Air Base was a United States Air Force base that operated from 1941 to 1961. It was later reopened at Spence Airport.-History:The City of Moultrie gained its first official municipal airport, Clark Field, in the 1930s. In 1940, local leaders, aware of the Federal government's airport...

, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
Stallings Air Base, North Carolina
North Carolina
North 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...

These were former World War II pilot training airfields that were placed in reserve status after the war. Air Training Command applied the "Air Base" designator to these contractor-operated flying training bases. At about the same time, ATC redesignated the 3595th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Single-Engine) as the 3595th Training Wing (Combat Crew). On 17 July 1950, Nellis began a special training program to provide 115 combat-ready F-51 Mustang pilots for Far East Air Forces and 92 combat-ready F-80 Shooting Star pilots to serve as replacements for casualties in the first months of the Korean campaign.

Beginning on 24 July 1950, all technical training programs went on a six-day-a-week operation. That reduced by almost 17 percent the amount of time it took to train a technician. Multiple shifts also ran.
While this increased the need for more instructors, it limited the amount of housing and dining facilities needed. Along with this, the amount of dormitory space given each student was reduced from 72 square feet (6.7 m²) to 60, and at Keesler and Sheppard AFB the space was even less—only 50 square feet (4.6 m²) per student. Finally, the interval between class entries also decreased. All of this was an effort to train students as quickly as possible and get them in the field.

The announcement of unlimited recruiting in December 1950 caused major problems for Lackland AFB. Clothing and bedding were in short supply, and it got to the point where new recruits were issued only the minimum essentials. Clothing stocks had to be drastically reduced at other ATC bases so recruits could receive essential clothing—although it was impossible to provide exact sizes. Lackland had only been constructed to handle about 28,000 recruits, but by January 1951 the number exceeded 70,000. Officials had no choice but to establish a tent city. Lackland completely exhausted the Air Force's supply of steel folding cots and mattresses. Others had to make do with canvas cots.
At one time, the base had almost 10,000 recruits sleeping on canvas cots, without mattresses.

However, there were other problems that weren't so easy to solve. The command soon found itself facing sudden and generally short-range training requirements of an emergency nature. There was no time to prepare, and that meant the quality of training suffered—both flying and technical training. Because troops in the Far East received priority in the supply system, ATC also faced across-the-board shortages in equipment such as armament, radar, aircraft spares, maintenance items, clothing, bedding, and office equipment. Shortages of spare parts even caused a reduction in helicopter training at San Marcos and B-29 training at Randolph later in the war.

As a direct result of the rapid expansion of the training needs of the Air Force as a result of the Koran War, ATC reversed its 1949 decision to eliminate training divisions and consolidate all command level organizations at its headquarters. To leave the command free to serve as a policy-making and planning agency, officials decided to set up three divisions to supervise flying training, technical training, and indoctrination training. Soon after, that became two divisions, when ATC decided to combine technical and indoctrination training under a single headquarters.

Headquarters USAF approved the decentralization in early 1951. While ATC had sought numerical designations for its new air forces—Thirtieth Flying Training and Thirty-first Technical
Training Air Forces—USAF officials recommended functional rather than numerical designations. Thus, ATC's new subordinate divisions became Flying Training (FTAF) and Technical Training Air Forces (TTAF). Plans called for FTAF to be headquartered at Randolph and TTAF at Lowry; however, the unexpected escalation of training at those bases meant facilities were not available. Thus, ATC established the FTAF headquarters at Waco, Texas

Waco, Texas

Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

near James Connally AFB, and TTAF took up residence at the Gulf Coast Military Academy near Keesler AFB.

Cold War

Even as combat continued in Korea, during 1952 the Air Force expanded to meet the threat 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...

with the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

in Europe

Europe

, and potentially a direct conflict with Communist China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

. As the Air Force expanded to meet those threates, ATC continued to expand as it activated five more flying training bases, bringing the number of primary installations to 42.

During the last half of 1952, however, the volume of training conducted steadily decreased as the supply of trained pilots and technicians met the Air Force demand in almost all areas. Air Training Command reached its Korean War peak of 176,446 personnel in June.

The most important change in the training program involved the inauguration of four-phase pilot training. Part one of the program included 12 weeks of preflight training. The second part, called
primary training, required 18 weeks and featured 20 hours of T-6 Texan flight training. Part three, the basic flight phase, lasted 16 weeks and included 130 hours of flying. This phase included flying in both the T-6 or T-28 and in tactical aircraft (T-33 jet trainer, F-80 jet fighter, F-51 conventional fighter, or B-25 multiengine bomber). At the end of the third phase, cadets
were commissioned and received pilot wings.

In addition, ATC completed its program of decentralization, begun in 1951, by activating the Crew Training Air Force (CTAF) in March, which provided combat crew training to the major combat commands, in the same manner as First, Second, Third and Fourth Air Forces did during World War II. Assigned to CTAF were six bases. Crew Training constituted the fourth phase of pilot training and covered an average of 12 weeks.

In 1960, ATC began looking at a new training concept—combining preflight, primary, and basic instruction into consolidated pilot training (CPT). Secretary of the Air Force Dudley C. Sharp approved the idea in March 1960, and Air Training Command intended to have the training program in operation by March 1961. At the same time, Secretary Sharp approved initiation of a consolidated pilot training program, ATC decided to replace all civilian flying instructors with military officers and to phase out all contract primary schools. The last of these closed in spring 1961.

Shortly after the war began, the Air Staff transferred most of the combat aircrew training mission from the operational commands to ATC, placing an even heavier burden on the command. Air Force directed Air Training Command to double pilot production to 7,200 per year, and to increase technician production to 225,000 per year. With the end of the Korean War on July 27, 1953, Air Training Command again began to reduce its training activities.

Many of the command's facilities were transferred to Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

(SAC) and Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command

(TAC) in the 1950s. Over the next ten years, ATC reduced its bases from 43 to 16, and its personnel from 271,849 to 79,272. In large part this was due to the return of the crew training mission to the operational commands. In 1958, ATC returned bomber crew training to SAC and fighter crew training to TAC.

At about the same time, ATC gained another mission when it took over responsibility for the recruiting mission in 1954. Then in 1957, Headquarters Air Training Command moved from Scott AFB, Illinois, to Randolph AFB, Texas

Texas

, in order to reduce operating costs by being closer to its primary training facilities.

One year later, the command began experimenting with eliminating propeller-driven aircraft from primary pilot training. "Project All-Jet" was a success, and in 1959, ATC began replacing the North American T-28 "Trojan"

T-28 Trojan

The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...

propeller-driven trainer with the Cessna T-37 "Tweety Bird" jet engine primary trainer.

Vietnam War and the 1960s

In the early 1960s, ATC converted from specialized to generalized undergraduate pilot training (UPT). During this time, the command retired the World War II–era North American B-25 "Mitchell"

B-25 Mitchell

The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...

it had been using for advanced multi-engine training under specialized UPT. Under generalized UPT, all pilots received the same training, regardless of what type of operational aircraft they would ultimately fly. ATC acquired the North American T-38 "Talon"

T-38 Talon

The 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....

jet, and it became the main advanced trainer aircraft for all student pilots.

The first T-37/T-38 undergraduate pilot training course was held at Webb AFB, Texas, in February 1962. During the next few years, increasing numbers of US service members went to Southeast Asia as military advisors to the South Vietnamese armed forces, but the effect on ATC was negligible.

When President Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...

increased America's military involvement in South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

in 1965, there was a resultant increase in Air Force military and technical training. However, unlike previous wars, the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

did not result in a drastic increase in the command's bases or personnel. This was because ATC reverted to a split-phase program of basic military training, and because the command's training philosophy was geared toward generalized rather than specialized technical training.

Pilot training gradually increased as the war dragged on. But officials reassigned many of ATC's best instructor pilots to the operational commands, creating severe flying training difficulties. Then in 1969, ATC's involvement in a program of training and equipping the South Vietnamese Air Force

Vietnam Air Force

The Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...

to become a self-sufficient, 40-squadron air force caused technical training production to surge by approximately 50 percent, to over 310,000. This increase, however, was not to last long.

Post-Vietnam and the 1970s

As popular support for the Vietnam War waned and American forces began to pull out of Southeast Asia, ATC's training requirements gradually diminished. President Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

ended the draft on June 30, 1973, converting the military to an all-volunteer force. Also, during this period the percentage of recruits with a high school education declined to the lowest point in the history of the Air Force. These factors combined to make the 1970s yet another era of change for Air Training Command.

One change was in the command's approach to technical training. Poor retention rates and the generally lower quality of recruits prompted ATC to shift from a "career oriented" technical training philosophy to one of teaching only those tasks recruits needed during their first enlistment. This reduced the length of training while also lowering training costs. To supplement on-duty training, and in hopes of attracting higher-quality recruits, Air Force established the Community College of the Air Force

Community College of the Air Force

The Community College of the Air Force is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force which grants two year Associate of Applied Science degrees in association with Air University....

in 1972 as part of ATC.

Another change came in the form of increased opportunities for women. The first class of 10 women pilots in the USAF received their wings on September 2, 1977, and the first class of female graduates from undergraduate navigator training received their wings at Mather AFB, California, on October 12, 1977.

Other changes came out of the need to reduce training costs in order to fund the F-15

F-15 Eagle

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...

, F-16 and A-10

A-10 Thunderbolt II

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...

modernization programs. These included closing Craig and Webb Air Force Bases, increasing reliance on flight simulators, and reducing flying hours in undergraduate pilot training.

Still another change was the way in which ATC conducted undergraduate navigator training. In 1978, navigator training shifted from generalized to specialized, with follow-on advanced training specific to the student's career track.

In keeping with the consolidations of the 1970s, Air Training Command assumed responsibility in 1978 for two additional functions: Air University and cryptologic training. Air Force transferred Air University to ATC effective May 15, 1978. This consolidation brought all professional military education under the same roof as basic military, technical, and flying training. However, Air Force officials soon became concerned this arrangement lowered the visibility and diminished the importance of Air War College

Air War College

The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...

and the other schools.

Therefore, on July 1, 1983 – little more than five years after the realignment – Air Force once again conveyed separate command status upon Air University. The USAF Security Service at Goodfellow AFB, Texas, had conducted all Air Force cryptologic training since 1958. On July 1, 1978, both Goodfellow and the cryptologic training mission transferred to ATC.

Reagan era and the 1980s

During the military expansion of the Reagan Administration

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

in the early 1980s, ATC was able to improve training in several areas. The command added more flying hours to the pilot training program and extended the course by three weeks.

In the fall of 1981, ATC began training pilots from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries under the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program at Sheppard AFB, Texas.

In 1984, expanded training budgets allowed the command to change back to a philosophy of training technical personnel to the fullest extent possible, rather than limiting training to the skills needed only for the first enlistment. Technical training courses, especially those in "sortie-producing" specialties, were expanded from generalist courses to specialized instruction. By 1985, the average length for these courses had risen to nearly 17 weeks.

However, several events in the middle and late 1980s brought about the next cycle of restricted military spending affecting ATC's mission. By Fiscal Year 1988, funding for technical training dropped by over 15 percent, and the command had to institute a civilian hiring freeze. Then, in rapid succession beginning in 1989, the Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...

came down, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the Cold War

Cold War

was over. Suddenly, the threat from the East that had dominated American military thinking for decades was gone. Congress quickly cut military spending in response to the diminished threat.

Persian Gulf War and post-Cold War reorganization of the 1990s

In the midst of these world changes, the Persian Gulf War erupted when Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...

's Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

on August 2, 1990. In support of wartime demands, ATC deployed over 3,000 command personnel to other commands. Then ATC called up 2,387 individual mobilization augmentee reservists and over 1,000 inactive reservists and Air Force retirees to fill active duty positions vacated by wartime deployments.

Air Force also activated ATC's 11th Contingency Hospital and deployed it to the United Kingdom to treat expected casualties from the war. Fortunately, the Persian Gulf War did not produce large numbers of American casualties, and the conflict was soon over.

Air Training Command got on with the task of consolidating training and in Fiscal Years 1993 and 1994 closed Chanute, Mather, Williams, and Lowry Air Force Base

Lowry Air Force Base

Lowry Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in the cities of Aurora and Denver, Colorado. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training and was heavily involved with the training of United States Army Air Forces bomber crews during World...

s. However, despite the return to tightened budgets, ATC did not back off from its commitment to fully train personnel to be mission ready upon arrival at their first operational assignment.

An especially important Year of Training initiative was the recommendation to create a single, coherent education and training structure for officer, enlisted, and civilian personnel. As a result of this recommendation, Air Force again merged Air University and ATC, redesignating the command as the Air Education and Training Command

Air Education and Training Command

(AETC) on July 1, 1993.

External links

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