AirEducationofHistoryandCommandTraining1942-2002%IIV-'IHISTORYOFCOMMANDTRAININGANDEDUCATIONAIR1942-2002ManningA.ThomasHistorianCommandAshcroftBruce A.DrH. EmmonsRichardAnn K. HusseyL. MasonJosephDrResearchHistory andofOfficeCommandTrainingandEducationAirHeadquarters,TexasForce Base,AirRandolph2005FOREWORDtraininghas delivered unrivaled Air and SpaceEducation and Training CommandFor over sixty years, AirForce. Weand crucial to the future ofour Aircontinues to be diverse, dynamicand education. The mission was andforce, training the force and educating the force.for tomorrow, by recruiting thedevelop America's Airmen today...happen."extraordinary professionals to "make itreality is huge and demandsThe challenge to make this awarriors whomotivated, uniquely talented, and totally dedicatedin AETC with highlyFortunately, we are blessedevery day.accept this challengeconstantlywith its ever-changing demands and threats, we will bedynamic world we confront today,In therequireAir Force's needs and requirements. This willto adapt our training and education to meet therequiredthe recognized world center of excellence forthinking and flexible approaches to ensure we remaininnovativetraining and education.World War II,how our predecessors responded to the challenges ofThis history of AETC teaches usas well as the day-to-War operations, including the Global War on Terror,Korea, Vietnam, and the many post-Coldthis book highlight significantmethods and ...
AirEducationofHistory
and
CommandTraining
1942-2002
%
I
IV-'IHISTORY
OF
COMMANDTRAININGANDEDUCATIONAIR
1942-2002
ManningA.Thomas
HistorianCommand
AshcroftBruce A.Dr
H. EmmonsRichard
Ann K. Hussey
L. MasonJosephDr
ResearchHistory andofOffice
CommandTrainingandEducationAirHeadquarters,
TexasForce Base,AirRandolph
2005FOREWORD
traininghas delivered unrivaled Air and SpaceEducation and Training CommandFor over sixty years, Air
Force. Weand crucial to the future ofour Aircontinues to be diverse, dynamicand education. The mission was and
force, training the force and educating the force.for tomorrow, by recruiting thedevelop America's Airmen today...
happen."extraordinary professionals to "make itreality is huge and demandsThe challenge to make this a
warriors whomotivated, uniquely talented, and totally dedicatedin AETC with highlyFortunately, we are blessed
every day.accept this challenge
constantlywith its ever-changing demands and threats, we will bedynamic world we confront today,In the
requireAir Force's needs and requirements. This willto adapt our training and education to meet therequired
the recognized world center of excellence forthinking and flexible approaches to ensure we remaininnovative
training and education.
World War II,how our predecessors responded to the challenges ofThis history of AETC teaches us
as well as the day-to-War operations, including the Global War on Terror,Korea, Vietnam, and the many post-Cold
this book highlight significantmethods and technology in peacetime. The pages ofday development of training
flying training, and education in AETC.recruiting and military training, technical training,events in the evolution of
reference book, but also documents theto present this history, which serves not only as aIt gives me great pleasure
h»«r«iaBmed q>w the first sixty years of the command.valuable lessons we
IllIVPREFACE
command's intelligence shopsuch a long span Mcdriff from theA work of this scope, covering
helped inimeasurabh \\ith the computer scanning ofyears, can be done only with the help of a greatof
work.hisior\ rests squarely on the photographs and artmany people. This
foundational work of our predecessors in the Air
new photos for the second eiluion wereCommand history office in TheEducation and Training
collection ofmore easily obtained from ourtheir seminal book, the History of Air Training
phott)graphs. digital photographs from the last decadeI'J4}-I993. Former members of theCommand.
histories, official \w ForceDr Karl D. of the command's andhistory office. CMSgt Robert J. Davis and
photos.Preuss. wrote passages and contributed ideas in the
Others, notably Mrearly stages of that undertaking.
trivialUpdating the eariier edition was not aR. Benson. Dr Dennis F. Casey. Mr LloydLawrence
Mason and S.Sgt Oscar M. VegaEnnels. Mr Jay E. matter. Dr Joseph L.H. Cornett. Jr.. Mr Jerome A.
spent many weeks recovering and reformatting theHines. Dr Dillard Hunley. Mr David W. Shurcliffe.J.
files and photos that comprisedWarren A. Trest. made a outdated computerMr Edgar P. Sneed. and Mr
old materialthe earlier edition. In some instances, thereal contribution through the monographs and special
or updated in this edition.while part of the .AETC history has been alteredstudies they prepared
program. Mrs Edith J. Taylor spent hours looking at
members of the AETC histor) officelocating missing pieces to the Allreels of microfilm and
extensivelycontributed to this edition. Dr Masonpuzzle in dusty storage boxes. Last but not least. Ms
used research of historians .Ann K. Hussey. Drand Mr Dick J. Burkard took on thePatricia E. Parrish
write the new material.book. Ashcrofi. and Mr Emmons tothe Herculean task of laying out the entire
Thomas A. Manning. AETC Command Historian,countless hours of overtime, the first MrWithout their
manuscript.table. edited the entireedition would ne\'er ha\e left the drafting
history was therefore ahistory office, This sixtieth anniversaryCurrent members of the AETC
collaborative effort by the staff of the History andAshcroft and Mr Richard H. Emmons,Dr Bruce A.
With help of all those mentionedfirst edition. Research Office. thewrote substantial sections of the
errors ofabove, we did our best to get it right. Any
are ours alone.assisted in a \ariety ot fact or interpretationA host of other people
v\ays. Joe Lopez and Ms Lydia Rodriguez fromMr
Training Command's manpowerAir Education and
questionspro\ ided the answers to innumerableoffice
and the command'sabout unit designations
Lealherwuod. aorganizational structure. Mrs Susie
cisil engineering staff, helped fillmember of the
AETCseveral gaps in the appendix dealing with
Ollie Barker, from the logistics staff,bases, and Mr
about trainerwas able to resolve our questions
aircraft.
the right photograph was a continuingFinding
photographs in the firstchallenge. For the man\ old
sources,we received help from scores ofedition,
Anfonio Express-News, to theranging from the San
historicalpublic library in Fort Worth. Texas, to the
Raton. Ilorida. to the Eighth Airsociety in Boca
Louisiana.Force history office at Barksdale AFB,
also indebted to the National Archives andWe are Air and SpaceRecords Administration, the
Museum, and the Department of Defense Still Media
their extensive collections ofRecords Center for
aviation photos. Most of all the command's history
came up with the photos v\eoffices repeatedly
Flyingneeded. Similady, the folks in the 12th
Wing's media center at Randolph AFB wereTraining
lunuhers of prints andhelpful in copying untokl
con\erting slides into photographs. SSgt Larry L.VIPrologue
ORIGINS
and Traniin<;Air Education
Command (AETC) traces its lineage
1942. v\hen the Warback to 23 January
actnaicdDepartment constituted and
Corps Flying Trainnigthe Army Air
this \olumeCommand. The purpose of
and commemorate the firstis to recount
history, but the60 years of AETC
of aviation training in the Unitedhistory
much earlier. On SStates military began
October 1909. Wilbur Wright began
Frank P. Lahminstructing Lieutenants Benjamin D. Foulois (second fromWith his <;iouiid i:re«. Lt
SignalFrederic E. Humphreys onand at Fort Samfront of theW right Type B airplaneright) stands in
which the ArmyCorps Airplane No. I, frommo\ed flyin}; operationsHouston, Texas. The Army had
Wrightrecently purchased from thehad Houston for the winter. OnMars land, to Fort SamCollege Park,
two men recei\edbrothers. Each of the byhis First solo llighl, and2 March 19H), Foulois made
beforelittle over three hours traininga he had made 61 practice llights.September
October 1909.soloing on 26
FLYING TRAINING
the course ofuntil the outbreak of World W;u- 1. Duringremained on this small scaleFlyinii training in the Army
offeredprivate and state universitiesentered Hying cadet training. Eightuar. appro\imatel> 23.000 \olunteersthat
because, in .-^pril 1917training were more of a problemtraining. Primary and advancedpretlight (ground school)
fields--officers and only three flyingArmy had fewer than 100 flyingUnited States entered the war. thewhen the
take a long time to con-Diego. California. Because it wouldEssington. Pennsylvania: and SanMineola. New York;
of soprovided Hying bases during the summer 1917United States. Canadaadequate training facilities in thestruct
Christmas US training bases wereprimary tlving training. By 15American cadets could beginthat several hundred
war. cadets16 in Europe b\ the end ot the Hereto 27 in the United States andavailable, a number expanded
40-.^() hours air. usualls in a Curtiss JN-4.pilot training, including in theto eight weeks of primar\underwent six
who begun preflightOf the 23.000 had
during World War I. oxer 1 1.000training
wings and werereceived their
weekscommissioned before entering four
training either in the Unitedof advanced
States or Europe. Bombing instruction
primarily at Ellington Field.occurred
among—U ^ -^^mB Texas. Taliaferro Field. Texas,t^;^'^ jBM|
'~**^ locations, provided observation'"h^"'P^ JSlKr^^^rPTrr^.,.^-
(lighter) coursestraining, while pursuit
were restricted to France because ol a lack
in the Unitedof necessary equipment
theStates. Brooks Field. Texas, contained
instructor's school. Because thejirincipalI
War I only lorUnited States was in World
soand a half antl entered ita vear
Ie\as, learnedaviation cadets at Kellv Field.In World War I,
about 1.000 of theunprepared, only
completing.IN-4 ".lennv." Alterto n\ the hi-v\ing ( urtiss war11.000 aviators trained during the
pursuit instructiongraduates went to France fortraining,
involved in operationswere actually
combat units.before reporting to their Most of theseagainst the enemy.
artilleryoperations consisted of
aircraft, of which 462 were491 "kills" of CiermanAmerican annien conluniedobservation or air-to-air combat,
balloons as awere .^7 confirmed losses of enemyaces. In addition, therepilots officially classified ascredited to 63PROLOGUE
War on balance itduring World 1.of pilot trainingwere some criticismsaction. Although thereresult of American
achievement.program was no meanappears that the pilot training
aircontlict. the Army'sexperience of thatWar I. and despite thethe end of Worlddemobili/^ation followedRapid
expansion programa five-yearalthough there wasthe interwar period,small during most ofarm remained quite
duringhiatus in trainingMeanwhile-after aof airpower advocates.outspoken agitation1926 in response to theafter
for training pilots inUnited States usedof 27 flying fields theField. Texas, was oneBrooks
generally(lying conditions weresouthern states, wherefields were in theWorld War I. Most
year round.good all
Carlstrom Field. Florida, inMarch Field. California, andresumed on a small scale at|y|9-primary pilot instruction
Oklahoma,at Post Field, Fort Sill.included the Observation Schooltraining at that timeJanuary 1920. Advanced
administrative difficulties ofField. Texas. However, thebombardnieni instruction at Kellyboth pursuit antland
decision in 1921-1922locations prompted aat such widely separated20