35th Flying Training Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces)

35th Flying Training Wing
Locations of airfields controlled by the 35th Flying Training Wing
Active	1942–1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Type	Command and Control
Role	Training
Part of	Army Air Forces Training Command
Engagements	World War II World War II American Theater

The 35th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at the Minter Field, California.

There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 35th Fighter Wing, established on 10 August 1948 at Irumagawa Airbase, Japan, and this organization.

History

The wing was a World War II Command and Control organization which supported Western Flying Training Command Flight Schools in California. Most of the assigned schools provided phase II basic flying training for Air Cadets, although the wing also commanded both contract basic (phase I) and advanced single and two-engine Army schools. In addition, an advanced navigation school at Mather Field for Air Cadets selected at the Santa Ana Classification Center was controlled by the wing. Graduates of the advanced schools were commissioned as Second Lieutenants, received their "wings" and were reassigned to Operational or Replacement Training Units operated by one of the four numbered air fores in the zone of interior.^[1]

As training requirements changed during the war, schools were activated and inactivated or transferred to meet those requirements.^[1]

Lineage

• Established as 35th Flying Training Wing on 17 December 1942

Activated on 8 January 1943

Disbanded 16 June 1946.^[2]

Assignments

• AAF West Coast (later, AAF Western Flying) Training Center, 8 January 1943 – 16 June 1946^[2]

Training aircraft

The schools of the wing used a wide variety of planes to support its numerous training needs:^[1]

• Primary training aircraft were the Boeing-Stearman PT-17 and Ryan PT-22. PT-13 and PT-27 aircraft were also used which were basic Stearmans with varying horsepower ratings.

Beginning in late 1944 the USAAF (as well as the USN) began replacing the Vultee BT-13 / BT-15 Valiant from the Basic phase of flight training with the North American AT-6 Texan^[1]

• The Vultee BT-13 was the basic training aircraft, along with the higher-horsepower Vultee BT-15
• The North American AT-6 was used as the single-engine advanced trainer
• The Cessna AT-17 was the standard two-engine advanced trainer, along with the Cessna UC-78 variant of the AT-17; Curtiss-Wright AT-9s were used at Mather and Stockton Fields for high performance two-engine training in perpetration for Lockheed P-38 Lightning training by IV Fighter Command.
• Specialized two-engine bomber trainers at Mather Field were the Lockheed AT-18 Hudsons along with North American B-25 Mitchells. The Beechcraft AT-7 was used for two-engine pilot training and also navigator training at Mather

Assigned Pilot Schools

Stations

• Merced Army Airfield California, 8 January 1943
• Minter Field, California, 11 September 1943 – 16 June 1946^[2]

See also

• Army Air Forces Training Command
• Other Training Command Basic Flight Training Wings:

29th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Eastern Flying Training Command

32d Flying Training Wing (World War II) Central Flying Training Command

• Other Western Flying Training Command Flight Training Wings:

36th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Primary Flight Training

37th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Basic/Advanced Flight Training (Arizona)

38th Flying Training Wing (World War II) Bombardier and Specialized 2/4-Engine Training

81st Flying Training Wing (World War II) Classification/Preflight Unit

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Army Air Forces Training Command
Flying Training	Flying Schools Eastern Flying Training Command Central Flying Training Command Western Flying Training Command Specialized Schools Bombardier Contract Flying Glider Training Gunnery Navigator
Technical Training	Eastern Technical Training Command Central Technical Training Command Western Technical Training Command