80th Flying Training Wing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 80th Flying Training Wing | |
|---|---|
 80th Flying Training Wing Shield |
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| Active | 13 January 1942 — present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Training |
| Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Sheppard Air Force Base |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Jeffrey Kendall |
The 80th Flying Training Wing (80 FTW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Contents |
[edit] Mission
Provide combat airpower by producing top quality fighter pilots for the NATO alliance.
[edit] Subordinate organizations
80th Operations Group (80 OG)
- 89th Flying Training Squadron (89 FTS)
- 90th Flying Training Squadron (90 FTS)
- 80th Operations Support Squadron (80 OSS)
[edit] History
The 80th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) was constituted on 13 Jan 1942 and activated on Feb 1942. It was redesignated as the 80th Fighter Group in May 1942. The unit returned to the US in Oct 1945. Inactivated on 3 Nov 1945.
The 80th Flying Training Wing was re-established on 25 May 1972 and activated on 1 January 1973.
[edit] Bases stationed
- Selfridge Field, Michigan 9 Feb 1942 - 5 Jul 1942
- Farmingdale, New York 5 Jul 1942 - 9 March 1943
- Mitchel Field, NY, 9 March 1943 - 30 April 1943
- Karachi, India, 28 June 1943 - October 1943
- Nagaghuli, India, October 1943 - 29 August 1944
- Tingkawk Sakan, Burma, 29 August 1944 - 20 January 1945
- Myitkyina, Burma, 20 January 1945 - 24 May 1945
- Dudhkundi, India, 24 May 1945 - 6 October 1945
- Camp Kilmer, New Jersey (1945)
- Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas (1972 – Present)
[edit] Aircraft operated
- P-47 Thunderbolt (1942 – 1945)
- P-40 Warhawk (1943 – 1944)
- P-38 Lightning (1943 – 1944)
- T-37 (1973 – Present)
- T-38 Talon (1973 – Present)
- AT-38 (1993 – Present)
[edit] World War II
The 80th trained for combat and served as part of the defense force for the northeastern United States from, 1942-1943. It sailed for India, via Brazil, the Cape of Good Hope, and Ceylon, in May 1943. The group began combat operations in September 1943. It supported Allied ground forces during the battle for northern Burma and the push southward to Rangoon, bombing and strafing troop concentrations, supply dumps, lines of communication, artillery positions, and other objectives. It defended the Indian terminus of the Hump route by striking Japanese airfields and patrolling Allied airfields to safeguard them from attack. The 80th received a Distinguished Unit Citation for intercepting a formation of enemy aircraft and preventing its attack on a large oil refinery in Assam, India, on 27 March 1944. The group was withdrawn from combat in May 1945.
[edit] USAF Training Wing
Since it's reactivation, the wing has provided undergraduate pilot training, initially for USAF, German Air Force, and South Vietnamese Air Force students.
Although South Vietnamese Air Force pilot training ceased in September 1974, students from other nations continued to train under the security assistance program through April 1980. It also provided USAF rotary-wing pilots' conversion training to fixed-wing aircraft from, [[June 1977-November 1981. The wing has conducted pilot training and pilot instructor training under the Euro-NATO Joint Pilot Training Program, since October 1981, with participating nations contributing staff and financial support. In January 1994, the 80th began training Euro-NATO pilots in fighter fundamentals, using AT-38 aircraft.
[edit] External links
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