30th Flying Training Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces)
The 30th Flying Training Wing was a training wing of the United States Army Air Forces. This wing oversaw multiple "advanced" flight schools that trained multi-engine bomber pilots for World War 2. It was last assigned to the Flying Division, Air Training Command, and was disbanded on 13 October 1946 at Randolph Field, Texas.
History
The wing was a World War II command and control organization which supported Training Command flight schools in the Lower Great Lakes and Southeastern United States. The assigned schools provided phase III advanced two-engine flying training for air cadets, along with advanced B-24 Invader and B-25 Mitchell transition training for experienced pilots for reassignment to other flying units. Single-engine transition training was also instructed. Air cadet graduates of the advanced schools were commissioned as second lieutenants, received their Aircrew Badge and were reassigned to operational or replacement training units operated by one of the four numbered air fores in the zone of interior.As training requirements changed during the war, schools were activated and inactivated or transferred to meet those requirements.
Lineage
- Established as 30th Flying Training Wing on 17 December 1942
Assignments
- Army Air Forces Southeast Training Center, 26 December 1942
- Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command, 15 September 1943
- Army Air Forces Western Flying Training Command, 15 December 1945
- Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, 1 January 1946
- Flying Division, Air Training Command, 1 July-13 October 1946.
Training aircraft
The two-engine advanced flying schools flew several trainers, designed for different tactical aircraft- Cessna AT-17 Bobcat - used for transport pilot training
- Curtiss-Wright AT-9 Jeep - used to simulate P-38 Lightning two-engine fighters, notoriously difficult to fly or land
- Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita - used for bomber pilot training
- North American AT-6 Texan
Assigned pilot schools
; Blytheville Army Airfield, Blytheville, Arkansas; Columbus Army Airfield, Columbus, Mississippi
; Freeman Army Airfield, Seymour, Indiana
; George Army Airfield, Lawrenceville, Illinois
; Moody Army Airfield, Valdosta, Georgia
; Stuttgart Army Airfield, Stuttgart, Arkansas
; Turner Army Airfield, Albany, Georgia
Stations
- Jackson Army Airbase, Jackson, Mississippi, 26 December 1942
- Columbus Army Airfield, Columbus, Mississippi, 15 September 1943
- Turner Army Airfield, Georgia, 13 September 1944
- Randolph Field, Universal City, Texas, 31 Jul – 13 Oct 1946.