37th Flying Training Wing (World War II)
The 37th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Luke Field, Arizona.
There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 37th Training Wing, established on 22 December 1939 as the 37th Pursuit Group at Albrook Army Airfield, Panama Canal Zone, and this organization.
History
The wing directed Training Command Flight Schools in Arizona. Most of the assigned schools provided phase II basic and phase II advanced flying training for Air Cadets, although the wing also commanded both contract basic and Army schools. 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.As training requirements changed during the war, schools were activated and inactivated or transferred to meet those requirements.
Lineage
- Established as 37th Flying Training Wing on 17 December 1942
Assignments
- AAF West Coast Training Center, 8 January 1943 – 16 June 1946
Training aircraft
The schools of the wing used a wide variety of planes to support its numerous training needs:- 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.
- The Vultee BT-13 was the basic training aircraft, along with its cousin the Vultee BT-15
- The North American AT-6 was used as the single-engine advanced trainer
- The Cessna AT-17 Bobcat was the standard two-engine advanced trainer, along with the Cessna UC-78 variant of the AT-17
Assigned Schools
; Ajo Army Airfield, Arizona; Dateland Army Airfield, Dateland, Arizona
; Douglas Army Airfield, Douglas, Arizona
; Echeverria Field, Wickenburg, Arizona
; Gila Bend Gunnery Range, Gila Bend, Arizona
; Luke Field, Phoenix, Arizona
; Marana Army Air Field, Marana, Arizona
; Ryan Army Airfield, Tucson, Arizona
; Thunderbird Field No. 1, Phoenix, Arizona
; Thunderbird Field No. 2, Scottsdale, Arizona
; Williams Field, Chandler, Arizona
; Yuma Army Airfield, Yuma, Arizona
Stations
- Luke Field, Arizona, 8 January 1943 – 16 June 1946.