Active 1927-1931 Type Command and Control | Country United States Role Flying Training | |
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Branch United States Army Air Corps Notable
commanders Maj. James E. Chaney, 31 August 1927-6 August 1930
Maj. Frederick L. Martin, 6 August 1930-22 September 1931
Maj. Max F. Schneider, 22 September-1 October 1931 | ||
The 24th School Wing is a disbanded United States Army Air Corps unit. It was last assigned to the Air Corps Advanced Flying School, and was disbanded on 1 October 1931 at Kelly Field, Texas. While active, the wing served as the headquarters for the Air Corps' three groups training aircrew, which were located in Texas and California.
Contents
The 24th School Wing is not related to the United States Air Force 24th Special Operations Wing, which was established on 19 November 1942.
History
The 24th School Wing was organized at Kelly Field, Texas in 1927 to command the flying training units of the Air Corps. Air Corps Flying Schools were located in the San Antonio, Texas area at Kelly Field and at Brooks Field and at March Field near Riverside, California.
In 1922, the Air Corps had reorganized the method it used for pilot training, with Brooks Field, Texas becoming the center for primary training and Kelly Field, Texas the center for advanced training. By 1927, three training squadrons had been set up at Brooks and five at Kelly. With the beginning of the five-year expansion program of the Air Corps in 1926, it was found that the existing facilities in the San Antonio area would be insufficient to support the expansion, and a third training group would need to be established at March Field, a former World War I training field which had been closed in 1922. With a third group of four squadrons at March, a wing was needed as an intermediate level of command to avoid having too many units being assigned directly to school Headquarters at Kelly Field. Upon activation at Kelly Field, the wing transferred personnel from the 10th School Group.
In the late 1920s, the growth of the City of San Antonio created hazards for pilot training. In June 1927 General Frank Lahm suggested the construction of a single large field outside of the city to house all flying training. Congress funded the new field's construction but not the purchase of the land, so the city of San Antonio borrowed the $546,000 needed to purchase the site selected for what became Randolph Field. By the fall of 1931, construction was essentially completed at the new facility, so the Air Corps Training Center at Kelly Field and the primary schools at Brooks and March moved to the new installation.
With the opening of facilities at Randolph, the school at March Field was closed and March became a tactical flying field. The 24th School Wing was disbanded on 1 October 1931 and its subordinate units were absorbed into the Air Corps Primary Flying School at Randolph Field and the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field. Wing personnel were transferred to the 10th School Group