37th Flying Training Wing (World War II)

History

The wing directed Training Command Flight Schools in Arizona. Most the assigned schools provided phase II basic and phase II advanced flying training for Air Cadets, although the wing also commanded both contract basic (phase I) 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

Activated on 8 January 1943 Disbanded 16 June 1946.

Assignments

AAF West Coast (later, AAF Western Flying) 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 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 for high performance two-engine training in perpetration for Lockheed P-38 Lightning training Beechcraft AT-10s were used for pilots in training for two engine bombers (B-25s and B-26s) Beechcraft AT-11s were used for pilots in training for C-47 transports

Stations

Luke Field, Arizona, 8 January 1943 – 16 June 1946.