Country United States | ||
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Active 1 December 1942 - 12 November 194517 April 1962 - 31 March 197031 July 1974 - Present Branch United States Air Force Part of Air Education and Training Command19th Air Force306th Flying Training Group Garrison/HQ | ||
The 557th Flying Training Squadron (557 FTS) is part of the 306th Flying Training Group based at United States Air Force Academy, Colorado.
Contents
Overview
It conducts powered flight training for Air Force Academy cadets.
History
The squadron was activated as a B-26 Marauder medium bombardment squadron in late 1942. It trained under the Third Air Force and deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO) in July 1943, initially being stationed in England and assigned to the IX Bomber Command.
It engaged in tactical bombardment of enemy targets in Occupied Europe initially from stations in England, then after D-Day it was moved to Advanced Landing Grounds in France and Belgium, advancing eastward as Allied ground forces advanced. It supported Eighth Air Force strategic bombardment missions over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe, striking enemy airfields to obtain maximum interference in Luftwaffe daytime interceptor attacks against heavy bomber formations returning to England. The squadron also participated in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany in March–April 1945, until the German surrender in May 1945.
The squadron became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe and demobilized personnel in 1945. It was reassigned to the United States as a paper unit, inactivated in November 1945.
It was later reactivated in 1962 as one of the initial F-4C Phantom II fighter squadrons when the aircraft was made operational by the Air Force. F-4Cs were not yet in production at that time. In order to get the squadron operational, second-line F-84F Thunderjets were transferred from the Air National Guard. The squadron received Navy F4Hs (later F-4B) for training and then F-4Cs in January 1964. It was deployed to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and flew combat missions, primary over North Vietnam until Cam Ranh Air Base was closed in November 1970.
It has provided basic flight training for Air Force Academy cadets since 31 July 1974.
In addition to providing cadets with some initial flight instruction, the 557th FTS is also home to the USAFA Flying Team, the Air Force Academy's premier flying team, composed of 27 cadets selected for the team.