British Flying Training School Program
At the beginning of the Second World War the United Kingdom recognised that it would need to train a large number of pilots. A number of flying and aircrew training schools were set up across the British Empire where pilots could be trained without risk of enemy interference. The British Flying Training Schools (BFTS) were set up in the United States of America from 1941 as a result of the Lend Lease Bill. Locations Seven schools were opened. These were: *1 BFTS at Terrell Municipal Airport, Terrell, Texas. 9 June 1941 *2 BFTS Lancaster, California. 9 June 1941 *3 BFTS at Miami Municipal Airport, Miami Oklahoma 16 June 1941 *4 BFTS at Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona. 16 June 1941 *5 BFTS at Riddle Field, Clewiston, Florida. 17 July 1941 *6 BFTS at Ponca City Regional Airport, Ponca City, Oklahoma. 23 August 1941 *7 BFTS at Avenger Field Avenger Field is a Texas airport in Nolan County, three miles west of Sweetwater. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–20 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by Tempe, Arizona, Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community on the north, Chandler, Arizona, Chandler and Gilbert, Arizona, Gilbert on the south along with Queen Creek, Arizona, Queen Creek, and Apache Junction on the east. Mesa is the third-largest city in Arizona after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, Tucson, the List of United States cities by population, 37th-largest city in the US, and the largest city that is not a county seat. The city is home to 504,258 people as of 2020 according to the Census Bureau, which makes it more populous than Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Miami. Mesa has been described as "America's most Conservatism in the United States, conservative city". More than 40,000 students are ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sweetwater, Texas
Sweetwater is a municipality in and the seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. It is 123 miles southeast of Lubbock and 40 miles west of Abilene, Texas. Its population was 10,906 at the 2010 census. History The town's name "Sweetwater" is the English translation of the Kiowa language word "Mobeetie". Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway started service in 1881, with the first train arriving on March 12 of that year, beginning Sweetwater's long history as a railroad town. To encourage the railroads, Sweetwater increased its water supply by building a small town lake called City Lake in 1898 (now called Newman Park), then three larger lakes were constructed thereafter. Construction began on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway in 1903. By 1912 the Santa Fe Railway was serving Sweetwater via its new Coleman Cutoff and completing a connection with the T&P nearby at "Tecific" junction. Businesses and homes were built along the rai ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Avenger Field
Avenger Field is a Texas airport in Nolan County, three miles west of Sweetwater. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''general aviation'' facility. Facilities Avenger Field covers 896 acres (363 ha) at an elevation of 2,380 feet (725 m). It has two asphalt runways: 17/35 is 5,840 by 100 feet (1,780 x 30 m) and 4/22 is 5,658 by 75 feet (1,725 x 23 m). In the year ending February 6, 2012, the airport had 4,500 general aviation aircraft operations, averaging 12 per day. Nineteen aircraft were then based at the airport: 95% single-engine and 5% helicopter. History As a Texas World War II Army Airfield, "Avenger Field" opened in August 1941 as a United States Army Air Forces training base of the AAF Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command). Origins Avenger Field was the largest all-female air base in American history. Its origins date to the 1920s as the Sweetwater Muni ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 census. History Ponca City was created in 1893 as "New Ponca" after the United States opened the Cherokee Outlet for European-American settlement during the Cherokee Strip land run, the largest land run in United States history. The site for Ponca City was selected for its proximity to the Arkansas River and the presence of a freshwater spring near the river. The city was laid out by Burton Barnes, who drew up the first survey of the city and sold certificates for the lots he had surveyed. After the drawing for lots in the city was completed, Barnes was elected the city's first mayor.Louis Seymour Barnes"The Founding of Ponca City" ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'' 35 (Summer 1957). Another city, Cross, vied with Ponca City to become the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ponca City Regional Airport
Ponca City Regional Airport is a city-owned airport two miles northwest of Ponca City, in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. Scheduled passenger flights on Great Lakes Airlines to Denver and Dodge City ended in August, 2006. The service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. History The January 1938 directory says Ponca City's airport was sod, a half-mile square; in November 1938 a concrete runway opened. The United States Army Air Forces took over the facility in the summer of 1941 and used it as part of the British Flying Training School Program. This training was part of the Lend-Lease act where Royal Air Force flying cadets received a 20-week basic flying course taught by civil contractors. The Darr School of Aeronautics provided flight training. Ponca City was designated No6 British Flying Training School. PT17a Boeing Stearmans were the primary basic trainer, with the North American AT6A "Harvard" the Advanced Trainer used at the airfield between 19 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Clewiston, Florida
Clewiston is a city in Hendry County, Florida, United States. Its location is northwest of Fort Lauderdale on the Atlantic coastal plain. The population was 7,327 at the 2020 census, up from 7,155 at the 2010 census. The estimated population in 2018 was 7,985. The city is located on the south bank of Lake Okeechobee, and the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) passes through the edge of the city. The city is home to Billie Swamp Safari, the Clewiston Museum and the Dixie Crystal Theatre. The area has been home to Seminole tribe members and sugar plantations, with the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum located south of the city. History The area beside Lake Okeechobee was once used as a fishing camp by the Seminole tribe. The first permanent settlement began in 1920, when John O'Brien of Philadelphia and Alonzo Clewis of Tampa purchased a large tract of land to establish a town. They commissioned a town plan and built the Moore Haven & Clewiston Railway to connect the co ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Airglades Airport
Airglades Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Hendry County, Florida, United States. It is located west of the central business district of Clewiston, Florida. Overview The airport has a lighted 5950-foot runway (13-31) and ample aircraft tie-down space, Avfuel® aviation and jet fuel, and repair facilities for visiting aircraft and locally based aircraft owners. Unicom is on 123.05. Rental are available, as well as a local taxi service for easy travel around the area. History In 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made an urgent appeal to the United States to provide war materials and pilot training for defense against a superior German air power which bombarded England during the Battle of Britain. President Franklin Roosevelt responded by implementing the Lend Lease Act, which called for the construction of six British Flying Training Schools in California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas and the British Flying Training School (BFTS) #5 at Riddle Field near ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Falcon Field (Arizona)
Falcon Field is in an airport located in Maricopa County, Arizona. It was originally built northeast of Mesa, which owns it. However, it is now within city limits. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a ''reliever airport''. Scheduled service to Bullhead City on Western Express Air ended in January 2007. Most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, but Falcon Field is FFZ to the FAA and MSC to the IATA. Adjacent Boeing heliport The Boeing Company operates a heliport and factory adjacent to Falcon Field, known as the Boeing Mesa Facility. Boeing uses the facility to manufacture and maintain the AH-64 Apache military helicopter. Other services Local companies: *Alliant Techsystems (ATK) *Boeing *CAE Global Academy Phoenix *Falcon Executive Aviation Inc. *Lockheed Martin *Marsh Aviation *MD Helicopters *Nammo Talley * Semflex *Special Devices Inc. * Timken * Trans-Matic *Wal-Mart *GECO In ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is , with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people. The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 170 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Miami, Oklahoma
Miami ( ) is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capital of the federally recognized Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, after which it is named; the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, the Peoria Tribe of Indians, and the Shawnee Tribe. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,969. History The city was founded in an unusual way, compared to other towns established in Indian Territory. Per the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' "... it was settled in a business-like way by men of vision who looked into the future and saw possibilities. It didn't just grow. It was carefully planned." W. C. Lykins petitioned the U.S. Congress to pass legislation on March 3, 1891, to establish the town. He met with Thomas F. Richardville, chief of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, who agreed t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Miami Municipal Airport
Miami Municipal Airport is two miles northwest of Miami, in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''general aviation'' facility. History The airport opened in December 1937 with two 3,200' concrete runways aligned north-south (17/35) and northeast-southwest (05/22). In summer 1941 the facility was taken over by the United States Army Air Forces and was used initially as part of the British Flying Training School program. This training was part of the Lend-Lease act where Royal Air Force (RAF) flying cadets had a 20-week basic flying course taught by civil contractors. Flight training was by Spartan Aircraft Company, using Fairchild PT-19s as the primary trainer. Also had several PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks assigned. In November 1942 RAF training ended at Miami and the airfield became a primary (stage 1) pilot training airfield assigned to AAF Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |