The 11th School Group was a

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

and

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

unit. It was last assigned to the 24th School Wing, and was demobilized on 31 December 1931 at Brooks Field, Texas. The unit was an early

flying training group, becoming the center for Primary Army pilot training in 1922. It was demobilized in 1931 when primary flying training was consolidated at

Randolph Field Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the Un ...

, Texas.

History

Brooks Field, Texas opened in 1918 during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was the home of the Aviation Flight Instructor School during the war.Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the First World War, Volume 3, Part 2, Center of Military History, United States Army, 1949 (1988 Reprint), Zone of the Interior, Territorial Departments, Tactical Divisions organized in 1918. Posts, Camps and Stations. With the end of the war, Brooks became the home of the Air Corps Balloon and Airship School in May 1919. Budget restrictions and other factors brought on a major Air Service reorganization in 1922. It was decided to move the Balloon and Airship School to Scott Field, Illinois and to consolidate aircraft flying training in San Antonio, Texas, with Brooks Field for Primary Training and Kelly Field for Advanced Training.Maurer, Maurer (1987). Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C. With the decision to consolidate made, the Air Service Primary Flying School at

Carlstrom Field Carlstrom Field is a former military airfield, located southeast of Arcadia, Florida. The airfield was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established in 1917 after the United States entry into World War I. History Carlstrom Field ...

, Florida, was closed and a new one opened at Brooks Field. The 11th School Group was organized to perform duties as the headquarters for the new Air Corps Primary Flying School. Three Flying Training Squadrons (46th, 47th, 48th) were assigned to the group to train the flying cadets. The Air Service revamped the course and extended it to nine months but later trimmed it to six with two classes a year. The first part consisted of ground school, stressing military training as well as classwork more directly related to the business of flying. Flying training comprised the second half of the primary course. Starting with straight-and-level flying accompanied by an instructor in a dual trainer, the student advanced step by step until he could solo, execute a variety of maneuvers, and deal with many of the situations arising in flight. If the cadet review board (Benzine Board) did not get him, he graduated with the rating of junior airplane pilot (JAP). In 1927 basic flight training moved out of the advanced phase and combined with primary. At that point, primary-basic changed to eight months in length and advanced to four months.Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas When primary training got under way at Brooks field, the dual trainer was the

Curtiss JN-6H The Curtiss JN-6H (Model 1F) was an American biplane trainer aircraft built by Curtiss for the United States Army Air Service during World War I. Design and development Developed from the one-off JN-5H advanced trainer, the 6H had a superior ...

Jenny. Brooks later accepted other planes, including

Vought VE-7 The Vought VE-7 "Bluebird" was an early biplane of the United States. First flying in 1917, it was designed as a two-seat trainer for the United States Army, then adopted by the United States Navy as its first fighter aircraft. In 1922, a VE-7 be ...

s and TA-3s, for evaluation, but Curtiss JNs were used until 1926. The beginning class in March of that year was the first without Jennies. Students now flew in the new

Consolidated PT-1 The Consolidated PT-1 Trusty (company designation Model 1) was a biplane primary trainer used by the United States Army Air Service (USAAS). Design and development In 1921, Colonel Virginius Clark, chief designer of the Dayton-Wright Company ...

, with tandem seats and a Wright E engine. The decision by the

Coolidge Administration Calvin Coolidge's tenure as the 30th president of the United States began on August 2, 1923, when Coolidge became president upon Warren G. Harding's death, and ended on March 4, 1929. A Republican from Massachusetts, Coolidge had been vice presi ...

in 1926 to expand the Air Corps found the facilities in San Antonio were insufficient to accommodate the expanded number of cadets entering primary training. Also the growth of the City of San Antonio created hazards for training. As a result, two additional training squadrons (51st and 52d) were authorized at Brooks, and

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...

, California, was re-opened as a primary pilot training school in July 1927 as a temporary measure. Plans were put into place to expand the facilities in San Antonio with a single large field outside of the city to house all flying training. The new field, which constituted the largest construction project for the Army Corps of Engineers since the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

was named

. By the fall of 1931, construction of Randolph was essentially completed, and the primary schools at Brooks and March were moved to the new installation. With the transfer of the school, the 11th School Group was demobilized on 31 December 1931.

Lineage

* Organized on 1 September 1922 as the 11th Group Headquarters (School) : Re-designated 25 January 1923 as 11th School Group : Demobilized on 31 December 1931Clay, Steven E. (2011). US Army Order of Battle 1919–1941. 3 The Services: Air Service, Engineers, and Special Troops 1919–1941. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. . .

Assignments

* Air Service (later Corps) Primary Flying School, 1 September 1922 * 24th School Wing, 8 July 1927 – 31 December 1931

Components

;; Flying Training Squadrons * 46th School Squadron 1 September 1922 – 31 December 1931 * 47th School Squadron 1 September 1922 – 31 December 1931 * 48th School Squadron 1 September 1922 – 31 December 1931 * 51st School Squadron 1 August 1927 – 31 December 1931 * 52nd School Squadron 1 August 1927 – 31 December 1931 ;; Support Squadrons * 62d Service Squadron, 1 September 1922 – 1 June 1931 * 20th Photo Section, 1927-1929 * 24th Photo Section, 1927-1929

Stations

* Brooks Field, Texas, 1 September 1922 – 30 April 1931

References