Victory Field is a former military airfield, located approximately south-southwest of
Vernon, Texas
Vernon is a city and the county seat of Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 11,002.
History
The original town was called Eagle Springs by the indigenous community as early as 1858. After the ...
. It was closed in 1945 at the end of
World War II
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 opposin ...
.
History
Part of the Army Air Corps build up for World War II, Victory Field was built and activated in June 1941. It was assigned to the Air Corps Flying Training Command,
Gulf Coast Training Center
Flying Division, Air Training Command, was a training formation of the United States Air Force. The unit was established in 1926 as the Air Corps Training Center to be the primary pilot training center for the Air Corps. It was reorganized int ...
(later Central Flying Training Command).
The facility was a primary (stage 1) pilot training airfield operated under contract by Hunter Flying Service & Richey Flying Service.
Fairchild PT-19
The Fairchild PT-19 (company designation Fairchild M62) is an American monoplane primary trainer aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Forces, RAF and RCAF during World War II. Designed by Fairchild Aircraft, it was a contempora ...
s were the primary trainer at the airfield. Thousands of cadets were trained and made their first solo flight at Victory Field. As the Army Air Corps succeeded in Europe it decided to draw down training and scheduled the closure of Victory Field in 1945.
Current use
In 1950, it was a TYC unit, closing in 2010. It remains today the Adolescent Forensic Program for North Texas State Hospital.
See also
*
Texas World War II Army Airfields
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established numerous airfields in Texas for training pilots and aircrews. The amount of available land and the temperate climate made Texas a prime location for year-round military training. By ...
*
31st Flying Training Wing (World War II)
The 31st Flying Training Wing was a training formation of the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II.
The wing's mission was to train personnel of the U.S. Army Air Forces Training Command. Headquartered at Enid Field, Oklahoma, for ...
References
* Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
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1941 establishments in Texas
USAAF Contract Flying School Airfields
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Texas
Buildings and structures in Wilbarger County, Texas
Post-World War II aircraft storage facilities