The 50th Flying Training Squadron is part of the

14th Flying Training Wing The 14th Flying Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The 14th Operations Group and its six squadrons are responsible for the 52-week Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training ( ...

based at

Columbus Air Force Base Columbus Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Columbus, Mississippi. The host unit at Columbus AFB is the 14th Flying Training Wing (14 FTW), which is a part of Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The resident ...

, Mississippi. It operates Northrop T-38C Talon aircraft conducting flight training.

Mission

Training Combat Pilots for America The advanced phase of undergraduate pilot training is conducted by the 50th Flying Training Squadron. This phase consists of 110 hours of flight instruction in the Northrop T-38C. Training includes advanced aircraft handling, tactical navigation, fluid maneuvering and an increased emphasis in two- and four-ship formation. At the completion of training, the graduate is awarded the aeronautical rating of pilot.

History

World War II

The 50th flew patrols on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

from February–June 1942 then provided air defense of

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

from August 1942-February 1944. It was not operational between February 1944 and its inactivation in August 1944.

Air Force reserves

The squadron was active in the

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

from 1947 to 1949.

Flying training

The squadron has conducted undergraduate pilot training since, 1 June 1972.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 50th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated 50th Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine) on 15 May 1942 : Redesignated 50th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine on 28 February 1944 : Disbanded on 9 August 1944 * Reconstituted and redesignated 50th Fighter Squadron (All Weather) on 23 May 1947 : Activated in the reserve on 12 June 1947 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated 50th Flying Training Squadron on 22 Mar 1972 : Activated on 1 June 1972

Assignments

* 14th Pursuit Group (later 14th Fighter Group), 15 January 1941 *

342d Composite Group Iceland Base Command (IBC) is an inactive United States Army organization. It was established for the United States defense of the Kingdom of Iceland during World War II. It was inactivated on 4 March 1947. History Origins Iceland was an impor ...

, 14 November 1942 * Eighth Air Force, February–9 Aug 1944 (attached to 8th Reconnaissance Group (Provisional) ater, 802d Reconnaissance Group {Provisional) *

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...

, 12 June 1947 *

381st Bombardment Group 381st may refer to: * 381st Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *381st Fighter Squadron or 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, squadron of the United States Air Force *381st Intelligence Squadron, intelligence unit located at Join ...

, 30 September 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

, 1 Jun 1972 * 14th Operations Group, 15 December 1991 – present

Stations

* Hamilton Field, California, 15 January 1941 *

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, 10 June 1941 * Metropolitan Oakland Municipal Airport, California, 8 February 1942 * Hamilton Field, California, 9 May–16 July 1942 *

RAF Atcham Royal Air Force Atcham or more simply RAF Atcham is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, on the north eastern boundary of Attingham Park. Initially built for RAF Fighter Command, during the Secon ...

(Station 342),Station number in Anderson. England, 18 August 1942 (operated from Meeks Field, Iceland) * Meeks Field, Iceland, 14 November 1942 * RAF Nuthampstead (Station 131), England, Feb 1944 *

RAF Cheddington Royal Air Force Cheddington or more simply RAF Cheddington (also known as RAF Marsworth) is a former Royal Air Force station located south-west of Cheddington, Buckinghamshire, England. The airfield was closed in 1952. Origins Cheddington wa ...

(Station 113), England, c. 15 Mar 1944 *

RAF Watton Royal Air Force Watton or more simply RAF Watton is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, England. Opened in 1937 it was used by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) d ...

(Station 376), England, 12 April–9 August 1944 * Offutt Field (later Offutt Air Force Base), Nebraska, 12 June 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

, Mississippi, 1 Jun 1972 – present)Stations in Robertson, except as noted.

Aircraft

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time an ...

(1941–1942) * Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1942–1944) *

North American AT-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

(1947–1949) * Northrop T-38A Talon (1972–2003) * Northrop T-38C Talon (2002–Present)

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Malayney, Norman, The 25th Bomb Group (Rcn) in World War II, 2011, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., ISBN 978-0-7643-3950-9, Section: 50th Fighter Squadron pp-22-30.

External links

50th Flying Training Squadron Website
Columbus AFB Public Site: * https://web.archive.org/web/20071123064834/http://www.columbus.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5233 Military units and formations in Mississippi 0050