With the purchase of its first airplane, built and successfully flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright, in 1909 the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

began the training of flight personnel. This article describes the training provided in those early years, though

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 ...

, and the immediate years after the war until the establishment of the

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 ...

Flight Training Center in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, Texas during 1926.

Early Signal Corps Flight Training

The history of aviation training in the United States military began on 8 October 1909, when Wilbur Wright began instructing Lieutenants

Frank P. Lahm Frank Purdy Lahm (November 17, 1877 – July 7, 1963) was an American aviation pioneer, the "nation's first military aviator", and a general officer in the United States Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces. Lahm developed an interest in flying f ...

and

Frederic E. Humphreys Frederick Erastus Humphreys (September 16, 1883 – January 20, 1941) was one of the original three military pilots trained by the Wright brothers and the first to fly solo. Biography Frederick was born on September 16, 1883 in Summit, New Jersey ...

on Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, which the Army had recently purchased from the Wright brothers. Each of the two men received a little over three hours training before soloing on 26 October 1909.Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas Rockwell Field hangars - 1912

The Army airplane trials had been held at

Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and Fort Whipple, t ...

, Virginia in 1908 because of its proximity to Washington, headquarters of the Army and its Aeronautical Division, but the commandant at Fort Myer (a cavalry and field artillery post) refused to relinquish the parade ground for further flight training. He was already disgruntled because the trials had disrupted his summer training schedule of mounted drills. Moreover, the Wright Brothers expressed reluctance to teach beginners to fly on the small, enclosed area.Cameron, 1999, Chapter 2 – The Signal Corps Another site was found near

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known a ...

, about eight miles northeast of Washington, D.C. The Signal Corps agreed to lease the site. However, the winter weather meant the College Park site could not be used for year-round training. Various sites in the south and west were used during the early 1910s at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

, near San Antonio, Texas,

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

, San Diego, California, and

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. However flying training in the Army remained on a small scale until the USA joined World War I in April 1917. In February 1913, the Aviation School contingent in Augusta, Georgia, along with two pilots who had been training in Palm Beach, Florida, transferred to Texas City, Texas, to join ground forces on duty along the border. This meant that the Army Aviation school was concentrated on North Island, San Diego.Cameron, 1999 Chapter 3, Prelude to War: Reform, Operational Training

World War I Flight Training

When the United States entered World War I, the exhausted British and French forces wanted American troops in the trenches of the Western Front as soon as possible. By 1917, aerial warfare was also considered key to the success of the ground forces, and in May 1917, The French, in particular, asked the Americans to also bolster Allied air power. The French wanted the Americans to supply 5,000 pilots and planes, along with 50,000 mechanics to supplement the French and British air forces already in combat. The training system of the Signal Corps at that time would simply not be capable of producing such numbers. It was decided to establish a system, similar to the British training program of a ground school, then a primary flight program, then a specialized program to train new pilots in the three basic areas that had been developed by the French and British air forces, pursuit, bombardment and observation.

Preflight Training

The Air Service instituted the first phase of air training, ground schooling, first, because a vast reservoir of eager and qualified young men that volunteered for the Air Service, and also because this phase did not require flight instruction or aircraft. The Signal Corps sent several representatives to the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

School of Military Aeronautics, where they attended classes, listened to reports from the war zone, and gathered instructional materials and regulations used at the school. The Canadians enrolled a new class every week, graduating students in six weeks' time. Successful ground-school graduates proceeded to flying school. The system served to weed out some unfit or incompetent students early, conserving time and instructional and equipment resources. The American committee decided to adopt the Canadian program in its entirety, only lengthening the course to eight weeks (later extending it to ten weeks, then to twelve), using existing American universities for instruction. JN-4s Kelly Field 1918

During World War I, approximately 23,000 volunteers entered flying cadet training. Eight private and state universities offered preflight (ground school) training.Cameron, Rebecca Hancock, 1999, Training to Fly. Military Flight Training 1907-1945, Chapter 4: Training at home for War Overseas. Air Force History and Museums Program, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama This was conducted at: * Princeton University, New Jersey * University of Texas * Cornell University, New York * University of California * University of Illinois * Massachusetts Institute of Technology * Georgia School of Technology * Ohio State University Upon successful completion of preflight training, flight cadets were sent to Camp John Dick Aviation Concentration Center, located at the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas. There the cadets would be processed and placed in groups for their primary flight training.

Primary Training

Primary and advanced training became a major issue with the United States' entry into World War I. In April 1917, the Army had fewer than 100 flying officers and only three flying fields

Hazelhurst Field Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located east-southeast of Mineola, Long Island, New York. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aerodrome, it was a training field (Hazel ...

, Mineola, New York;

Camp Kelly Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. I ...

, San Antonio, Texas, and

Rockwell Field Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California. This airfield ...

, San Diego, California. There was also a seaplane base, Chandler Field, Essington, Pennsylvania. However, Chandler Field was closed in the summer of 1917 as inadequate, and its personnel and equipment transferred to the new

Gerstner Field Gerstner Field is a former World War I military airfield, located southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. It operated as a training field for the Air Service, United States Army between 1917 until 1919. The airfield was one of thirty-two Air Se ...

, Louisiana. Rockwell Field - 1917

Because it would take a long time to construct adequate training facilities in the United States, Canada provided flying bases at

Deseronto Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located at the mouth of the Napanee River on the shore of the Bay of Quinte, on the northern side of Lake Ontario. The town was named for Captain John Deseronto, a n ...

and

Camp Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, C ...

in the Toronto area during the summer of 1917 so that several hundred American cadets could begin primary flying training under the tutelage of the British

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

. The British also operated three flying schools in the United States, located at

Camp Taliaferro Camp Taliaferro was a World War I flight-training center run under the direction of the Air Service, United States Army in the Fort Worth, Texas, area. Camp Taliaferro had an administration center near what is now the Will Rogers Memorial Cent ...

, Fort Worth, Texas. Among the benefits of the arrangement was the integration of aerial gunnery into the U.S. flight training program. A few Americans who had taken an aerial gunnery course in Canada returned to become instructors at American flying fields. By late 1917, about one-third of Hicks Field, Texas, had been given over to the RFC School of Aerial Gunnery. There, Canadians supplied the planes and equipment to train both Americans and Canadians. When the United States entered World War I, only the North Island field was a usable military airfield. Essington had been a quarantine station and Mineola, an exposition ground. In May 1917, construction began on

Wilbur Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Loc ...

near Dayton, Ohio. Soon afterward,

Chanute Field Chanute may refer to: * Chanute, Kansas, United States ** Chanute High School *Octave Chanute (1832–1910), American civil engineer and aviation pioneer *Chanute Air Force Base Chanute Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force ...

opened at Rantoul, Illinois, as did

Selfridge Field Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Unit ...

near Detroit. By October 31, fourteen facilities had been built, of which nine had begun flight training. Scott Field - 1917

During 1917, a number of fields provided primary training:

(Mineola, New York), Selfridge Field (Mt. Clemens, Michigan), Wilbur Wright Field (Fairfield, Ohio),

(Rantoul, Illinois), Scott Field (Belleville, Illinois),

(San Antonio, Texas), and

(the old North Island site in San Diego). Proposed advanced schools at Houston, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, were also used for primary training until the necessary equipment could be supplied for specialized instruction. All of these new airfields were named after Americans who lost their lives on aeronautical duty, some of which in the days when aviation was in its infancy. Three civilians who were pioneers in aeronautics were also honored. On December 15, 1917, the five northern schools closed and cadets transferred to the two southern schools. Because of year-round training, southern schools permitted a more even flow of students. Each training field consisted of 100 airplanes and 144 cadets, with several training squadrons and a Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC). Between June and late November 1917, manufacturers met the immediate demand for primary trainers with the delivery of 600 new

Curtiss JN-4 The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for th ...

A Jennies, as the airplane became known. The famous Jenny remained the ubiquitous primary trainer throughout the war. Depending upon the vagaries of weather, equipment, and individual ability, the aspiring pilot needed six to eight weeks, including forty to fifty hours of flying time, to earn his wings.

Advanced Training

Over 11,000 flying cadets received their wings and were commissioned before entering four weeks of advanced training. Advanced training in the United States adopted the scheme used by tactical squadrons in France of classifying flying personnel (pilots or observers, the latter including all non-pilots) according to mission. * Pursuit instruction took place 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 ...

, and

Dorr Field Dorr Field is a former military airfield, located east 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 Dorr Field was named after ...

: The pursuit pilot, flying a single-seat aircraft, usually at high altitude, was the fighter. The approximately nine-week pursuit course encompassed theoretical and practical ground and air training. Ground instruction included study of the organization and employment of pursuit squadrons; the types and assembly of motors, airplanes, and radios; formation flying; German military organization, tactics, and combat aircraft; and fighting methods, maneuvers, attack, and combat, while alone and in formations. * Observer instruction took place at Call Field,

Post Field Henry Post Army Airfield is a military use airport located at Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. This military airport is owned by United States Army. Established as Post Field in 1917, it was one of thirty-two Air Service ...

Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perform ...

, and

s. : The observation pilot was accompanied by an aerial observer who gathered information and photographed enemy positions. Although the observation mission was familiar, for the first time the Air Service had to craft formal crew training curricula. Besides pilots transitioning to new aircraft, non-pilot observers had to be instructed how to gauge the enemy’s activities and to photograph and, frequently, to shoot. Thus, in addition to programs for piloting and gunnery – the two elements of pursuit training – observation required teaching the additional skills of radio communication, photography, and artillery spotting. * Bombing instruction took place at

Ellington Field Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is a joint installation shared by various active component and reserve component military units, as well as aircraft flight operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the aegis ...

and

s. : The bombing pilot and bombardier also flew a double-seat airplane across enemy lines, often at night. Because the Army leadership so tardily and reluctantly developed bombardment as an acknowledged branch of aerial warfare, it was the last section to be organized, and it initially lacked most essential equipment. But it was also subject to less pressure since the AEF requested only two bombing pilots for every five pursuit and three observation pilots. Classwork included the study of organizations, map and compass reading, ballistics, photography, tactics, day and night bombing, preparations for raid, miniature range exercises, and study of and then actually dropping dummy and explosive bombs. After commissioning, the bombardier and the pilot held equal rank, and both continued for two more weeks of aerial gunnery training. Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout training aircraft

Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout training aircraft

Supposedly, all combat airmen had taken some aerial gunnery instruction. Advanced gunnery therefore followed the pursuit pilot at the pursuit schools and the others at advanced aerial gunnery schools. The burden on the Army, as it tried to build the capability for advanced training in the United States, was ultimately insurmountable. Airfields might be used for primary as well as for advanced training, or they might be converted from one type to the other as weather conditions dictated, as equipment became available, or as demand for specialists increased or decreased. By the end of May 1918, a bombing school was located at Ellington Field near Houston; a pursuit school at Gerstner Field, Lake Charles, Louisiana, and three other fields to be converted from primary to pursuit; observer schools were at Langley Field, Virginia, and at Post Field, Fort Sill. There were gunnery schools at Selfridge Field, Mt. Clemens, Michigan; at Ellington Field; at Taliaferro Field No. 1, Fort Worth, Texas; and at Wilbur Wright Field, Fairfield, Ohio, which also served as an armorers' and instructors' school. Observer-Gunner training during World War I

Observer-Gunner training during World War I

The Training Section also established auxiliary schools at

taught armorers, Brooks Field and Scott Field contained the principal instructor's schools. Radio instruction was taught at Carnegie Tech University, Pittsburgh, Austin University, Texas and Columbia University, New York. A photography school at Langley Field was also developed. Because the United States was in World War I only for a year and a half and entered it so unprepared, only about 1,000 of the 11,000 aviators trained during the war were actually involved in operations against the enemy. Most of these operations consisted of artillery observation or air-to-air combat. Rapid demobilization followed the end of World War I, and many of these flying schools were closed and turned over to local authorities as airports, although some remained in service though the 1920s, World War II, and into the modern era.

Flying Fields (United States)

Aviation Section, U.S. Air Service

Baker Field Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium, officially known as Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium at Baker Athletics Complex, is a stadium in the Inwood neighborhood at the northern tip of the island of Manhattan, New Y ...

: Rochester, New York : : : United States Aerial School of Photography, Eastman Kodak Park, Technical Training : Baker's Field: Aerial photography training *

Barron Field Barron Field (Camp Taliaferro Field #2) is a former World War I military airfield, located West-southwest of Everman, Texas. It operated as a training field for the Air Service, United States Army between 1917 until 1921. It was one of thir ...

(Camp Taliaferro Field #2)** : Everman, Texas : : Named after Cadet R. J Barron : Construction started 18 September 1917; flying began 20 November 1917. : Primary Flying School: 8-week course *

Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German (Bölling): from ...

: Anacostia, District of Columbia : : Advanced Flying School * Brooks Field : San Antonio, Texas : : Named after Cadet Private Sidney Johnson Brooks, Jr : Construction started 11 December 1917 : Permanent facility, Aviation Flight Instructor School.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. * Call Field : Wichita Falls, Texas : : Named after 1st Lieutenant Loren H. Call : Construction started 4 September 1917; flying began 1 December 1917 : Temporary flying field, Observation School: Advanced flying, 5-week course for observers, 4-week course for pilots : Field ordered closed, 11 July 1919 *

: Arcadia, Florida : : Named after 1st Lieutenant Victor Carlstrom : Construction started 11 December 1917 : Permanent facility, Advanced Pursuit School: 6-week course * Carruthers Field (later

Benbrook Field Benbrook Field (Camp Taliaferro Field #3) is a former World War I military airfield, located North of Benbrook, Texas. It operated as a training field for the Air Service, United States Army between 1917 until 1919. It was one of thirty-two ...

) (Camp Taliaferro Field #3)** : Benbrook, Texas : : Named after Cadet W. K. Carruthers : Construction started 18 September 1917; flying began November 1917. : Primary Flying School: 8-week course *

: Rantoul, Illinois : : Named after Octave Chanute, Pioneer Aviation Engineer : Construction started 31 May 1917; flying began 14 July 1917. : Permanent flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course *

: Arcadia, Florida : : Named after Cadet Private Stephen H. Dorr : Construction started 26 December 1917 : Permanent flying field : Primary Flying School : Advanced Pursuit School : Aerial Gunnery School: 3-week course for pursuit graduates *

Eberts Field Eberts Field is a former military airfield, located northwest of Lonoke, Arkansas. The airfield was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established in 1917 after the United States entry into World War I. It operated as a training f ...

: Lonoke, Arkansas : : Named after Captain Melchior Eberts : Construction started 11 December 1917 : Temporary flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course : Closed, May 1919 *

: Houston, Texas : : Named after 2d Lieutenant E. L. Ellington : Construction started 18 September 1917; flying began, 15 December 1917 : Permanent flying field, : Armorers' School; Bombing School: 8-week course for bombers, ll-week course for pilots : Aerial Gunnery School for Bombing, 3-week course : Radio School: For training advanced radio operators *

Emerson Field Cary C. Boshamer Stadium is a baseball stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is the home of the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team. History The previous home of the Tar Heels was a multi-use venue called Emerson Field, which sat some 2 ...

: Columbia, South Carolina; located on the military reservation of Camp Jackson : : Named in honor of Lt. Wiliam K. B. Emerson : Established in connection with field artillery brigade firing center at Camp Jackson. *

France Field France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

: Cocoa Walk, Canal Zone : : Advanced Flying School for tropical flying *

: Lake Charles, Louisiana : : Named after 2d Lieutenant Fredrick J. Gerstner : Construction of field started 22 September; flying began, 15 December 1917. : Temporary flying field : Advanced Bombing School: 8-week course : Advanced Pursuit School : Radio School: Advanced course for radio telegraph officers. : Closed, May 1919 *

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

: San Antonio, Texas : : Named after 2d Lieutenant George E. M. Kelly : Construction started 24 July 1917; flying began 11 August 1917. : Permanent flying field, under lease 1917-19, purchased, 1919 : Primary Flying School: 8-week course : Aviation Mechanics School : Concentration Camp, Air Service Indoctrination training : Ground School for Adjutants, Supply Officers, and Engineers. * Love Field : Dallas, Texas : : Named after 1st Lieutenant Moss Lee Love : Construction started 26 September 1917; flying began 8 December 1917. : Temporary flying field : Bombing School, Advanced flying, 8-week course for bombers, ll-week course for pilots : Reserve Military Aviators' Concentration School indoctrination training : Closed, May 1919 *

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 ...

: Riverside, California : : Named after 2d Lieutenant Peyton C. March, Jr. : Construction started 23 March 1918; flying began, 15 June 1918. : Permanent flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course *

Mather Field Mather may refer to: People * Mather (given name), a list of people with the given name * Mather (surname), a list of people with the surname Places * Mather, California (disambiguation) * Mather, Manitoba, Canada, a community * Mather, Pennsyl ...

: Sacramento, California : : Named after 2d Lieutenant Carl Spencer Mather : Construction authorized 3 March 1918; flying began 17 June 1918. : Permanent flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course *

Park Field Naval Support Activity Mid-South (NSA Mid-South, NAVSUPPACT Mid-South, NSAMS), in Millington, Tennessee, is a base of the United States Navy. A part of the Navy Region Southeast and the Navy Installations Command, NSA Mid-South serves as the Navy ...

: Millington, Tennessee : : Named after 1st Lieutenant Joseph D. Park : Construction started 18 September 1917; flying began 1 December 1917. : Temporary flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course * Payne Field : West Point, Mississippi : : Named after Captain Dewitt Payne : Construction started, 8 February 1918; flying began, 20 May 1918. : Temporary flying field : Pursuit School: Advanced flying, 6-week course : Reserve Military Aviators' Concentration School Indoctrination Training : Closed, May 1919 *

: Fort Sill, Lawton Oklahoma : : Named after 2d Lieutenant Henry B. Post : Construction started 8 August 1917, training began January 1918 : Permanent flying field, located on military reservation of Fort Sill. : Balloon School: for the training of balloon organizations and balloon observers : Observation School: 5-week course for observers, 4-week course for pilots : Radio School: Advanced course for radio telegraph officers *

Rich Field Rich Field is a former World War I military airfield, located in Waco, Texas, near what is now the intersection of Bosque Boulevard and 41st Street. It operated as a training field for the Air Service, United States Army from 1917 until 1919. Th ...

: Waco, Texas : : Named after 2d Lieutenant Perry C. Rich : Construction started 11 September 1917; flying began, 1 December 1917. : Temporary flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course : Closed, May 1919 *

: San Diego, California : Pre-World War I Flying School, established 1913. : Named after 2d Lieutenant Lewis G. Rockwell : : Aerial Gunnery School : Primary Flying School: 8-week course : Advanced Pursuit School: 6-week course

First Reserve Wing

Headquarters: Hazelhurst Field. The First Reserve Wing. The Wing controlled all flying fields on Long Island; its principal function, aside from the defense of New York City, was the training of squadrons as units for overseas duty and development of teamwork in advanced flying * Brindley Field : Commack, Long Island, New York : : Named in honor of Maj. Oscar A. Brindley : Auxiliary of Hazelhurst Field. Used for advanced flying under supervision of commanding officer, 1st Provisional Wing. * Damm Field : Babylon, Long Island, New York : : Named in honor of Lt. Col. Henry J. Damm : Auxiliary of Hazelhurst Field. Used for advanced flying under supervision of commanding officer, 1st Provisional Wing. *

Roosevelt Field Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located east-southeast of Mineola, Long Island, New York. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aerodrome, it was a training field (Hazel ...

: Mineola, Long Island, New York : : Initially named Westbury Plateau or as the Plateau at Hazelhurst Field. Named in honor of 1st Lt. Quentin Roosevelt : Auxiliary of Hazelhurst Field. Used for advanced flying under supervision of commanding officer, 1st Provisional Wing. * Lufherry Field : Wantagh, Long Island, New York : : Named in honor of Maj. Raoul V. Lufberry : Auxiliary of Hazelhurst Field. Used for advanced flying under supervision of commanding officer, 1st Provisional Wing. *

(Later: Mitchel Field) : Mineola, Long Island, New York : : Named after 2d Lieutenant Leighton W. Hazelhurst : Established, June 1916 on property previously used by New York National Guard as an aviation field (Mineola Field). Flying started June 1916 : Temporary flying field under lease. ::

Aviation Concentration Center Camp Albert L. Mills (Camp Mills) was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains within what is now the village of Garden City. In September ...

: Located at Garden City. Used as reception center for Air Service recruits; Facilitated Air Service units for the purposes of embarkation to Europe, and after the armistice in November 1918, for the purposes of debarkation. :: Consolidated with Aviation Concentration Center (Renamed Air Service Depot) at Garden City and combined with Mitchel Field, 5 April 1919.

Second Reserve Wing

Headquarters, Park Place, Houston, Texas *

: Mount Clemens, Michigan : : Named after 1st Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge : Construction started, 3 July 1917; flying began, 14 July 1917. : Permanent flying field : Aerial Gunnery School for Observation Graduates: 3-week course : Aerial Gunnery School for Fighting Observers: 4-week course * Scott Field : Bellevielle, Illinois : : Named after Corporal Frank S. Scott, the first enlisted person to be killed in an aviation crash. : Construction started, 4 July 1917; flying began, 12 September 1917 : Permanent flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course *

Souther Field Souther Field is a former military airfield, located Northeast of Americus, Georgia. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I in April 1917. After World War II, the prope ...

: Americus, Georgia : : Named after Major Henry Souther : Construction started 19 February 1918; flying began, 1 June 1918. : Temporary flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course *

** : Named after 1st Lieutenant Walter R. Taliaferro ::

Hicks Field Hicks Field (Camp Taliaferro Field #1) is a former World War I military airfield, located North-northwest of Saginaw, Texas. It operated as a training field for the Air Service, United States Army between 1917 until 1920. It was one of thirt ...

, Saginaw Texas (Field #1) :: :: Named after Charles Hicks :: Aerial Gunnery School for Army Corps Pilots: 3-week course :: Operated by:

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

, taken over by Air Service 30 April 1918. On May 1, 1918, each field was given independent status. Closed, May 1919 * Taylor Field : Montgomery, Alabama : : Named after Captain Ralph L. Taylor : Construction started 11 December 1917. : Temporary flying field, Primary Flying School: 8-week course * Camp Dick : Dallas, Texas : : World War I use of Texas State Fairgrounds : Aviation Classification Center : Cadet Gunnery Camp *

: Riverside, Ohio : : Named after Wilbur Wright, Aviation Pioneer : Construction of field started 27 May 1917; flying began, 14 July 1917 and continued to 15 December 1917; resumed 15 April 1918 : Permanent flying field Placed under Technical Section, Department of Military Aeronautics : Armorers' School, for the training of enlisted armorers and armament officers : Aerial Gunnery Course : Field, school, and depot consolidated 4 January 1919 and designated Wilbur Wright Air Service Depot. *

: Hampton, Virginia : : Named after Samuel Langley, Pioneer Aviator : Construction started 20 June 1917 : Permanent flying field and balloon station : Experimental Engineering Department : Observation; School: 5-week course for observers, 4-week course for pilots : School of Photography ** Camp Taliaferro was a flight training center under the direction of the Air Service which had and administration center near what is now the Will Rodgers Memorial Center in

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, Texas. Flying airfields consisted of Hicks Field near Saginaw Texas where US flight cadets and Canadian aerial gunnery students trained, Canadian and British cadets trained at Barron Field in Everman and at Carruthers Field in Benbrook. From 1917 to 1918 British

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

instructors trained 6000 flight cadets at the facilities making up Camp Taliaferro.

Balloon Observers Schools

Fort Omaha Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, ...

: Omaha, Nebraska : : Established March 1917, : Permanent post, United States Army Balloon School (for training balloon observers only) * Ross Field : Arcadia, California : : Named after 2d Lieutenant Cleo J. Ross : Field established 3 June 1918 : Permanent military reservation : School for Enlisted Balloon Specialists : School for Balloon Company Commanders and Observers *

Camp John Wise Camp John Wise is a former United States Army military garrison, located in San Antonio, Texas. During World War I it was used as a training field for the U. S. Army Balloon Corps between 1917 until 1919. The airfield was one of thirty-two Air S ...

: San Antonio, Texas : : Named after John Wise, Pioneer Balloonist : Opened 20 January 1918 : Temporary aviation camp, United States Army Balloon School : School for enlisted specialists to be assigned to balloon companies : Course in maneuvering for officers of balloon companies. : Closed, January 1919 * Army Balloon School : Lee Hall, Virginia : * Army Balloon Detachment : Fort Monroe, Virginia : * Army Balloon Detachment : Camp McClellan, Anniston, Alabama : * Army Balloon Detachment : Camp Knox, Stithton, Kentucky : * Army Balloon Detachment : Camp Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina :

Other Training Airfields

* Chandler Field : Essington, Pennsylvania : : Named after 1st Lieutenant Rex Chandler : Established 1 April 1917 : Temporary flying field, Seaplane pilot training : Closed November 1917 * Chapman Field : Miami, Florida : : Named after Victor Chapman, First American aviator killed in World War I (1916) : Construction extended from 15 May 1918, to 19 April 1919. : Aerial Gunnery School *

McCook Field McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named f ...

: Dayton, Ohio : : Named after Alexander McDowell McCook : Construction of field started, 6 October 1917. : Temporary aviation experimental station, under lease : Experimental Engineering Department : Bureau of Aircraft Production District Office * Penn Field : Austin, Texas : : Named after Cadet Eugene Penn : Under jurisdiction of the University of Texas, Austin; Opened 18 March 1918 : Primary pilot training (Never made operational) : Operator's Radio School : Closed, 8 August 1919 * Air Service School For Radio :

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

: New York, New York : : Officer's Radio School * Air Service School For Radio :

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania : : Mechanic's Radio School * East Field : Otay Mesa, San Diego, California : : Named in honor of Maj. W. J. East : Gunnery Range, Axillary of Rockwell Field *

Godman Field Godman or God-man may refer to: * Godman (name) * Godman (India), a colloquial term used in India for a charismatic spiritual leader * ''The Godman'', a 1999 Indian Malayalam film * ''God-Man'', a recurring character in the comic '' Tom the Dancin ...

: Stithton, Kentucky; Located on reservation of Camp Knox : : Named in honor of 1st Lt. Louis K. Godman : Established in connection with field artillery brigade firing center at Camp Knox. *

Pope Field Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012 ...

: Fayettefille, North Carolina; located on military reservation of Camp Bragg. : : Named in honor of 1st Lt. Harley Halbert Pope : established in connection with field artillery brigade firing center at Camp Bragg. * Ream Field : Oneonta, California : : Named in honor of Maj. William R. Ream : Axillary of Rockwell Field * Reilly Field : Anniston, Alabama; located on military reservation of Camp McClellan : : Named in honor of Capt. Henry J. Reilly : Established in connection with field artillery brigade firing center at Camp McClellan * Valentine Field : Labelle, Florida : : Named in honor of 2d Lt. Herman W. Valentine : Auxiliary of Carlstrom Field

Support facilities

* Aviation General Supply Depot, Middletown, Pennsylvania : The depot made overseas shipments and also supplied materiel to Bolling Field, Langley Field, and First Provisional Wing at Garden City. * Aviation General Supply Depot, Americus, Georgia : Adjacent to Souther Field. Depot supplied materiel to aviation fields and in particular to Park Field, Taylor Field, Payne Field, Carlstrom Field, and Dorr Field. * Aviation General Supply Depot, Little Rock, Arkansas : Its activity consisted in storing airplane parts and supplying materiel for Post Field, Call Field, Eberts Field, Love Field, Hicks Field, Barron Field, Rich Field, and Carruthers Field * Aviation General Supply Depot, Wilbur Wright Field, Ohio : Supplied materiel to flying fields; in particular to Chanute Field, Scott Field, Selfridge Field, Wilbur Wright Field, and the Aviation Repair Depot at Indianapolis, Indiana. * Aviation General Supply Depot, Houston, Texas : Its activity consisted in storing obsolete materiel and providing additional storage space for planes, spares, and engines in excess of the storage facilities at nearby Ellington Field. * Aviation General Supply Depot, Kelly Field, Texas : The depot operated as an equipment station, supplying in particular, Kelly Field, Brooks Field, Ellington Field and Gerstner Field. * Aviation General Supply Depot, Los Angeles, California : Supplied March Field, Mather Field, Rockwell Field, and Army Balloon School at Arcadia (Ross Field). * Aviation General Supply Depot, Sacramento, California : Used for storage of aviation supplies * Aviation Repair Depot, Montgomery, Alabama : Depot repaired wrecked planes and engines; also overhauled planes and engines that had flown the required number of hours. * Aviation Repair Depot, Indianapolis, Indiana : Depot repaired wrecked planes and engines and overhauling planes and engines when required * Aviation Repair Depot, Dallas, Texas : Activities consisted in repairing and overhauling airplanes and engines for Barron Field, Brooks Field, Call Field, Carruthers Field, Ellington Field, Gerstner Field, Kelly Field, Love Field, Post Field, Rich Field, and Hicks Field. Used Love Field for test flights of repaired machines.

American Expeditionary Force Training

Upon deployment to France, additional training was conducted by a series of Air Instructional Centers (AIC)s in France using French and British aircraft that were used in the combat squadrons at the front. This supplemental training was provided because of a lack of necessary equipment in the United States. Early intentions to conduct only advanced training in Europe immediately went awry. Because the structure for primary flight training had yet to be erected in the United States and because European facilities appeared to have space, it was arranged for several hundred American cadets to be admitted to French training schools, and he contacted the British and Italians to obtain similar commitments. The English accommodated about 200 men, and approximately 500 cadets went to Foggia, Italy, for primary training. Issoudun Airfield - Trainers

The largest number of men found themselves in France. The Air Service partially gave over the Third Aviation Instruction Center (3d AIC) at Issoudun Airdrome, France, originally intended for advanced instruction, to primary training. Negotiations for aviation schools at Tours Airdrome and Clermont-Ferrand Airdrome to be turned over to the U.S. Army – the former for observation and the latter for bombardment – were also in progress. But Tours, too, was converted to primary training. The old French aero school, located on a plateau across the river at Tours, came into American hands as the 2d AIC in September, and it remained the principal American primary flying school in France until the program's end. Tours and Issoudun conducted primary training for as many cadets as possible, even though some were left to languish, while other European schools also accepted trainees at overflow levels. Some new arrivals stayed at the Beaumont Barracks in Tours; others lodged at St. Maixent; still others were quartered at AEF headquarters in Paris. In January, 1918 the Training Section attempted to introduce some order by having all untrained cadets, of whom no more were authorized, removed from the schools and sent to St. Maixent, site of an old French barracks. It was to serve as the concentration point for all aviation troops arriving in the AEF. The French employed a variety of aircraft, in combat and in training. Americans at Avord learned on the Bleriot or the Caudron; promising cadets then passed to the much admired Nieuport for advanced pursuit training.I4 The French could most easily spare the Caudron G-3 for the American primary school at Tours, which was itself modeled directly on the Caudron course at Avord. The Caudron G-3 was a single-engine reconnaissance airplane of 1914 vintage, already outmoded by bomber models developed from it. The Italians agreed to host as many as 500 cadets in a school at Foggia, about 200 miles southeast of Rome.” In September 1917, the school, officially the 8th AIC under joint American and Italian jurisdiction, began training the first detachment of forty-six cadets, all honor graduates of American ground schools. The detachment had been sent first to Avord, but when plans for training in Italy crystallized. ;; Aviation Instruction Centers: * 1st Aviation Instructional Center (1st AIC) : Reuilly Barracks, Paris (Headquarters) : Mechanics Training School : Schools located at following factories: :: Hispano-Suiza Factory :: Renault Factory :: Breguet Factory :: Brasier Factory :: Nieuport Factory :: Bleriot Factory * 2d Aviation Instructional Center (2d AIC) :

Tours Aerodrome Tours Aerodrome was a complex of military airfields in the French department of Indre-et-Loire, 6 km (3.2 NM) north-northeast of the city of Tours. They were used during World War I as part of the Second Air Instructional Center (2d AIC), Am ...

: : Preliminary observation, radio, photography and gunnery school : Located near:

Tours, Centre Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C. : Now:

Tours Val de Loire Airport Tours Val de Loire Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport Tours-Val de Loire) is an airport in the French Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire, north-northeast of the city of Tours in the Loire Valley (''Val de Loire''). The airport ...

* 3d Aviation Instruction Center (3d AIC) :

Issoudun Aerodrome Issoudun Aerodrome was a complex of military airfields in the vicinity of Issoudun, Centre, France. They were used during World War I as part of the Third Air Instructional Center, American Expeditionary Forces for training United States airmen ...

: : Advanced pursuit and observation school : Located near: Issoudun, Centre * 4th Aviation Instruction Center (4th AIC) :

Avord Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

: : Advanced flying school : Location: NW of

Avord, Centre Avord () is a Communes of France, commune in the Cher (department), Cher Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region of France. Geography A farming area comprising the village and several hamlets situate ...

: Now:

Avord Air Base Avord Air Base or BA 702 (french: Base Aérienne 702 Capitaine Georges Madon), named after Captain Georges Madon, is a base of the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) located north northwest of Avord in central France. ...

(BA 102) * 5th Aviation Instruction Center (5th AIC) : Location Bron (Rhone), France : : Mechanics training school (closed late 1917)* * 6th Aviation Instruction Center (6th AIC) : Pau (Basses-Pyrenees), France : : Advanced flying school * 7th Aviation Instruction Center (7th AIC) : Clermont-Ferrand Aerodrome : : Bombardment training school : Located near Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne : Now:

Clermont-Ferrand Airport Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport (french: Aéroport de Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne) is an airport serving the French city of Clermont-Ferrand. It is located east of the city, in Aulnat, both '' communes'' of the Puy-de-Dôme department in the Au ...

* 8th Aviation Instruction Center (8th AIC) : Foggia Aerodrome : : Foggia, Italy * The 5th Aviation Instruction Center at Bron (now

Lyon–Bron Airport Lyon–Bron Airport (french: Aéroport de Lyon-Bron) is an airport located in Bron, east of Lyon, both communes of the Rhône department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. History The airport was established in 1920 and beca ...

) was located at the French Air Service Mechanics School. The first Americans were sent to the school in mid-September, 1917. The school was overcrowded and was lacking in proper quarters and mess facilities for the Americans. Also a lack of English-speaking instructors led to the decision to withdraw the Americans from the school. Students were sent to the 3d AIC at Issodun, with the last departing on 4 December 1917.US National Archives, Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, Series J Volume 10 Histories of the 5th (Bron), and 6th (Pau) Aviation Instruction Centers, Cazaux Aviation Instruction Center, St. John-de-Monts Aerial Gunnery School, 1st-5th Aerial Observation Schools, I and II Corps Aeronautical Schools, and Detachments at the Artillery Candidates School, and French, English, and Italian Aviation Schools via http://www.fold3.com ;; Artillery Aerial Observation Schools: * 1st Artillery Aerial Observation School (1st AAOS) : : Ecoles De Saint-Cyr Coetquidan (Camp de Coetquidan), France * 2d Artillery Aerial Observation School (2d AAOS) : : Sourge (Camp de Souge), France : Now:

Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac) is the international airport of Bordeaux, in south-western France. It is situated in the Communes of France, ''commune'' of Mérignac, Gironde, Mérignac, west o ...

* 3d Artillery Aerial Observation School (3d AAOS) : : Haussimont (Mailly), France * 4th Artillery Aerial Observation School (4th AAOS) : : Locmaria-Grand-Champ (Camp De Meucon), France * 5th Artillery Aerial Observation School (5th AAOS) : : Le Valdahon (Camp La Valdehon), France * Artillery Officers School (Aviation Detachment) : : Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg (Saumur Artillery School Aerodrome), France : Observation School for Artillery Officers ;; Miscellaneous AEF Schools * Cazaux Aviation Instruction Center : Cazaux Aerodrome, France : : Now:

Cazaux Air Base Cazaux Air Base (french: Base aérienne 120 Cazaux) is a French Air and Space Force (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace) base. The base is located in the village of Cazaux, part of the town of La Teste-de-Buch, and is approximately southwe ...

(BA 120) * St. John-de-Monts Aerial Gunnery School :

Saint-Jean-de-Monts Saint-Jean-de-Monts () is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. Geography The town is situated in the west of the ''département'', between Notre-Dame-de-Monts and Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. It is s ...

Aerodrome, France : * I Corps Aeronautical School** : Gondrecourt-le-Château, France * II Corps Aeronautical School : Chatillon-Sur-Seine Aerodrome, France : ** The I Corps Aeronautical School was a temporary school, located at the French Air Service machine-gun training school at Gondrecourt-le-Château. About 225 men were sent to the school during March and April, 1918.

Postwar reorganization

In early 1919 the Air Service's hopes ran high. The War Department determined to purchase and maintain fifteen flying fields and five balloon schools for training purposes. Of those, the government already owned Rockwell, Langley, Post (at Fort Sill), and Kelly Field No. 1. Early plans anticipated opening several primary schools and separate sites for advanced training in bombardment, observation, pursuit, and gunnery. However rapid peacetime demobilization led to the closure of the leased wartime facilities and by the end of 1919 most were deactivated as an active duty airfields, and a small caretaker unit was assigned to the facilities for administrative reasons.

References

* Sweetser, Authur, (1919), ''The American Air Service'', Appleton, New York

External links

* {{Wwi-air 20th-century military history of the United States Aviation in World War I World War I airfields

Early Signal Corps Flight Training

World War I Flight Training

Preflight Training

Primary Training

Advanced Training

Flying Fields (United States)

Aviation Section, U.S. Air Service

First Reserve Wing

Second Reserve Wing

Balloon Observers Schools

Other Training Airfields

Support facilities

American Expeditionary Force Training

Postwar reorganization

See also

References

External links