77th Flying Training Wing


The 77th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to the Central Flying Training Command, and was based in Texas between 1943 and its disbandment on 16 June 1946.
There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 77th Aeronautical Systems Wing, established on 5 February 1942 as the 77th Observation Group at Salinas Army Air Base, California, and this organization.

History

On 14 August 1943, the wing was established at Foster Army Airfield, Texas. It directed Flight Schools in South Texas. The schools provided phase III advanced flying training for Air Cadets, along with advanced single-engine transition training for experienced pilots for reassignment to other flying units. Air Cadet graduates of the advanced schools were commissioned as Second Lieutenants, received their "wings" and were reassigned to First Air Force, Second Air Force, Third Air Force, or Fourth Air Force operational or Replacement Training Units in the Zone of the Interior.
As training requirements changed during the war, schools were activated and inactivated or transferred to meet those requirements. The wing headquarters was moved to Bryan Army Airfield in March 1945, and disbanded there in June 1946.

Lineage

The schools of the wing used primarily the North American AT-6 as their single-engine advanced trainer. Also some Bell P-39s, Curtiss P-40s and North American P-51s were used for transition training. :

Assigned Schools

; Aloe Army Airfield, Victoria, Texas
; Bryan Army Air Base, Bryan, Texas
; Eagle Pass Army Airfield, Eagle Pass, Texas
; Foster Field, Victoria, Texas
; Matagorda Peninsula Army Airfield, Matagorda Island, Texas
; Moore Field, Mission, Texas

Stations