| 97th Flying Training Squadron [1] | |
|---|---|
 97th Flying Training Squadron Patch | |
| Active |
9 February 1942 - 9 September 1945 12 April 1947 - 2 October 1949 1 December 1950 - 8 January 1958 1 February 1973 - 1 April 1993 1 April 1998 - Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Pilot Training |
| Part of |
Air Force Reserve Command 10th Air Force 340th Flying Training Group |
| Garrison/HQ | Sheppard Air Force Base |
| Decorations |
 DUC  AFOUA |
97th FIS (Air Defense Command)
97th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron North American F-86E-10-NA Sabre 51-2845 escorting a B-50 Superfortress, 1953
North American F-86L-55-NA Sabre 53-704, 4706th Air Defense Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 1954 Aircraft now on static display at Travis AFB museum, California
The 97th Flying Training Squadron (97 FTS) is part of the 340th Flying Training Group and is the Reserve associate to the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-6A Texan II and T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.
History[]
The 97th flew combat in the European Theater of Operations and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations between 25 December 1942 and 3 May 1945. It flew fighter escort and air defense from, 1947–1949 and air defense from, 1951-1957. The 97th has trained USAF pilots to fly supersonic jet aircraft from, 1973–1993 and since 1998.[1]
Operations[1][]
Lineage[1][]
- 97th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (1942)
- 97th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (Twin Engine) (1942)
- 97th Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine) (1942–1944)
- 97th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine (1942–1947)
- 97th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine (1947–1950)
- 97th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (1950–1972)
- 97th Flying Training Squadron (1972–Present)
Assignments[1][]
- 82d Fighter Group (1942–1945, 1947–1949)
- Eastern Air Defense Force (1950–1952)
- Attached: 56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing (1 December 1950 – 20 May 1951)
- Attached: 142d Fighter-Interceptor Wing (20 May 1951 – 6 February 1952)
- 4706th Air Defense Wing (1952–1955)
- 82d Fighter Wing (1955–1958)
- 82d Flying Training Wing (1973–1993)
- 340th Flying Training Group (1998–Present)
Bases stationed[1][]
- Harding Army Air Field, Louisiana (1942)
- Muroc Army Air Field, California (1942)
- Long Beach, California (1942)
- RAF Eglinton, Northern Ireland (1942)
- Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria (1942–1943)
- Telergma Airfield, Algeria (1943)
- Berteaux Airfield, Algeria (1943)
- Souk-el-Arba Airfield, Tunisia (1943)
- Grombalia Airfield, Tunisia (1943)
- Operated From: Gerbini Airfield, Sicily (6–18 September 1943)
- San Pancrazio, Italy (1943)
- Lecce, Italy (1943–1944)
- Vincenzo Airfield, Italy (1944–1945)
- Lesina Airfield, Italy (1945)
- Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire (1947–1949)
- Deployed: Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska (4 April-29 June 1948)
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (1950–1955)
- New Castle Air Force Base, Delaware (1955–1958)
- Williams Air Force Base, Arizona (1973–1993)
- Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas (1998–Present)
|}
Aircraft Operated[1][]
- P-38 Lightning (1942–1945)
- F-51 Mustang (1947–1949)
- F-86D Sabre Interceptor (1951–1955)
- F-94 Starfire (1955–1957)
- T-38 Talon (1998–Present, 1998–Present)
- T-37 Tweet (1998 - )
- AT-38 Talon (1998–2006)
- T-6 Texan II (2006–Present)
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
- Maurer, Maurer. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force: World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1982.
- USAF Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).
External links[]
- USAF 97th Flying Training Squadron History
- 80th Flying Training Wing Heritage Pamphlet
- Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program Fact Sheet
See also[]
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The original article can be found at 97th Flying Training Squadron and the edit history here.