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the Air training Centers. The flying course itself was 10 weeks and about 40 percent of students “washed out” of the program. Graduates were transferred to basic and advanced training bases within the Air Corps Training Center regions.
Student pilots at the primary flight training schools in the Gulf Coast area were fortunate to have a fleet of Stearman PT­13 biplanes at their disposal. By contrast, students at the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, had to alter­ nate between aging PT­3 ships and the PT­13. Gradually, however, as the Wichita Division increased production rates, Stearman biplanes began replacing the trusty but obsolete Consolidated machines. The contract schools eventually earned a reputation for turning out competent airmen, not only for the United States but also for Great Britain, China, Canada and other allied nations.
The U.S. Navy, too, was desper­ ate to train new pilots for combat,
A group of pilots assigned to the Tuskegee Army Field near Tuskegee, Alabama, posed for the camera with their Stearman trainers in the background. A large number of African Americans became members of the
famous 332nd fighter group known as “Red Tails.” (Courtesy U.S. Air Force AETC Office).
JUNE 2019 KING AIR MAGAZINE • 31