Approximately 60 hours of flying instruction covered formation flying, navigation, and instrument flying, as well as a bit of aerial acrobatics. More than a million hours of flying were logged, primarily in the AT-6 Texan, along with some transitioning to P-40 Warhawk fighters and later the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt.Īlthough continually modified during the war years, the course of advanced flight training at Luke averaged about 10 weeks and included both flight training and ground school. During the years of World War II, more than 17,000 pilots trained at Luke Field, making it the largest single engine advanced flying training school in the U.S. The base was under the control of the 37th Flying Training Wing (Advanced Single-Engine), Western Flying Training Command, AAF Flying Training Command. Army Air Forces, graduating more than 12,000 fighter pilots from advanced and operational courses earning the nickname "Home of the Fighter Pilot". Then-captain Barry Goldwater served as director of ground training the following year.ĭuring World War II, Luke Field was the largest fighter training base in the U.S. Flying out of Sky Harbor Airport until the Luke runways were ready, pilots received ten weeks of instruction and the first class graduated 15 August 1941. The first class of 45 students, Class 41 F, arrived on 6 June 1941 to begin advanced flight training in the AT-6, although a few essential buildings had been completed. Advanced flight training in the AT-6 Texan began at Luke in June that same year. Another base known as Luke Field, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, released its name so the Arizona base could be called Luke Field.
began excavation for the first building at what was known then as Litchfield Park Air Base. The city of Phoenix bought 1,440 acres (5.8 km 2) of land which they leased to the government at $1 a year effective 24 March 1941. Army Air Corps training field for advanced training in conventional fighter aircraft. Army sent a representative to Arizona to choose a site for a U.S. Luke Field, Oahu, Hawaii Territory (now the Naval Air Station Ford Island) was previously named in his honor. Surviving the crash of his SPAD S.XIII, Lieutenant Luke drew two pistols and fired on German soldiers, killing several of them before he was killed. Lieutenant Luke was shot down at Murvaux between Verdun and Stenay, France, on 29 September 1918, after he had destroyed three enemy balloons. īorn in Phoenix in 1897, the "Arizona Balloon Buster" scored 18 aerial victories during World War I (14 of these German observation balloons) in the skies over France. Lt Luke is a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient and the number two United States flying ace in World War I. Luke Air Force Base was named after Second Lieutenant Frank Luke (1897–1918). 2.4 Naval Operational Support Center (NOSC) Phoenix.1.5 West German Air Force training at Luke.1.4.3 Air Education and Training Command.1.4.2.2 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing.1.4.2.1 4510th Combat Crew Training Wing.1.4.1.1 Formation of the USAF Thunderbirds.It is a designated Superfund site due to a number of soil and groundwater contaminants. On 16 July 2013, the Air Force announced that Luke AFB will house a total of 144 F-35A Lightning IIs. On 31 March 2011 it was announced that the F-35 Lightning II would replace the F-16 as the primary training aircraft at Luke, although the date of deployment of the new aircraft to Luke and reorganization plans were not announced. Luke AFB is a major training base of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), training pilots in the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It is located 7 miles (6.1 nmi 11 km) west of the central business district of Glendale, and 15 miles (13 nmi 24 km) west of Phoenix. Luke Air Force Base ( IATA: LUF, ICAO: KLUF, FAA LID: LUF) is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. IATA: LUF, ICAO: KLUF, FAA LID: LUF, WMO: 722785
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