479th Tactical Training Wing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 479th Tactical Training Wing |
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Northrop AT-38B Talon, AF Ser. No. 64-13172 of the 434th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron
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| Active | 1952–1971; 1977–1991 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter Training |
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| Patch with the 479th Tactical Training Wing emblem (approved 10 September 1954) |  |
The 479th Tactical Training Wing was a special unit of the United States Air Force. It was a group of pilots and planes that helped train other pilots. This unit was last stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. It stopped being an active unit on July 26, 1991.
When the unit was closed, all its people, planes, and equipment went to the 479th Fighter Group.
Contents
History of the 479th Wing
The 479th unit started on December 1, 1952. It was first called the 479th Fighter-Bomber Wing. It was based at George Air Force Base in California. This unit took over from another group that had been called to duty during the Korean War.
The 479th Wing used F-51D Mustang planes at first. These were planes from World War II. The unit also became the main group at George Air Force Base for almost 20 years. Its flying groups were the 434th, 435th, and 436th squadrons. They took part in many training exercises. They also helped protect the West Coast of the U.S. The unit even went overseas to support the Air Force in Europe and during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They also helped during the Vietnam War.
The F-100 Super Sabre Era
At first, the 479th Wing used the older F-51D planes. But in February 1953, they got newer F-86H Sabre jet planes. The 479th Wing was chosen to be the first Air Force unit to get the F-100A Super Sabre. They received their first F-100A in November 1953. By September 29, 1954, the 479th was ready to use the F-100A in missions.
However, the F-100A was put into service very quickly. Pilots found that the plane had serious problems. On October 12, 1954, a test pilot named George Welch was flying an F-100A. His plane broke apart in the air. After this, engineers found problems with the plane's design. They made changes to fix these issues. Even with fixes, the F-100A was not very popular with its pilots.
The F-104 Starfighter Era
The F-100A was not seen as a good fighter plane. So, starting in October 1958, the 479th Wing got a new plane: the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. This plane was mainly meant for nuclear attacks. But the Air Force also wanted to use it for ground attacks with regular weapons.
The F-104 was not ideal for ground attacks. It did not have enough range or all-weather ability. Many of the F-104s ordered for the Air Force were canceled. But changes made to the F-104G model led to many sales to other countries. The F-104 became a very good multi-purpose fighter. Because Southern California had good flying weather, the 479th started a new job. From January 1962 to August 1963, they trained F-104 pilots from West Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, and Italy.
During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the 435th TFS went to Naval Air Station Key West in Florida. They were ready to attack targets in Cuba if an invasion was needed. Luckily, the crisis ended peacefully. After this, the 479th also sent F-104s to Homestead Air Force Base. These planes helped defend against possible Cuban fighter planes.
The 479th was the only U.S. Air Force wing to use the F-104C in combat. In April 1965, the 476th TFS went to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taiwan. From Taiwan, the squadron regularly went to Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam. Their job was to protect U.S. F-100 fighter-bombers from North Vietnamese fighters. The F-104s made a big difference. North Vietnamese planes soon learned to avoid areas where F-104s were present. There were only two brief encounters between F-104s and enemy fighters during this time.
As the threat from enemy planes lessened, the 476th TFS also flew weather and ground attack missions. Most of these were close air-support missions in South Vietnam. The F-104s were good at this role. They were known for accurate cannon fire and bombing. They could also react quickly to calls for air support. The F-104s had a very high readiness rate of 94.7%. This showed how good the maintenance crews were. However, one F-104 crashed on June 29. The pilot was rescued with minor injuries.
The 436th TFS took over the mission in Da Nang on July 11. They started flying combat missions the next day. Most of their missions were quick air-support for ground troops. On July 23, Captain Roy Blakely tried to land his damaged F-104C. He landed the plane without its landing gear, but he died when the plane went off the runway.
The 436th TFS had a difficult day on September 20, 1965. Major Philip E. Smith got lost while flying a mission. After some equipment problems, he flew over Hainan Island and was shot down by two Chinese MiG-19 planes. He was captured. While the squadron was looking for Major Smith, two other F-104s crashed into each other. Both pilots ejected safely.
A week later, another F-104C was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. Its pilot was killed. After these four losses, the remaining planes of the 436th went back to George Air Force Base in November 1965.
The F-4 Phantom II Era
In December 1965, the wing began to switch to the F-4 Phantom II. They also gained two new squadrons, the 68th and 431st. Both were equipped with the new F-4D model. The F-4D was an improved version of an earlier F-4 model. In February 1966, the wing started training new F-4 pilots. The 435th TFS, with its F-104Cs, moved to Thailand. The F-104s stayed with the 434th and 436th squadrons until early 1967. Then, they were also replaced by F-4Ds. The F-104s went to the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. The 435th then returned to George AFB from Thailand and also got F-4 Phantoms.
During the Vietnam War, the 479th became the main F-4 fighter training wing for the U.S. Air Force. F-4D pilots first appeared in Southeast Asia in May 1967. The F-4D slowly replaced older F-4s in combat over Vietnam. The first F-4D to shoot down an enemy plane happened on June 5, 1967. Major Everett T. Raspberry and Captain Francis Gullick shot down a MiG-17 near Hanoi. Both crew members were given credit for the victory.
The 479th also started training pilots from other countries in March 1969. They had done this before with the F-104. Pilots from Israel, Iran, Japan, and West Germany were trained. In 1969 and 1970, F-4C and early F-4E planes were used for this training.
As American forces left their bases in South Vietnam in 1971, the 35th Fighter Wing moved to George AFB. The 479th Wing was then closed down on October 1, 1971. The 35th Wing took over its people, equipment, and planes. This was done to keep the combat history of the 35th Wing alive.
Flying Training Mission
The 479th was brought back as the 479th Tactical Training Wing on January 1, 1977. It was at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. This time, it flew the Northrup T-38 Talon plane. The 479th Wing's job was to provide "Lead-In Fighter Training" (LIFT). This training prepared pilots to fly all types of Air Force fighter and attack planes. This included pilots from active duty, the Guard, and the Reserve.
The flying squadrons of the wing were:
- 434th Tactical Fighter Training (red stripe)
- 435th Tactical Fighter Training (blue stripe)
- 436th Tactical Fighter Training (yellow stripe)
All planes of the 479th Wing had the "HM" tail code. The LIFT program was greatly reduced in 1991. The training mission and planes were then moved to the 586th Flight Training Squadron. The 479th Tactical Training Wing was closed down on July 26, 1991.
Aircraft Used by the 479th Wing
- F-100 Super Sabre, 1956–1959
- F-104 Starfighter, 1958–1967
- F-4 Phantom II, 1965–1971
- T/AT-38A/C Talon, 1977–1991
Images for kids
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Northrop AT-38B Talon, AF Ser. No. 64-13172 of the 434th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron
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Patch with the 479th Tactical Training Wing emblem (approved 10 September 1954)
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F-100A-10-NA, AF Ser. No. 53-1562, of the 434th Fighter-Day Squadron.
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Lockheed F-104C-5-LO Starfighter, AF Ser. No. 57-0926, 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, circa 1960.
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F-104C Starfighter, AF Ser. No. 57-0914, 435th TFS photographed at George AFB, 1965
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F-104s of the 476 TFS on the Da Nang flightline – 1965
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McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II, AF Ser. No. 66-0382, 1970
