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250:. The immediate construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Several large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper. In addition to the main facility, several sub-bases and auxiliaries were established to support the training mission.
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would wash out of the program due to lack of flying ability. After this initial 25 hours, flight training was then continued in the T-6G. At this time, in addition to U.S. Air Force personnel (which consisted of aspiring officers as well as
Aviation Cadets), personnel from the NATO countries of France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway were also entered into the USAF flight-training program, and trained alongside their USAF counterparts.
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intended to have the training program in operation by March 1961. At the same time, Secretary Sharp approved initiation of a consolidated pilot training program, ATC decided to replace all civilian flying instructors with military officers, as had been done with the instructor cadre when the T-37 was introduced, and to phase out all contract primary schools.
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479:, Southeast Training Center (later Eastern Flying Training Command) for advanced single-engine flight training, both by military and contract civilian air instructors. The Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced Single-Engine) was the Operational Training Unit. By 1 September the complement of aircraft had risen to 132 BT-13s and 14
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Bainbridge Air Base expanded rapidly and during the height of the Korean War had six classes of 140 students in training at one time. Following the end of the Korean War, class numbers reduced to four. During the 1954/1955 timeframe, Bainbridge retired the T-6's transitioning to the T-28 and T-34.
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Today, Bainbridge is used for various purposes in addition to a small amount of aviation activity. On the former base are several manufacturing plants. For a time, the
Southern Airways built student housing was used by a mental health facility. Some of the remaining Southern Airways buildings are
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that had been upgraded and designated as T-6G's. Beginning with Class 54-ABC in the spring of 1953, the first 25 hours of flight instruction was given in Piper Super Cubs (PA-18) with 125 hp (93 kW) engines. This was examined as a means of reducing the cost of discovering which students
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In 1960, ATC began looking at a new training concept—combining preflight, primary, and basic instruction into consolidated pilot training (CPT), later renamed
Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). Secretary of the Air Force Dudley C. Sharp approved the idea in March 1960, and Air Training Command
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534:* was reopened. The base had deteriorated badly over its six idle years and a major renovation project was required to return it to acceptable standards. In January 1951, rehabilitation of the base began. It was activated on 11 July 1951 by the USAF
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538:, as a contract flying training school. The 3306th Pilot Training Group (Contract Flying) was the Operational Training Unit, with ground and flight training being conducted by Southern Airways Company using World War II-era
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Bainbridge AB ended contract primary training in early
December, with the transfer of the T-37 aircraft being completed by 23 December 1960. The base was inactivated and returned to civilian control on 31 March 1961.
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There was little need, however, for the airfield, and in the immediate postwar years, farmers leased the open areas of the airfield for cultivation and the cantonment area was used for various purposes.
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purchased 2,070 acres (8.4 km) for $ 66,800 and then leased the property to the Army for $ 1 per annum for a basic flight training base authorizing 89.9 million for its construction.
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A level area near
Bainbridge, seven miles (11 km) northwest of the City adjacent to the Seaboard Air Line Railroad was selected by the Air Corps, and the City of Bainbridge and
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Besides USAF students, flight cadets from Italy, Portugal, Venezuela, West
Germany, Japan, France and newly independent South Vietnam were trained. The base received Cessna
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Through the years a lot of material has been gathered about the
Southern Airways School and Bainbridge Air Base. The information is located at the Decatur County Museum.
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occupied by the
Georgia Department of Corrections as a prison. The golf course built in the 1950s is still in use, and the World War II hangars are still in use.
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jet trainers starting in
December 1959 as part of "Project All-Jet" in attempt to determine effectiveness of primary flight training in one type of aircraft.
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Southeast
Training Center to immediately take action to select air base sites needed to increase its pilot training rate to meet anticipated wartime demands.
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569:.* Note: Air Training Command applied the "Air Base" designator to private contractor-operated flying training bases in the 1950s
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The first troops moved in on 4 July 1942. Initial construction reached completion on 25 August.
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514:. With the airfield's closure, the Army Air Force gifted the base to the City and County.
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Bainbridge closed on 24 December 1944. Remaining flight cadets were reassigned to
691:, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC.
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is a closed United States Air Force base. It was inactivated on 31 March 1961.
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Photograph of men in front of a U.S. Air Force plane, Bainbridge, Georgia, 1956
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673:. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas
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As a result of the Korean War which began in 1950 and the expansion of the
483:.. For a time, Bainbridge also hosted twin-engine advanced training in the
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Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Georgia (U.S. state)
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Photograph of airplanes at the Bainbridge Army Airfield, 1944
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Photograph of special services officer's building, June 1944
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History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002
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Flightline of Bainbridge Army Airfield, Georgia, 1944
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246:The contractor broke ground on 3 April 1942, for
471:Flight training began on 2 August 1942, with 75
689:Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy
926:1961 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
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512:Cochran AAF to complete basic flight training
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896:1942 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
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216:Following entry of the United States into
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707:Georgia's Army Airfields of World War II
643:27th Flying Training Wing (World War II)
477:Army Air Forces Flying Training Command
69:Bainbridge Army Airfield, Georgia, 1944
906:USAAF Contract Flying School Airfields
487:until other bases reached completion.
921:Military installations closed in 1961
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664:Air Force Historical Research Agency
638:Georgia World War II Army Airfields
19:For civil airport information, see
875:Western Technical Training Command
870:Central Technical Training Command
865:Eastern Technical Training Command
21:Decatur County Industrial Air Park
16:Former US military base in Georgia
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428:Commodore Decatur Auxiliary Field
226:Air Corps Flying Training Command
916:Airports in Georgia (U.S. state)
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769:Army Air Forces Training Command
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658: This article incorporates
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800:Western Flying Training Command
795:Central Flying Training Command
790:Eastern Flying Training Command
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255:Donalsonville Auxiliary Field
901:Airports established in 1942
290:Reynoldville Auxiliary Field
687:Shaw, Frederick J. (2004),
669:Manning, Thomas A. (2005),
626:GPX (secondary coordinates)
587:Georgia (U.S. state) portal
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324:Faceville Auxiliary Field
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727:Bainbridge Army Air Field
621:GPX (primary coordinates)
596:Map all coordinates using
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604:Download coordinates as:
248:Bainbridge Army Airfield
32:Bainbridge Army Airfield
705:Shettle, M. L. (2005),
528:United States Air Force
393:Babcock Auxiliary Field
169:United States Air Force
660:public domain material
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616:GPX (all coordinates)
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475:. It was used by the
448:30.91556°N 84.60917°W
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378:31.06000°N 84.43861°W
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310:30.83417°N 84.78861°W
275:31.00833°N 84.87306°W
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536:Air Training Command
518:Air Training Command
358:Vada Auxiliary Field
191:1942–1945, 1951–1961
47:Air Training Command
29:Bainbridge Air Base
931:Bainbridge, Georgia
809:Specialized schools
532:Bainbridge Air Base
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188:In use
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106:Coordinates
890:Categories
816:Bombardier
701:1050653629
649:References
549:T-37 Tweet
540:T-6 Texans
439:84°36′33″W
436:30°54′56″N
404:84°37′01″W
401:31°07′03″N
369:84°26′19″W
366:31°03′36″N
334:84°37′49″W
331:30°42′11″N
301:84°47′19″W
298:30°50′03″N
266:84°52′23″W
263:31°00′30″N
137: (
118:84°38′15″W
115:30°58′18″N
836:Navigator
697:57007862
683:29991467
679:71006954
573:See also
508:Shaw AAF
45:Part of
831:Gunnery
204:History
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481:BT-15s
166:
485:AT-10
180:Built
711:ISBN
693:OCLC
675:OCLC
510:and
183:1942
709:.
611:KML
892::
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681:,
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23:.
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