47th Flying Training Wing

47th Flying Training Wing
T-6 Texan IIs of the 47th Flying Training Wing
Active	1947–1949; 1951–1962; 1972–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Pilot Training
Size	Wing
Part of	Air Education & Training Command
Garrison/HQ	Laughlin Air Force Base
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Commanders
Notable commanders	Donald G. Cook John W. Doucette
Insignia
47th Flying Training Wing emblem (approved 2 January 1973)
Patch with 47th Bombardment Wing emblem (approved 26 October 1951)

The 47th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force pilot training wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, near Del Rio, Texas. It is one of five pilot training units in the Air Force's Air Education and Training Command which conducts joint specialized undergraduate pilot training for the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and allied nation air forces utilizing the T-38C, T-6A and T-1A aircraft.

On 28 July 1947, the 47th Bombardment Wing was established as part of the Army Air Forces' implementation of the wing base reorganization, which combined tactical and support elements on its bases into a single wing. The wing became active on 15 August 1947 at Biggs Field, Texas, with the 47th Bombardment Group as its operational unit. On 1 February 1948 Biggs was turned over to Strategic Air Command, forcing a relocation of the wing to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana in November. In the fall of 1948 North American B-45 Tornado bombers began to be delivered to the wing, which became the first in the Air Force to fly the aircraft. However, the B-45As were not truly operational, because they lacked both fire control and bombing equipment.

The Air Force planned to equip five groups with the B-45, but in programming the units that would comprise its forty-eight group structure authorized in 1948, the number of light bombardment groups flying the B-45 was reduced to one. With this reduction, the Air Force decided to inactivate the 47th wing and transfer its B-45s to the 3d Bombardment Wing in Japan. However, the first B-45As delivered to the wing lacked sufficient range to ferry across the Pacific and they were too large to send on board available ships. The additional high cost of maintaining its B-45 aircraft led the Air Force to inactivate the 47th on 2 October 1949. However, the 84th and 85th squadrons of the 47th Bombardment Group kept their B-45s and moved to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia where they were attached to the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing.