No. 4 British Flying Training School
Falcon Field, Mesa. Where nearly 2,000 RAF cadets trained from 1941 to 1945, under Arizona's sunny skies. AAHG is a proud partner of the No. 4 BFTS organizations in the US and the United Kingdom.
In 1941, the Royal Air Force established seven flying schools across the US, away from enemy interference. The No. 4 British Flying Training School was right here in Arizona, at Falcon Field in Mesa. The RAF operated it until 1945. Two of the original hangars still exist at Falcon Field and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. AAHG is a proud partner with the No. 4 BFTS organizations in the US and the United Kingdom.
- 1941 — 1945
- Falcon Field · Mesa, AZ
- ~2,000
- 23
By so many, to so few
From 1941 to 1945, nearly 2,000 RAF cadets trained at Falcon Field, and twenty-three lost their lives in accidents. Most welcomed our sunny skies, quite the departure from England, and the conditions made for an ideal training environment. Lifelong friendships were made and some cadets returned to Arizona and made their home here.
What they flew
Cadets learned the basics on the PT-17 Stearman, then moved to the T-6 Texan. Both were challenging airplanes that fully prepared cadets to return to England and fly the Spitfire, Hurricane, and Lancaster — among others.
Who ran it
No. 4 BFTS was operated by Southwest Airways, a civilian company contracted by the U.S. Army Air Corps. The staff was mostly civilians. Falcon Field was one of four Southwest Airways fields — the others being Thunderbird No. 1 in Glendale, Thunderbird No. 2 in Scottsdale (now Scottsdale Airport), and what is now Phoenix Sky Harbor.
On the ramp today
We have partnered with the private owners of a PT-17 painted to represent the No. 4 BFTS, operating out of Falcon Field.
The Falcon Field Association
The 2,000+ RAF cadets who trained here were so fond of their time in Arizona that, in 1982, they created the Falcon Field Association to continue the friendships they had formed here. To raise funds for the association, they created the now-iconic blue “I Learned to Fly at Falcon Field” sticker, and stayed connected through quarterly newsletters — many of which are preserved in the Mesa Main Library Archive Room. The association organized events in England, alternating them with trips back to Mesa for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the Mesa Cemetery.
The sticker, revived
In 2022, AAHG’s Jocelyn and Anne decided it was time to bring the tradition back to life. They worked with Sara at Hawkeye Engraving to redesign the “I Learned to Fly at Falcon Field” sticker and approached the City about producing them. Today, the City provides the stickers, and every new pilot at Falcon Field can pick one up at the terminal office.
Wally Funk at Falcon Field — in front of a Stearman PT-17 the BFTS cadets would have known.
I Learned to Fly at Falcon Field.
It’s a small sticker with a big story — and wherever these pilots travel around the world, it sparks a conversation about Falcon Field, the young RAF cadets who trained here, and the friendships that have lasted for generations.
The original — created by the Falcon Field Association to raise funds, 1982. 
The 2022 redesign, with Hawkeye Engraving — free to every new pilot at the terminal office.
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