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.
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.
Wally Funk at Falcon Field — in front of a Stearman PT-17 the BFTS cadets would have known.