History of Luke Air Force Base

Discussion in 'Non Sun City Related Discussions' started by Anita Mae, Jul 17, 2013.

  1. Anita Mae

    Anita Mae New Member

    Luke Air Force Base has been on that Desert Land way before any homes were even thought of being build in surrounding "Desert" areas.
    We are fortunate to have Luke here and have the fighter jets flying around our skies !
    God Bless our Vets and our Troops and our civilians that give time to the military in the work-force.


    Luke Air Force Base is named for the first aviator to be awarded the Medal of Honor – 2nd Lt Frank Luke Jr. Luke’s 56th Fighter Wing was first activated on January 15, 1941, as the 56th Pursuit Group.
    The 56th left for England January 6, 1943. During the following two years, pilots of the 56th destroyed more enemy planes and listed more aces than any other Army Air Force group in the 8th Air Force, including the top two aces in Europe.
    The mission of Luke AFB is to train the world’s greatest F-16 fighter pilots and maintainers, while deploying mission ready warfighters.

    Air Force 800px-56th_Operations_Group_-_F-16_Fighting_Falcons.jpg


    Origins
    In 1940, the U.S. Army sent a representative to Arizona to choose a site for an Army Air Corps training field for advanced training in conventional fighter aircraft. The city of Phoenix bought 1,440 acres (5.8 km2) of land which they leased to the government at $1 a year effective 24 March 1941. On 29 March 1941, the Del. E. Webb Construction Co. began excavation for the first building at what was known then as Litchfield Park Air Base. Another base known as Luke Field, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, released its name so the Arizona base could be called Luke Field. Advanced flight training in the AT-6 began at Luke in June that same year. The first class of 45 students, Class 41 F, arrived 6 June 1941 to begin advanced flight training in the AT-6, although a few essential buildings had been completed. Flying out of Sky Harbor Airport until the Luke runways were ready, pilots received 10 weeks of instruction and the first class graduated 15 August 1941. Then-Captain Barry Goldwater served as director of ground training the following year.
    To read more—click on:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_Air_Force_Base
     

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