24th School Wing

The 24th School Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Corps Advanced Flying School, and was demobilized on 1 October 1931 at Duncan Field (Kelly Field No.1), Texas.

There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 24th Special Operations Wing, established on 19 November 1942 as the 24th Composite Wing (Special) at Camp Olympia, Reykjavík, Iceland, and this organization.

History
The 24th School Wing was an early command and control organization of Air Corps flying training units. It was organized at Kelly Field, Texas on 1 August 1927 to perform duties as the headquarters for the Air Corps Flying Schools both in the San Antonio, Texas area at Brooks Field along with March Field, California.

In 1922, the Air Corps re-organized the method it used for pilot training, and Brooks Field Texas was the center for primary training and Kelly Field, Texas for advanced training. By 1927, three training squadrons had been set up at Brooks and five at Kelly. With the beginning of the five-year expansion program of the Air Corps in 1926, it was found that the existing facilities in the San Antonio area would be insufficient, and a third training group would need to be established at March Field, a former World War I training field which was closed in 1922. With a third group of four squadrons at March, a Wing was needed as an intermediate level of command to avoid having too many units being assigned directly to school Headquarters at Kelly Field. Upon activation at Kelly Field, the wing transferred personnel from the 10th School Group.

In the late 1920s, the growth of the City of San Antonio created hazards for pilot training. Iin June 1927 General Frank Lahm suggested the construction of a single large field outside of the city to house all flying training. Congress funded the new field's construction but not the purchase of the land, so the city of San Antonio borrowed the $546,000 needed to purchase the site selected for what became Randolph Field. By the fall of 1931, construction was essentially completed at the new facility, named Randolph Field, so the Air Corps Training Center at Duncan Field, adjacent to Kelly, and the primary schools at Brooks and March moved to the new installation.

With the opening of facilities at Randolph, the school at March Field was closed and March became a tactical flying field. The 24th School Wing was demobilized on 1 October 1931 when its subordinate units were absorbed into the Air Corps Primary Flying School at Randolph Field and the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field. When the wing was demobilized, its personnel were transferred to the 10th School Group

Lineage

 * Constituted in the Organized Reserve on 23 March 1924 as 24th Wing Headquarters (School)
 * Withdrawn from the Organized Reserve 1 August 1927 and allotted to the Regular Army
 * Activated on 1 August 1927
 * Re-designated July 1928 as 24th Wing (School)
 * Re-designated 8 March 1929 as24th School Wing
 * Demobilized on 1 October 1931

Assignments

 * 12th Air Brigade (School), 23 March 1924 (Organized Army Reserve)
 * Air Corps Advanced Flying School, 1 August 1927-1 October 1931

Components

 * 10th School Group, 1 August 1927-15 July 1931
 * Located at Kelly Field, Texas


 * 11th School Group, 1 August 1927-1 October 1931
 * Located at Brooks Field, Texas


 * 13th School Group, 1 August 1927-30 April 1931
 * Located at March Field, California

Stations

 * Duncan Field (Kelly Field No. 1), Texas, 1 August 1927-1 October 1931