The 12th Flying Training Wing is the host unit at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It is one of 13 bases assigned to Air Education and Training Command, the Air Force component that conducts all recruiting, accessions, technical training, flying training and education programs for the Air Force.
Mission
With a multifold mission, the 12th Flying Training Wing conducts instructor pilot training in the Raytheon-Beech T-6A Texan II, Cessna T-37B Tweet, Northrop T-38C Talon and Beech T-1A Jayhawk aircraft. In addition, the wing conducts Combat Systems Officer training using the Boeing T-43A medium-range turbofan jet.
The 12th Flying Training Wing has three groups: operations, mission support and medical, and a maintenance directorate. The 12th Flying Training Wing trains and equips its people to meet the Air Force's worldwide Air and Space Expeditionary Force commitment. In addition, it is responsible for the Air Force's Advanced Instrument School.
The wing provides host-base support to more than 30 Department of Defense units, including Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Air Force Personnel Center and Air Force Recruiting Service.
12th Operations Group
The 12th Operations Group contains one support squadron and six flying squadrons. Combat Systems Officer training includes a detachment of Naval personnel.
Pilot Instructor Training (PIT)
The 12th Flying Training Wing is the only unit that teaches Air Force pilots to be flight instructors for Air Education and Training Command's four undergraduate pilot training bases. Each year, about 350 instructor pilots graduate from the wing's 13-week training course. Using teaching techniques in the aircraft, the simulator and the classroom, trainees learn how to fly and instruct at the same time.
The units conducting instructor pilot training are the 99th, 558th, 559th and 560th Flying Training Squadrons. The flying squadrons are responsible for the flying portion of the training, while the 12th Operations Support Squadron is responsible for academic training before the flying portion.
It takes an average of 55 hours of classroom training, 34 hours of simulator training and about 60 hours of actual flying to become an instructor pilot. The 558th Flying Training Squadron is responsible for training in the Air Force's newest training aircraft, the T-6A Texan II. The first T-6A arrived on Randolph in July 1999. It represents the first new training propeller aircraft procured by the Air Force in more than 30 years and marks the beginning of a new era in Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training. The aging T-37B fleet will eventually be replaced with the new T-6A. SUPT will remain the same with advanced training for students identified to go into fighters conducted in the T-38C and those selected for heavy aircraft receiving their advanced training in the T-1A.
The 559th Flying Training Squadron conducts PIT in the T-37B, the 560th Flying Training Squadron provides pilot instructor training in the supersonic T-38C jet aircraft and the 99th Flying Training Squadron conducts PIT in the T-1A jet aircraft.
Combat Systems Officer Training
The 12th Flying Training Wing conducts Combat Systems Officer (CSO) training for Air Force and Navy personnel at the 562nd and 563rd Flying Training Squadrons. Under the program that began in the fall of 2004 as a replacement for the Joint Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training (JSUNT) course, portions of the previous navigator and electronic warfare officer (EWO) training courses were combined to form a curriculum that develops a more complete aviator with cross-flow capability between the two positions on combat aircraft. In addition, the curriculum has been updated to include a wider range of topics with an increased emphasis on warfighting. That emphasis helps students develop leadership, decision-making and mission management skills.
In the first iteration of CSO training, students in the navigator and EWO career fields receive about 140 days of common training together followed by nearly 40 days of training in their individual specialties. In the previous JSUNT course, navigator and EWO students received 90 days of common training and 82 days of specialized training.
Future plans call for incorporating weapons system officer (WSO) training in the curriculum. The WSO course is currently taught at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.
Students who graduate from the CSO course earn their wings and aeronautical ratings as Navigators or Naval Flight Officers.
Advanced Instrument School
The 12th Flying Training Wing conducts the Department of Defense's only graduate-level instrument flight school. The Advanced Instrument School teaches instrument procedures to more than 280 select instructor pilots and senior aircraft commanders annually, from all services and foreign air forces. The instructors are Air Force instrument experts responsible for development and technical application of instrument policies, procedures and techniques.
12th Mission Support Group
The 12th Mission Support Group is comprised of five squadrons and two divisions serving the needs of the wing and tenant units, more than 10,000 people on the base and more than 40,000 retirees in the local area. The group is the focal point for all base support activities that include responsibility for military and civilian personnel management, administrative services, security and resource protection, disaster preparedness, recreational activities, family and transient housing, airmen dormitories and dining facilities. Other responsibilities include upkeep of all base buildings, facilities and infrastructures, environmental protection, energy conservation and base communications.
The 12th Mission Support Squadron is the largest in AETC and one of the most unique in the Air Force. The unit includes a Military Personnel Flight, Airman Leadership School, First Term Airman's Center, Civilian Personnel Flight, Education Service and Family Support Center. In addition to serving the members of the wing, the unit also provides services for AETC headquarters, Air Force Personnel Center, 19th Air Force, Air Force Recruiting Service, Air Force Services Agency and Air Force Manpower Agency, among others.
12th MSS is also the administrative squadron for the 12th Mission Support Group staff, Civil Engineer Division, Services Division, and 12th Flying Training Wing staff agencies which include Public Affairs, Command Post, Inspector General, Military Equal Opportunity, Historian, Safety, Wing Plans and Wing Chaplain.
The 12th Communications Squadron provides, operates and maintains all voice and data communications; airfield navigational and weather systems and visual information management in support of Randolph and its associate units. The squadron is the focal point for communication and computer systems requirements and operates the base network control center that is responsible for the management of the entire base communications and networking infrastructure.
The 12th Contracting Squadron provides contract acquisition support to the 12th Flying Training Wing, which includes the award and administration of all major construction, services, commodities and computer contracts. The squadron also supports numerous other tenant units to include Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, 19th Air Force, Air Force Personnel Center, Air Force Recruiting Service, Air Force Manpower Agency and other associate units. The squadron obligates approximately $230 million annually in contracts and manages the Government Purchase Card program, which obligates over $42 million through 62,000 actions.
The 12th Logistics Readiness Division provides fuels, munitions, supply, transportation and logistics readiness support to four headquarters, field operating agency, 12th Flying Training Wing and 42 associate units. On an annual basis, the division moves 200,000 passengers, 7,000 tons of cargo and 5,000 personal property shipments; manages Air Force supply and equipment Stock Record Accounts consisting of 14,000 line items with an on-hand inventory valued at $9 million and a munitions account consisting of 315 line items valued at $4.1 million; processes more than 250,000 supply transactions; and manages a 389-vehicle fleet valued at $33 million and a 2,500-vehicle GSA fleet valued at $42 million. The division supports worldwide deployments and base operations by providing materiel readiness, including supplies, spares, equipment, munitions and fuels. The division also manages 50 host-tenant support agreements.
The 12th Trainer Development Division designs, fabricates and assembles various training devices for all AETC flying training wings, fighter wings, air mobility wings, San Antonio area AETC bases and Goodfellow AFB, Texas.
The Civil Engineer Division's responsibilities include all construction, maintenance and repair for Randolph that includes 675 Air Force buildings, 1,074 facilities and 5,098 acres of land. The unit maintains the grounds, roadways and infrastructure that support all base and tenant organization missions, as well as more than 659 housing units for assigned personnel and their families. 12th CED provides firefighting and rescue for facilities and aircraft. The unit also conducts hazardous materials awareness training for disaster response personnel and nuclear, biological and chemical defense training for deployable troops.
The 12th Security Forces Squadron provides force protection in the form of law enforcement and physical security for Randolph. The squadron is also responsible for air base defense, personnel security clearances, information and industrial security programs, crime prevention programs, pass and registration, and combat arms training.
The 12th Services Division ensures Randolph members and their families have appropriate recreational facilities. Those activities include the officer and enlisted clubs, youth and child development centers, bowling center, sports programs, golf course, library, hunt and saddle club, skeet range, Canyon Lake Outdoor Recreation Area, swimming pools, and hobby shops for auto, wood, and arts and crafts projects.
12th Medical Group
The 12th Medical Group operates the largest clinic in AETC. Clinic staff members provide comprehensive medical and dental care, physiological training, disaster response, health promotion and occupational public health support to the 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph associate units and a beneficiary population of more than 40,000. The 12th Medical Group is comprised of three squadrons: 12th Medical Support Squadron, 12th Medical Operations Squadron, and the 12th Aeromedical-Dental Squadron.
The 12th Medical Support Squadron provides laboratory, pharmacy, radiology services, resource management, TRICARE, medical logistics and unit personnel services in support of the medical group and beneficiary population.
The 12th Medical Operations Squadron provides a full array of specialties that include pediatrics, women's healthcare, behavioral health services, family care and physical therapy, in addition to operating the central appointment and medical records sections.
The 12th Aeromedical-Dental Squadron ensures operational medical support, dental and optometric care to over 4,700 warfighters. The unit provides medical care to more than 1,200 aviators and special duty operational personnel and their families. Squadron members train aircrew to enhance in-flight performance and survival.
12th Maintenance Directorate
The 12th Maintenance Directorate is comprised of five sections: Executive Support, Aircraft Maintenance Division, Component Maintenance Division, Maintenance Support Division and Quality Assurance that provide maintenance support for all T-1A, T-6A, T-37B, T-38C and T-43A aircraft valued at more than $760 million to the 12th Flying Training Wing and associate units at Randolph.
The Executive Support staff provides administrative support to the Director of Aircraft Maintenance and the Aircraft Maintenance Directorate, while managing all plans and programs pertinent to aircraft maintenance, as well as the information technology and related systems. The support staff also manages the 12th FTW Cost Per Flying Hour Program, Operating and Maintenance budget, manpower and repair cycle cost management.
The Aircraft Maintenance Division maintains all assigned aircraft and engines. The division also performs phase inspections of aircraft and provide crash recovery capability for all assigned aircraft, including off-station aircraft recovery support for these aircraft.
The Component Maintenance Division is responsible for all non-destructive inspections, fabric and rubber maintenance, machining, metal processing, airframe repair, corrosion control, aircraft media blasting activities and exterior surface painting for all assigned and transient aircraft. The division provides maintenance support for all base static display aircraft.
The Maintenance Support Division coordinates and monitors maintenance and service on aircraft and related support equipment through the Maintenance Operations Center. It manages regional engine support, forecasts time changes and monitors engine status at the Engine Regional Repair Center. The division performs scheduling and documentation functions on all assigned aircraft, as well as provides repair cycle management support and acts as the maintenance directorate liaison for supply issues.
The Quality Assurance Section evaluates the maintenance processes to determine if assigned aircraft and equipment are maintained according to published technical data and directives. The section administers the Functional Check Flight Program to ensure repaired aircraft are flight worthy.
(Current as of January 2006)