Despite inactivation, 479th FTG legacy lives on

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Eric Schloeffel
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  While the 479th Flying Training Group is scheduled to fully depart from Moody horizons after their inactivation ceremony June 21, their legacy will live on through the thousands of pilots who received training from the unit. 

The nearly eight years the group spent at Moody conducting both undergraduate and graduate pilot training was marked with many high points that directly contributed to maintaining the world's greatest Air Force, said Col. Richard Turner, 479th Flying Training Group commander. 

"Approximately 85 percent of all new fighter pilots came through the 479th FTG, so the impact we've made on the combat Air Force has been phenomenal," he said. 

All 479th FTG assets will or already have moved to Air Education and Training Command bases, where pilot training is now consolidated. This transition is part of 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decision designed to make the use of military assets more efficient and cost-effective. 

But even though these changes were no secret to 479th FTG Airmen, the unit maintained a high level of mission accomplishment up until the end, said Colonel Turner. 

"We heard about the BRAC two years ago, but I set the goal for all our Airmen to put their nose to the grindstone to ensure the last pilot was trained at the same level as before these changes were announced," he said. "It was a pride issue for us, and we definitely achieved that goal." 

The 479th FTG first arrived at Moody in July 2000 and specialized in both Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals with the T-38C Talon and Joint Student Undergraduate Pilot Training with the T-6/A Texan II. The group most recently included the reserve-component 39th Flying Training Squadron, 3rd Flying Training Squadron, and 49th and 435th Fighter Training Squadrons. The 479th Operations Support Squadron was also in place to sustain support elements of the pilot training mission. 

The unit grew its roots in World War II, as the 479th Fighter Group was activated Oct. 15, 1943, by the Army Air Corps to provide support for daylight bombing of German targets by the Eighth Bomber Command. The group was inactivated in 1945, but reactivated again in 1952. The group's recent squadrons had a role in many major U.S. conflicts - from the Korean and Vietnam War to the Cuban Missile Crisis - before switching over to training functions. 

"The 479th FTG is an outstanding organization that has been around for quite a while in various modes," said Colonel Turner. "I'm glad to have had the opportunity to be the commander of this group, but the word bittersweet always comes out in terms of being the last. I wish I could pass it on to someone else so this great operation could continue." 

As a tenant unit, the 479th FTG enjoyed a wealth of support from not only Moody but the local communities. This often rare appreciation helped the 479th FTG achieve success during its tenure here, said Colonel Turner. 

"I never had any problems with typical host-tenant issues that I've seen in the past working with other tenant units," said the colonel. "It seemed everybody loved to see the young men and women coming here enthused to learn how to fly." 

Teaching young Airmen how to fly has been a mainstay for Moody during much of it's past, as the base first opened in 1941 with the sole purpose of pilot training, said Col. Kenneth Todorov, 23rd Wing commander. 

"Training the world's best pilots has been an integral part of Moody's operations for many years," he said. "The 479th FTG legacy has left an indelible mark on Moody's history, and their mission will surely be missed."