The resident parent unit at Laughlin is the 47th Flying Traing Wing, which conducts over 90,000 sorties per year and 105,000 flying hours.
The wing is made up of the 84th FTS and 85th FTS which both fly the T-6A Texan, the 86 FTS which flies the Beech T-1A Jayhawks, the 87th FTS with T-38C Talons and finally the 434th FTS, which also flies the T-38C.
Approximately 400 new military pilots earn their silver wings at Laughlin each year after completing an intensive 52-week course.
Laughlin is named after 2nd Lt. Jack Laughlin, who was killed over Java in the South Pacific in the early days of World War 2.
The 84th FTS, nickname 'Panthers' operate the Beech/Raytheon T-6A Texan at Laughlin Air Force Base alongside the 85th FTS.
It was originally formed at Baer Field Indiana in February 1942 as a Pursuit Squadron with P-38's.
It was redesignated as a training squadron in February 1990, at which time it moved to Laughlin with the venerable Cessna T-37B. It was inactivated on 1st October 1992 and finally re-formed in October 1998.
01-3601 waits for its crew to fire her up for another mission in the hot Texan sun
02-3637 taxies out for another training mission.
The ramp at Laughlin is packed to the rafters and aircraft are constantly on the move.
The number of missions flown and aircraft in the pattern at any one time is mind boggling
05-3808 sits under a sun shade at Laughlin.
Most aircraft sit out on the ramp and have to endure the hot sun, hence the reflecftive screens visible within the cockpit.
This particular aircraft wears the markings of the 47th OSS (Operational Support Squadron) 'Rattlers' on the tail.
It is the personal mount of the squadron commander Colonel Beineke and is known as Rattler 1
The 85th FTS (Tigers) at Laughlin flies the T-6A Texan, as mentioned before. It was originally formed as the 85th Bomb Squadron at McChord Field Washington in 1941 with B-18's
After a stint in the U.K at RAF Sculthorpe between 1952 and 1962 it was reactivated in September 1972 at Laughlin as the 85th Flying Training Squadron with the Cessna T-37B.
The T-6 is based on the Pilatus PC-9 aircraft and was introduced at Randolph AFB in May 2000 for the JPATS role.
02-3671 awaits start up on the Laughlin ramp during the morning of 18th October 2007.
The crew are in situ completing their final checks before taxying out to the runway to commence another mission
The 'Rio Lobos' of Flying Training Squadron 86 also have some European heritage in their history. The squadron was stationed at both Alconbury and Sculthorpe under previous identities before becoming the 86th FTS in March 1972. The squadron commenced training with the Northrop T-38A Talon prior to becoming a T-1A operator. The T-1 is used primarily for the tanker/transport training role at Randolph, Laughlin, Vance (Oklahoma) and Columbus (Mississippi).
92-0354 on the 'Rio Lobos' ramp at Laughlin. A much larger number of T-1's are based at Laughlin than at Randolph
The 86FTS commanders machine (93-0623) sits in front of the main building on Laughlins ramp.
It seems everything goes grey eventually and as at Randolph the odd T-1 is starting to change colour
64-13262 parked outside the corrosion facility at Laughlin
The 87 FTS has an impressive lineage dating way back to August 1917 when it was formed at Kelly Field in Texas. It was activated as the 87th Flying Training Squadron on 2nd April 1990 at Laughlin AFB utilising the T-38A and has continued to do so ever since, although it now flies the standard T-38C Talon with 'glass' cockpits.
A row of 87 FTS Northrop T-38's sit on the Laughlin apron, cockpits open trying to stay cool in 95 degrees
66-4359 taxies back to the 'Red Bulls' parking spots after another succesful mission
A gaggle of T-38's emerge through the immense heat haze on the way back to their parking spots at Laughlin
The final unit at Laughlin is the 434th Flying Training squadron, which like the 435th at Randolph flies the AT-38C Talon in the IFF (Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals) role. The unit only recently reformed at Laughlin after being inactivated in May 1991at Holloman Air Force Base.
The unit originally formed in 1943 flying the P-38 Lightning. In 1944 it moved to England and later flew both the F-86 Sabre, F-100 Super Sabre and the F-4 Phantom. In 1977 it moved to Holloman AFB in New Mexico flying the Northrop T-38 Talon in the training role, very similar to the one it flies today.
68-8197 from the 434th FTS sits on the ramp at Laughlin
Getting some cool air pumped into it under the sun sheds is 70-1564
Thanks go to the following for arranging our visits:-
Rob Arreola at Randolph AFB
Lt. Chris Cochrane at Laughlin AFB for escorting us on the ramps
Lt. Wesley Holdman at Laughlin AFB Public Affairs
A log of the aircraft present during our visit to Laughlin can be found here:-