Thunderbird Field leather jacket

Gerry Anderson was born Gerald Abrahams…

Thunderbird Field

Having looked #4 BFTS records further I realise my first posting was not entirely correct.

Due to the facilities at Mesa not being ready the first two, possibly three courses (commencing June 18th, July 21st and August 27th, 1941, respectively) began training at Thunderbird Field #1. They moved into Falcon Field to complete their courses on September 24th.

The names of the graduates those first three intakes are recorded in the unit dairy. There is no Lionel Anderson amongst them. He may well have been on a later course and in any case an RAF Falcon Field student would have been well aware of the two nearby Thunderbird Fields as these were likely destinations of any early cross country flights.

Thunderbird #1 is reported to have a completely unique layout for an airfield and based on the mythical Thunderbird image.

I also found from the Internet that the film “Thunderbirds” was made in 1942. That would mean the filming at Falcon Field in April 1944 was for a different production.
M-62A

Thunderbird Field

“If you’re correct that ther was no RAF training there, perhaps Anderson’s brother was an IP”

These things can become “urban legends” but there is a possibly you may have something there.

A number of graduates from both the British Flying Training Schools and the Arnold Sheme schools were retained in the USA, received further training as Flying Instructors and subsequentally served as such at AAF schools.

I have no idea of the numbers, nor the locations but I do recall speaking to one such ex-RAF pilot that went through that extended programme.
M-62A

I do not think any RAF pilots were trained at Thunderbird Field. Though I never seen the film “Thunderbirds”, I suspect this is the source of the confusion.
M-62A

Not’s not just the film.
I’ve read several places that Gerry Anderson’s brother was there and thats where he learned of the name Thuinderbirds…later used in his TV series. If you’re correct that ther was no RAF training there, perhaps Anderson’s brother was an IP and taught Canadians?

I lived in the Phoenix area for a couple of years during grad school and used to visit Falcon Field a great deal. I never made it to Thundrbird though.

Guess they need to find a use for all the leftover Dobbins once Tesco has packed out their chav burgers….

Thunderbird Field

I do not think any RAF pilots were trained at Thunderbird Field. Though I never seen the film “Thunderbirds”, I suspect this is the source of the confusion.

There were at least three separate locations in Arizona where Southwest Airlines or their subsidiary companies operated wartime civil contract flying schools.
Thunderbird No.1 Field; 12 miles NW of Phoenix. Operated by Southwest Airlines training USAAF primary cadets.
Thunderbird No. 2 Field; 15 miles NE of Phoenix. Operated by Hayward and Connelly training USAAF and Chinese primary cadets.
Falcon Field; 7 miles ENE of Mesa. Operated by Southwest Airlines training RAF students through primary, basic and advanced training.

The Falcon Field establishment was titled No.4 British Flying Training School and originally opened under a contract from the RAF Delegation in Washington during June 1941 using Lend-Lease funds. The aircraft used were Boeing PT-17, Vultee BT-13A and the North American AT-6A.

The RAF syllabus was used at all the BFT Schools. (In order to avoid any confusion I should add that the Arnold Scheme USAAF schools, mainly in the southeast of the United States trained RAF students used the AAF syllabus.)

During November 1942 the BT-13s were replaced by additional AT-6s throughout the BFT Schools and at the same time specially selected USAAF cadets joined the enlarged RAF courses (now up to around 100). With up to four of these courses on the station at any one time and the number aircraft assigned as of 30 June 1945 gives some idea of the scale of the operation:
PT-17 18; PT-17A 22; AT-6A 26; AT-6C 17; AT-6D 31; AT-7C 1; Total 117.

No.4 BFTS and several similar establishments closed during August and September1945 as the Lend-Lease funding ceased.

The diary of No.4 BFTS briefly records the filming that took place at Falcon Field between the 11th and 25th April, 1944. The working title of the film at that time was ”Aircrew” and presumably more filming was done at the two Thunderbird Fields. The film was released as “Thunderbirds” and apparently includes many scenes shot at Falcon Field of the RAF airman training, receiving their “Wings” and departing for the UK. The link provided in the original post explains that Heyward had many links and investors in Hollwood

M-62A

Baseball kit?

An awful looking bit of kit. Would look good at a baseball game (Rounders)

Can’t find any period shots of the jacket at Thunderbird Field. I wonder why they would have adopted a woolen-bodied A-1 jacket which was already out of date when the airfield was built in 1939? The A-2 was standard USAAF issue from 1931.
Interesting the Gerry Anderson’s elder brother was stationed there during WW2…