Black Panther Red Lightning bolts late-50s Squadron F-84

[benguttery]

Any thoughts as to what unit this might be? His patches were arranged in the order he got them and this was the first one. His first. His obituary read like the Republic F-84 was his first aircraft after training. So, it could be an F-83 unit. Beautiful patch.

[River Patrol]

Indeed....a great looking patch!

[Mark1]

This patch belongs to the 4512th Combat Crew Training Squadron out of Luke AFB from 1958 to 1969. The squadron flew F-100 Super Sabre's.

 

Mark

[Randy]

This patch belongs to the 4512th Combat Crew Training Squadron out of Luke AFB from 1958 to 1969. The squadron flew F-100 Super Sabre's.

 

Mark

 

4512 CCTS is correct unit ID, but this unit trained German F-104 pilots using American instructors. Prior to that, they would have been training them on F-84F aircraft, again with USAF personnel instructing and probably students as well as NATO trainees. The 4518 CCTS also had this mission. These units were renumbered from the existing 3602 and 3608 CCTS in 1957 when the fighter training mission was transferred from ATC to TAC. In 1969, the 4512 CCTS became the 69 TFTS and the 4518 became the 418 TFTS. All this occurred at Luke AFB, AZ. These units are a minefield sometimes as they are provisional with no real history kept on them like permanent units have. F-104 era one attached.

Randy

 

[benguttery]

Thank you!