The Royal Air Force in Texas

With the outbreak of World War II British Royal Air Force (RAF) officialssought to train aircrews outside of England safe from enemy attack andpoor weather. In the United States the first of six schools No. 1 BritishFlying Training School (BFTS) was located in Terrell Texas east ofDallas. The cadets trained in the air on aerobatics instrument flight andnight flying while on the ground they studied navigation meteorologyengines and armaments-even spending time in early flight simulators.Not all survived their training. By the end of the war more than twothousand RAF cadets had trained at Terrell cementing relations betweenGreat Britain and the United States and forming lasting bonds with thecitizens of Terrell.Killebrew's book adds substantially to an understanding of thehistory of RAF flight training on U.S. soil in World War II.-TodRoberts editor of RAF Wings over FloridaThis is an outstanding book for anyone interested in aviation or inthe personal side of World War II. . . . Killebrew's enthusiasm andrespect for his subject are quite obvious.-Review of Texas BooksThis book should please anyone interested in military flighttraining Lend-Lease and the RAF or even just WWII aviation ingeneral.-Air Power HistoryTOM KILLEBREW a native of Dallas Texas received a master's degree inhistory from the University of Texas at Arlington. A licensed private pilothe served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and as an air intelligenceofficer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He currently teaches American historyat Navarro College and lives with his wife Ann in DeSoto Texas.