Originally Posted by
rickair7777
The lakes and canyons in the sierra nevadas occasionally still turn up WW2 aircraft from the training fields in the central valley. No shortage of mishaps from that era.
Army Air Corps lost 15,000 Airmen in training accidents during WWII. Partly it was the training pace, partly it was that some aircraft were produced that were technically difficult to fly.
One a Day in Tampa Bay ? HistoricWings.com :: A Magazine for Aviators, Pilots and Adventurers
but people also need to realize the SCALE of flight training in WWII. At one time the Army Air Corps training command had over 200 training bases IN CALIFORNIA ALONE. Most were just some small primary flight school with civilian instructors and a handful of active officers supervising hundreds of cadets giving them the basics. Those who survived that would move on to the “major” facilities:
And many of these “major” bases would have one or more aux fields.