USAF helicopter training in the late 1960s.
Hi!
I have a character who is a 30-year-old USAF Academy grad HH-3 Jolly Green Giant pilot flying in the 38th ARRS on a tour to Vietnam from February 1966 to February 1968 (he re-upped a few months before the end of his first tour). After his tour, I would like to transfer him to a training squadron for the HH-3 but I'm finding it a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly where that would have happened in the late 1960s.
So I'm trying to find out where the USAF trained their helicopter pilots in the years between 1968 and 1970/71, especially only the HH-3 Jolly Green Giant pilots (especially those flown in Pararescue operations, but not exclusively), after their undergraduate training. I tried to look up Wikipedia and Google with search words "USAF helicopter pilot training 1960s", "USAF HH-3 pilot training 1960s", "USAF helicopter jolly green giant training 1960s" but couldn't get any satisfactory results. I know that Air Education and Training Command is situated at Randolph AFB and that Nellis AFB houses the HH-60 training/USAF Weapons School, that Rucker AFB trained other helicopter pilots and that the USAF Helicopter School moved from Stead AFB to Sheppard AFB in 1965. I looked at Sheppard's Wiki entry but am still not sure if this is really where they would have trained.
Also, if I can't find out exactly where they'd be located, how likely would it be that he could also train pilots for other chopper types, such as Chinooks or the everpresent Hueys or at least any types related to the HH-3?
I have a character who is a 30-year-old USAF Academy grad HH-3 Jolly Green Giant pilot flying in the 38th ARRS on a tour to Vietnam from February 1966 to February 1968 (he re-upped a few months before the end of his first tour). After his tour, I would like to transfer him to a training squadron for the HH-3 but I'm finding it a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly where that would have happened in the late 1960s.
So I'm trying to find out where the USAF trained their helicopter pilots in the years between 1968 and 1970/71, especially only the HH-3 Jolly Green Giant pilots (especially those flown in Pararescue operations, but not exclusively), after their undergraduate training. I tried to look up Wikipedia and Google with search words "USAF helicopter pilot training 1960s", "USAF HH-3 pilot training 1960s", "USAF helicopter jolly green giant training 1960s" but couldn't get any satisfactory results. I know that Air Education and Training Command is situated at Randolph AFB and that Nellis AFB houses the HH-60 training/USAF Weapons School, that Rucker AFB trained other helicopter pilots and that the USAF Helicopter School moved from Stead AFB to Sheppard AFB in 1965. I looked at Sheppard's Wiki entry but am still not sure if this is really where they would have trained.
Also, if I can't find out exactly where they'd be located, how likely would it be that he could also train pilots for other chopper types, such as Chinooks or the everpresent Hueys or at least any types related to the HH-3?