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Randolph AFB 563rd Flying Training Squadron T-43

Randolph AFB 563rd Flying Training Squadron T-43 poster art.

The Boeing T-43 “Bobcat” was a modified Boeing 737-200 used by the United States Air Force for training navigators. Informally referred to as the “Gator (an abbreviation of “navigator”) and “Flying Classroom”, nineteen of these aircraft were delivered in 1973-1974. The 563d Flying Training Squadron (563 FTS) was part of the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It operated the T-43 Bobcat conducting navigator training. It was most recently inactivated at a ceremony held at Randolph Air Force Base on November 15, 2010. Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located 14.8 miles east-northeast of Downtown San AntonioTexas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command. Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Air Force during its entire existence. Randolph AFB is part of Joint Base San Antonio, an amalgamation of the United States Army Fort Sam Houston, the United States Air Force Randolph Air Force Base and Lackland Air Force Base, which were merged on 1 October 2010.