Sheppard AFB 97th FTS Devil Cats

Sheppard AFB 97th FTS Devil Cats vintage style military aviation travel poster art by – Squadron Posters!

The Devil Cat, neither cat nor wolf, has roamed the steppes of Asiatic Russia for generations. Its awesome appearance is but mildly indicative of the beast’s true ferocity, of its almost diabolical wiliness and daring. In all of central and northern Asia, no animal real or legendary excites a greater respect or fear among the hardened and barbaric peoples of this vast hinterland. The Devil Cat portrays the endurance, courage, resourcefulness and ferocity, which the 97 FTS emulates.

The 97th, constituted as the 97th Pursuit Squadron in 1942, flew combat in the European Theater of Operations and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations between 25 December 1942 and 3 May 1945. It flew fighter escort and air defense from, 1947–1949 and air defense from, 1951-1957.

The squadron was redesignated as the 97th Flying Training Squadron and trained USAF pilots to fly supersonic jet aircraft from 1973 to 1993. In 1998, the 97th Flying Training Squadron was activated in the Air Force Reserve at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas as an associate of the 80th Flying Training Wing.

The 97th operates Beechcraft T-6A Texan II and Northrop T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program (ENJJPT) with highly experienced Air Force Reserve instructor pilots. The squadron also uses the T-38C in the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals course (IFF), an advanced pilot course that teaches basic fighter maneuvers.

Shown at the bottom of the poster is the aircraft lineage of the 97th: P-38, P-51, F-86, F-94, T-37B, T-38A/C, T-6A.

The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (which became Hawker Beechcraft and later Beechcraft Defense Company, and was bought by Textron Aviation in 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force’s Cessna T-37B Tweet and the United States Navy’s T-34C Turbo Mentor. The T-6A is used by the United States Air Force for basic pilot training and Combat Systems Officer training, the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps for primary Naval Aviator training and primary and intermediate Naval Flight Officer training.

Squadron Posters offers the world’s largest collection of Squadron Specific Art! Check out our stunning vintage style military aviation themed travel posters, honoring All Branches of Service. Our artwork not only represents aircraft, armored cavalry, or ships, it represents adventure and travel. This means we create posters featuring the Space Needle, New Orleans, the Golden Gate Bridge, Mt Rushmore and the National Mall. Of course, McChord AFB isn’t in Seattle but if you’re stationed there your adventure surely involves the Space Needle!

This is what makes Squadron Posters different–it’s about remembering where you’ve lived and what you’ve seen with a vintage themed travel poster. – Collect your travels and tell your story!