Lt Luke is a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient and the number-two United States flying ace in World War I.

[6] Luke Field, Oahu, Hawaii Territory (now the Naval Air Station Ford Island), was previously named in his honor.

Flying out of Sky Harbor Airport until the Luke runways were ready, pilots received 10 weeks of instruction and the first class graduated 15 August 1941.

Ground school, or classroom training for the advanced flying course, varied from about 100 to 130 hours and was intermingled with flight time in the aircraft.

On 1 November 1952, the active-duty 3600th Flying Training Wing (Fighter), under Commander Charles F. Born, replaced the Air National Guardsmen.

For several years, the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project at Sandia Base, New Mexico, had provided all atomic, biological, and chemical (ABC) warfare training for the USAF.

By the end of 1957, ATC basing structure had changed considerably as the result of tactical commitments, decreased student load, and fund shortages.

This reassignment came about as the result of a USAF-directed study of the feasibility of putting combat crew training under the appropriate zone of interior operational commands.

The squadron was established in December 1963 as the 4441st CCTS, with a mission to train Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots on the Northrup F-5A Freedom Fighter.

After earning a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Stanford University, she graduated first in her UPT class at Laughlin AFB in December 1992, and chose the F-15 after USAF Chief of Staff General Merrill McPeak opened the door for women to fly combat aircraft.

Units assigned to the 58 OG were: In 1991, the Base Realignment and Closure commission ordered that all flightline activities cease at MacDill AFB by 1993.

In addition, the 58th Fighter Wing was inactivated and moved to Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, with the historical senior 56th FW taking over all assets at Luke.

The mission of the 425th was to provide advanced weapons and tactics continuation for Republic of Singapore Air Force's F-16 pilots and maintenance personnel.

With the return of AETC to Luke, producing a task-certified or more mission-ready apprentice became possible, and operational units could reduce the amount of on-the-job training provided to new airmen.

On 8 March 2000, the 50,000th fighter pilot had graduated from Luke AFB, Arizona, since the Army Air Forces started training at this location in July 1941.

After the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, Luke suspended routine flight-training operations, as the Federal Aviation Administration shut down the nation's airways to all but select military flights.

Aircraft of the 56th Fighter Wing were deployed to fly combat air patrols over New York City and Washington, DC, in the immediate aftermath of the attacks in support of Operation Noble Eagle.

[15] In addition, the munitions storage area (MSA) stood outside of the base compound, adding a burden to the Security Forces Squadron.

In October 2002, Senator John McCain of Arizona shepherded a MILCON funding insert of $13 million to purchase 273 acres (1.10 km2) needed to incorporate the MSA into the base perimeter and to acquire additional land to preserve access to the Goldwater Range.

It deployed several times since late 1992 to Turkey to help enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq and to Italy to support UN air operations in the Balkans.

The 69th had formerly been assigned to Luke as an active-duty squadron from 1969–1983, flying Lockheed F-104G Starfighters training pilots from the West German Air Force.

Since Northern European weather and operational restrictions placed severe limitations on the amount of training, Luke AFB was chosen, where flying conditions were ideal for most of the time.

With a sufficient number of aircraft and instructor pilots, preparations were on target to receive the first advanced training class scheduled for October 1964.

Major changes occurred in organization on 1 October 1969, when the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing was activated, replacing the 4510th CCTW as the host unit at Luke.

On 22 May 1964, TAC relieved the 4443d CCTS from its assignment to the 831st Air Division at George AFB, California, and reassigned it to the 4540th CCTG, effective 1 August 1964.

In addition to flying and maintaining the F-16, Luke airmen also deploy to support on-going operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and to combatant commanders in other locations around the world.

The range consists of 1,900,000 acres (7,700 km2) of relatively undisturbed Sonoran Desert southwest of Luke Air Force Base between Yuma and Tucson south of Interstate 8.

Overhead are 57,000 cubic miles (240,000 km3) of airspace where pilots practice air-to-air maneuvers and engage simulated battlefield targets on the ground.

The new 32,055-square-foot (2,980 m2), one-story facility is located on a 1.85-acre (0.75 ha) site at Luke AFB with sufficient parking and a secured perimeter to meet current anti-terrorism and force protection standards.

It also has a 4,800-square-foot (450 m2) drill hall, command staff offices, reserve unit administration spaces, medical and dental examination areas, six classrooms, a distance learning center, a physical fitness room, and a quarterdeck.