479th Flying Training Group

479th Flying Training Group
Members of the 479th Flying Training Group render salutes during the playing of the National Anthem at the group's activation ceremony
Active	1943–1945; 1952–1957; 1991; 2000–2007; 2009–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Fighter/Fighter Training
Part of	Air Education and Training Command
Garrison/HQ	Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Motto(s)	Protectores Libartatis Latin Defenders of Liberty
Engagements	European Theater of Operations
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel John R. Edwards
Insignia
479th Flying Training Group emblem (approved 26 September 2000)
Patch with 479th Fighter-Bomber Group emblem (small>(approved 10 September 1954)

The 479th Flying Training Group is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola. A component of Air Education and Training Command, the group was activated on 2 October 2009. The current commander of the 479th Flying Training Group is Col Thomas B. Shank.

The unit conducts Undergraduate Combat Systems Officer (CSO) training, replacing the former Undergraduate Navigator Training (UNT) curriculum previously taught by the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

The group is an operational component of the 12th Wing, flying the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II and T-1 Jayhawk. The first CSO class, 11-01, graduated on 15 April 2011.

The group controls three subordinate squadrons:

The unit was constituted as the 479th Fighter Group on 12 October 1943 and activated on 15 October at Grand Central Air Terminal, near Long Beach, California. Equipped with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the group trained for combat and served as an air defense organization for the west coast as part of IV Fighter Command of Fourth Air Force. It was stationed at Santa Maria Army Air Field, California

Even though the defense of the US west coast initially took priority, it was decided to deploy Lightning squadrons to Britain for heavy bomber escort duty. The 479th was reassigned to RAF Wattisham, England, April–May 1944, and assigned to the 65th Fighter Wing, VIII Fighter Command, Eighth Air Force.