Question: Which Texas military base trained the most pilots during World War I?
Answer: Kelly Field in San Antonio. The site was one of 28 airfields—including nine in Texas—built for the newly established Aviation Section of the United States Army Signal Corps during World War I. It was named for Lt. George E. Kelly, who was killed in a crash at Fort Sam Houston in 1911. During the course of the war, 1,459 pilots and 398 instructors graduated from aviation school at Kelly Field. Thousands more trained at the base during World War II.
After the Air Force was established as a separate branch of the U.S. military, the field changed its name to Kelly Air Force Base, and it became and an aircraft maintenance hub. The base was designated for closure in 1995. In 2001, nearby Lackland Air Force Base assumed control of the airstrip, and its logistics center was transferred to KellyUSA, now known as Port San Antonio.
