Laughlin Air Force Base

Laughlin Air Force Base at a glance

Laughlin Air Force Base is an Air Education and Training Command installation east of Del Rio, Texas. The 47th Flying Training Wing conducts undergraduate pilot training for the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and allied nations. Its role is a flying schoolhouse, with instruction and the supporting aircraft, infrastructure and personnel needed to prepare military pilots.

The 47th Flying Training Wing has operated at Laughlin since September 1972, when it replaced the 3646th Pilot Training Wing. The wing's earlier lineage was as a light bombardment organization, established in 1947. At Laughlin it began specialized undergraduate pilot training in 1993 and added an airlifter and tanker training track in 1994. This history explains the installation's continuing focus on pilot development.

Also searched as: Laughlin AFB.

Sources: Laughlin Air Force Base and 47th Flying Training Wing history; Laughlin installation development environmental assessment

Mission and major activities

• Undergraduate pilot training through the 47th Flying Training Wing.
• Instruction for active, Reserve, Guard and allied-nation pilots.
• Preparation of mission-ready airmen supporting the training mission.

Sources: Laughlin Air Force Base and 47th Flying Training Wing history; Laughlin installation development environmental assessment

History and identity

The 47th's transition from a bombardment lineage to flying training occurred with its 1972 reactivation at Laughlin. It absorbed the resources of the previous pilot training wing.

Sources: Laughlin Air Force Base and 47th Flying Training Wing history

Location and community

Laughlin is in Val Verde County, east of Del Rio in southwestern Texas. The installation also has a recreation annex near Lake Amistad.

Sources: Laughlin installation development environmental assessment

A pilot-training community near Del Rio

The 47th Flying Training Wing trains pilots for the active Air Force, Reserve, Air National Guard and allied air forces. Its official overview identifies T-6A and T-38C training, reflecting a professional environment centered on students, instructors and the maintenance and support organizations that make flying education possible. A student assignment should be understood through course instructions, while permanent-party arrivals need their receiving unit’s sponsor process.

The 47th has served at Laughlin since 1972, absorbing earlier pilot-training resources. A separate history-office account traces the installation’s 1952 reopening for expanded pilot training and the arrival of its first T-38 in 1964. These milestones show that the base’s training role predates the current wing designation. Del Rio is the surrounding Texas community, so compare actual local service destinations rather than assuming a major metropolitan support network is immediately adjacent.

Official sources: Laughlin and 47th Flying Training Wing; Laughlin May Heritage Corner; Laughlin health care

Student arrangements and family housing are different decisions

Hunt Companies owns and manages Laughlin’s privatized family housing, with the Military Housing Office providing official application guidance and community-housing assistance. The Air Force page describes permanent-party unaccompanied housing separately from family homes. An incoming trainee should therefore verify the accommodation required by the course and orders before applying general family-housing advice.

For a household moving to Del Rio, ask about current availability, the specific offered residence and the date it can be occupied. Keep temporary accommodation and household-goods plans flexible until those details are confirmed. The official housing page links referral and relocation assistance for local school information; use that route to establish the school for the actual address. A course start date, a housing application and a child’s enrollment are connected planning tasks, but none automatically confirms the others.

Official sources: Laughlin housing

Emergency care is provided in the community

Laughlin’s medical group is an outpatient clinic providing primary and specialty care within its scope. The official health-care guide says that the clinic does not provide emergency services and identifies Val Verde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio as the community emergency-room resource. That separation is useful when deciding where care will occur during the first weeks of a move.

Before arrival, ask the receiving medical team how existing treatment, referrals and prescriptions will continue, especially when a specialty requires care beyond the base clinic. A student’s flight-related medical requirements do not replace a dependent’s ordinary health-care transfer. Record the actual clinical destination and receiving contact for each ongoing need, then consider those appointments alongside the duty or training journey and the selected home.

Official sources: Laughlin health care

Published addresses and access

Use the destination label below to distinguish visitor access, a service office and postal mail. A published address does not authorize entry. Confirm current access, sponsorship, appointments and reporting instructions with the official office before travelling.

Before you arrive

Use these questions with your sponsor or gaining organization. They are a starting point for planning, including assignments, courses and training periods that differ from a routine permanent change of station.

1. Confirm the organization, duration and reporting instructions shown on your orders. Ask which office handles your arrival.
2. Clarify lodging and housing arrangements before booking. Ask about availability, required approvals and how to handle a late arrival.
3. Before choosing a home, compare the commute, lease terms, school needs and your household budget. Ask the housing office about the options that apply to your situation.
4. Coordinate household goods and personal travel with the appropriate transportation office. Keep orders, receipts and important family records together.
5. Make a short list of contacts for medical care, schools, childcare and family support, where applicable to your assignment.

Official PCS planning resources   Housing allowance information

Sources: Laughlin Air Force Base and 47th Flying Training Wing history

Resources for service members and families

Start with the official resources for Laughlin Air Force Base and ask which services your household can use. For a training site, rotational location or Reserve component assignment, confirm arrangements with your unit rather than assuming the services of a large residential installation are available.

From this mission to your next career

The mission at Laughlin Air Force Base suggests the following areas to consider when describing your experience. These are LockLeed career suggestions based on the public mission, not a list of vacancies or qualifications held by everyone assigned here.

Write down the equipment, systems, processes and teams you personally supported. Add a specific result you can discuss publicly, then match that evidence to the civilian role you want. Keep operational details and sensitive information out of your application.

Official transition resources   Explore SkillBridge programs

Official contacts and installation services

Use the named official resource for this installation or its support community. A directory link does not establish service eligibility, availability or a reporting location. Confirm arrangements with the office or your gaining organization.

Research note: The older historical URL was inaccessible. Current official About Us and history-office indexed content were reviewed, along with the official housing page and accessible medical guide.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and editorial notes

Installation facts above are drawn from the official sources below. Career suggestions and planning questions are LockLeed editorial guidance. Use official offices for current policies, eligibility and arrangements.

1. Laughlin Air Force Base and 47th Flying Training Wing historySupports: overview, mission, history, planning note
2. Laughlin installation development environmental assessmentSupports: overview, mission, local context
3. Laughlin and 47th Flying Training WingSupports: expanded guide and official services
4. Laughlin May Heritage CornerSupports: expanded guide and official services
5. Laughlin health careSupports: expanded guide and official services
6. Laughlin housingSupports: expanded guide and official services

Reviewed 2026-09-30. This independent guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense. Map points are approximate and are not routing or reporting instructions.