On May 3, 1941, the largest flying field in the United States, military or civilian, opened as a new unit of the Southeast Air Corps Training Center, where flying cadets received advanced schooling in handling multi-mile-a-minute pursuit planes. The history of Craig Field began there and ended with the graduation of the UPT Class 77-08 on August 12, 1977, and the departure of the last official aircraft, a T-38 flown by Gen. John W. Roberts, commander of the Air Training Command. In its 37 years and one week, more than one million hours of flying time were logged, beginning with the AT-6 of 1941, including the T-37, and ending with the T-38. More than 30,000 students flew from its runways, and during the aerial combat of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, its graduates defended their country with valor. Though the history of Craig Air Force Base ended, the pride and integrity of the 29th Flying Training Wing and its people lived on.