BRYAN AIR FORCE BASE. Bryan Air Force Base, six miles west of Bryan in Brazos County, was originally Bryan Army Air Field. The base was activated in 1943 as an instructors' school assigned the task of developing a standardized system of instrument flying. The Full Panel Attitude System developed at the base was one of the most significant contributions the base made to pilot training. The instrument-training school at Bryan AAF was the only one of its kind in the United States Army Air Forces. The base became Bryan Air Force Base upon separation of the air force from the army in 1947. It was deactivated in May 1961. The land and buildings were deeded to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) in 1962.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Robert E. Hays, Jr., "Air Force Pilot and Instructor Training in Texas, 1940-45," Texas Military History 4 (Summer 1964).
