Terrell Municipal Airport was the first American airfield to host a training school for the British Royal Air Force during WWII. After successfully negotiating an agreement to locate the flight school in Terrell, local businessmen raised $35,000 in private funds to buy the land necessary to build the airport. The first classes arrived in 1941. In order to maintain the appearance of American neutrality, Royal Air Force cadets were decommissioned in Canada, traveled to Terrell to train as civilians, reenlisted in Canada, and then returned to England to join the fray.
The design of the new Major William F. Long Terminal pays homage to the school’s original control tower. Some 2000 British, Canadian, and American pilots trained at the No.1 British Flying Training School and played a major role in securing an Allied victory. Today the No.1 BFTS Museum on the airport grounds celebrates the long-standing cooperation and friendship between Great Britain and America. The Flights of Our Fathers Fly-In (www.bftsflyin.com), held each year on the third Saturday in September, honors the contributions of WWII pilots.
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