Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, provides training for instructor pilots in the United States Air Force. Instructor pilots are responsible for teaching pilot candidates at the Air Force’s undergraduate pilot-training bases. Randolph also provides instruction in navigation and electronic warfare for navigators known as combat systems officers in the U.S. Air Force and Navy.
The base covers about 2,900 acres (1,200 hectares) northeast of San Antonio. It is home to the Air Force Advanced Instrument School. It also serves as headquarters for the Air Education and Training Command, the Air Force Personnel Center, and the Air Force Recruiting Service.
Randolph Air Force Base was dedicated as a flying training base in 1930 and named for Captain William M. Randolph, who died in the crash of a training plane. In 2001, the base became a national historic landmark. In 2010, Randolph Air Force Base—along with Fort Sam Houston and Lackland Air Force Base—became part of Joint Base San Antonio.
