Goodfellow Air Force Base

Goodfellow Air Force Base at a glance

Goodfellow Air Force Base is a joint technical training community in San Angelo, Texas. Its 17th Training Wing develops personnel in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and fire protection. The 17th Training Group conducts initial, intermediate and advanced courses in these public mission areas. Students and training detachments represent several military services, making Goodfellow's schoolhouse role broader than the Air Force alone.

The installation began as a flying school established in 1940 and renamed Goodfellow Field in 1941. Pilot training ended in 1958, followed by a transition to cryptologic instruction. Joint-service training expanded in 1966. The 17th Training Wing's activation in 1993 coincided with a further broadening of the training mission, including fire protection and special instruments instruction.

Also searched as: Goodfellow AFB, Goodfellow Field.

Sources: Goodfellow Air Force Base overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS; 17th Training Group: Goodfellow Air Force Base

Mission and major activities

• Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance education through the 17th Training Wing.
• Fire protection and fire-rescue training.
• Joint-service technical instruction.

Sources: Goodfellow Air Force Base overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS; 17th Training Group: Goodfellow Air Force Base

History and identity

Goodfellow graduated its last pilot class on September 3, 1958, before its transition to technical intelligence education.

Sources: Goodfellow Air Force Base overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Location and community

Goodfellow is in San Angelo's Concho Valley community in central-western Texas. San Angelo Regional Airport is a separate civilian facility.

Sources: Goodfellow Air Force Base overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Intelligence and fire-rescue training define Goodfellow

The 17th Training Wing serves a joint-service student population. Its 17th Training Group conducts intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance education alongside fire-rescue and scientific-applications training. Courses span initial skills and more advanced professional education. An arriving student should identify the actual school and service detachment, while an instructor or permanent-party member should use the receiving organization’s sponsor process.

Goodfellow began as an aviation-training location in 1940, but its final pilot class graduated in 1958. Cryptologic and later broader intelligence education replaced flying training, and fire-protection training became part of the expanded technical mission. The installation is in San Angelo’s Concho Valley community. Its Air Force base designation therefore should not be taken to imply that a current posting is centered on aircraft flying operations.

Official sources: Goodfellow overview; 17th Training Group

Student status changes the housing conversation

Hunt manages Goodfellow’s privatized family housing, with the Military Housing Office providing official application and community-housing assistance. The housing page has separate instructions for officer students, prior-service personnel and permanent-party unaccompanied members. In particular, it describes dormitory requirements for newly commissioned, unaccompanied second lieutenants in student status. Confirm the current instructions for the course and individual status before signing a lease or shipping furniture.

For families, the housing page links San Angelo Independent School District information and the school liaison. Establish the assigned school for the actual residence and transfer records before the move. A student’s course duration, authorized dependent travel and accommodation arrangements should guide the decision about a family move. Those are individual assignment questions, not conclusions that can be drawn from a general housing-community description.

Official sources: Goodfellow housing

The student clinic is part of a wider outpatient system

The 17th Medical Group’s published organization includes Family Health, Student Clinic, Flight Medicine, physical therapy, mental health and supporting services. That student-clinic component is useful to identify early at an installation whose population includes multiple services and courses. The official guide states that the medical group does not provide emergency care on base and identifies Shannon facilities in San Angelo for community emergency care.

Before arriving, clarify which medical team receives the student and which provider receives accompanying family members. Existing referrals, prescriptions and records may need separate coordination. The guide describes base dental care for active-duty patients and civilian arrangements for eligible family members. A training reporting instruction is therefore only one part of a household’s care plan; confirm clinical continuity and the actual destination for recurring appointments as well.

Official sources: Goodfellow 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: Goodfellow Air Force Base overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Resources for service members and families

Start with the official resources for Goodfellow 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 Goodfellow 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 official Training Group and Air Force housing pages were reviewed through indexed content.

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. Goodfellow Air Force Base overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONSSupports: overview, mission, history, local context, planning note
2. 17th Training Group: Goodfellow Air Force BaseSupports: overview, mission
3. Goodfellow housingSupports: expanded guide and official services
4. Goodfellow health careSupports: 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.