TWA Jack Frye Training Center (Transportation Training Building) (1957-1988)

The southeast corner of 13th and Baltimore was home to an eight-story structure that was utilized by TWA to train pilots, flight attendants, and other personnel from 1957 to 1988. The company used the building for a variety of training operations along with the Breech Academy in Overland Park. This facility included a training center named in honor of aviation pioneer and TWA founder Jack Frye, which included numerous replicas of aircraft equipment, from cockpit simulators prior to the creation of computer graphics to emergency and maintenance equipment. Here, thousands of pilots learned to utilize instruments on board Boeing 707s and other aircraft that were flown around the world. Several developers considered plans to convert the historic building to lofts, and the structure was purchased by Lou Trigg and Roger Buford in 2003. Having sat vacant since 1988, the cost of each proposal discouraged investment, and the building was demolished in 2005.

The airline used five of the building's eight floors, and thousands of pilots, flight attendants, and other airline staff came here for training. The facility created various training equipment, from early-generation flight simulators to replicas of electrical and control boards, to assist pilots and crewmembers. The company also used this building to produce educational materials, including films such as the one at the bottom of this entry. In an era where pilots needed to be familiar with mathematical rules

Wayne Hammer and Larry Dingman, TWA Museum Guides Blog, https://twamuseumguides.blogspot.com/2016/08/twa-pilots-chairmen-of-boards-in-over.html

TWA Museum Archives, http://www.twamuseumarchives.org/photos-6.html accessed 7/31/2024

Barry Schiff, Proficient Pilot, May 1, 2007. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2007/may/01/proficient-pilot-(5) accessed 7/31/2024