By the late summer of 1948 it became apparent to the airlift planners that it would be best if pilots, crews, and maintenance men had some basic training in their unique operation before arriving in Germany. To accomplish this, the Air Force moved the Military Air Transport Service school from Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base (now Travis AFB), California, to Great Falls Air Force Base, Montana, in September 1948 to establish the "Vittles" training operation. Hundreds of pilots and crewmen, many of whom were recalled to active service, were checked out on the C-54 aircraft and on flight procedures to and from Berlin by practicing ground and flight procedures on mock-up duplicates of facilities at Rhein-Main, Wiesbaden, and Berlin.

A student pilot receiving radar instructions for his simulated flight down an airlift corridor.

A synthetic trainer, once used to train bombardiers during World War II, was adapted to instruct pilots in navigation to Berlin in all kinds of weather.