Del Rio, Texas
Laughlin AFB Crashpad — TDY lodging that feels like home
Looking for a Laughlin AFB crashpad? Del Rio, Texas is where the Air Force turns lieutenants into pilots — the 47th Flying Training Wing runs the busiest flightline in the country, and every class that shows up needs somewhere to live for a year. A furnished crashpad priced inside the government rate beats a border-town hotel for a TDY of any length.
Mission
47th Flying Training Wing — Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training in the T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon, the largest pilot-training base in the Air Force
Host units
47th Flying Training Wing (host) · 47th Operations Group — 85th, 87th and 434th Flying Training Squadrons · 96th Flying Training Squadron (Air Force Reserve Command associate) · 47th Medical Group
Commute
From most of Del Rio it's a 10–15 minute drive east on US-90 to State Loop 79 and the West (main) Gate; the North Gate is directly off US-90.
Homes near the gate
Crashpads serving Laughlin AFB
2 fully furnished properties positioned for the Laughlin AFB commute.
Why stay in a crashpad near Laughlin AFB?
Laughlin sits about six miles east of Del Rio on US-90, right on the Rio Grande, and it exists for one reason: Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training. Roughly 400 new pilots earn their wings here each year in the T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon, flying on the order of 100,000 hours and 64,000 sorties, and on weekdays the airfield logs more takeoffs and landings than any airport in the United States. That tempo means a constant churn of students, instructor pilots, Reserve associates, contractors and inspectors, in a town of about 35,000 with limited hotel inventory. Laughlin Manor on base fills fast during class starts, and Del Rio's commercial hotels are shared with Border Patrol, oil-field and lake-fishing traffic. A crashpad gives you a real kitchen, a quiet bedroom and a short drive to the West Gate, with a DTS-ready receipt at or under per diem.
Who we host at Laughlin AFB
- UPT students reporting for a 52-week pilot-training class
- Instructor pilots in PIT follow-on training or on short TDYs
- Reserve and Guard instructors flying with the 96th FTS
- Contract maintenance and simulator teams supporting the T-6 and T-38 lines
- AETC inspectors, evaluators and staff on wing visits
Per diem, DTS, and your wallet
Every Laughlin AFB stay is priced at or below the Del Rio government lodging rate. You'll receive itemized, DTS-ready receipts for your travel voucher — for a typical TDY that means zero out-of-pocket lodging cost. Read the full breakdown in our TDY per diem guide, or run your own numbers: the per diem calculator and the on-base lodging calculator use the same rates DTS does. PCSing here instead? Check BAH for Laughlin AFB.
Local intel
Laughlin AFB crashpad FAQs
Can I stay off base on TDY to Laughlin AFB?
Yes, if base lodging is full. Call Laughlin Manor at 830-298-5741 first; if no room is available you receive a non-availability number and can lodge commercially at the FY2026 standard CONUS rate for Del Rio — $110 lodging plus $68 M&IE.
How far is the crashpad area from the base?
Del Rio's neighborhoods are 6–12 miles west of the base along US-90. Plan on 10–15 minutes to the West Gate on Loop 79 in normal traffic, a little longer at the morning shift change.
Is there anything to do in Del Rio during a long TDY?
More than you'd expect: Lake Amistad's 65,000 acres of clear water for bass fishing and boating, Seminole Canyon's 4,000-year-old rock art, the Devils River, and Texas' oldest winery downtown. Ciudad Acuña is across the bridge if your commander's travel rules allow it.
From the blog
Articles about Laughlin AFB
TDY Life · 11 min read
Laughlin AFB Per Diem, BAH, and Living in Del Rio
Del Rio isn't a listed per diem locality, so the standard CONUS rate applies. Here's how Laughlin AFB per diem, BAH in MHA TX278, and Del Rio housing actually work on orders.
Pipelines · 10 min read
The UPT survival guide
What a year of Undergraduate Pilot Training actually looks like at Columbus, Laughlin, Vance, and Sheppard — and how to set up lodging, per diem, and BAH so you can focus on flying.
Calculators
Plan your Laughlin AFB TDY budget
Mission-ready lodging
TDY to Laughlin AFB? Lock in your lodging.
Send your dates and reason for stay — we'll match you with a furnished crashpad near Laughlin Air Force Base at the government rate.