Naval Air Training Command

Naval Air Training Command
Logo of Naval Air Training Command
Active	July 1972 - present (as Naval Air Training Command)
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Training Command
Role	Flight training of Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard
Headquarters	NAS Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Nickname(s)	"CNATRA", "TRACOM"
Flying hours	301,532 (2016) [1]
Website	www.cnatra.navy.mil
Commanders
Commander	RADM Max G. McCoy Jr.
Chief of Staff	CAPT Paul N. Flores
Aircraft flown
Fighter	F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (Blue Angels)
Trainer helicopter	TH-57B/C Sea Ranger
Trainer	T-6B Texan T-44C Pegasus T-45C Goshawk
Transport	C-130J Hercules (Blue Angels)

The Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) is a one-star Echelon III command that conducts flight training of student Naval Aviators, student Naval Flight Officers, student Air Vehicle Pilots (AVP) ^[a] and student Unmanned Aircraft Systems Officers (UASO). ^[b] Though it does not conduct Naval Aircrew training which is conducted by Naval Education and Training Command's Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC), it is responsible for monitoring the production of Aircrewmen through the Naval Aviator Production Process (NAPP). Through the NAPP, NATRACOM is also responsible for programming and monitoring the production of all (currently 19) Navy and Marine Corps Fleet Replacement Squadrons.

It conducts operations aboard five Naval Air Stations in three states. The Mission of Naval Air Training Command is to train the world’s finest combat quality aviation professionals, delivering them at the right time, in the right numbers, and at the right cost. ^[2]

Chief of Naval Air Training

The Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), currently RADM Max G. McCoy Jr., ^[3] leads the Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) and is headquartered on board Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. As recently as 2009, NATRACOM's 739 aircraft logged 358,449 flight hours, nearly a third of the Department of the Navy total for that fiscal year. To put those numbers in perspective, CNATRA flew 28% of the combined Navy and Marine Corps flight hours with 19% of the aircraft. In that same time more than 2,400 Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers (NFO) and Naval Aircrewmen earned their "Wings of Gold".^{[ citation needed ]}

Subordinate commands

TA-4J Skyhawk flown by the Commander Naval Air Training Command CNATRA. The red carpet has been rolled out for him at Randolph AFB, Texas, in 1975

CNATRA leads the Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) composed of five Training Air Wings. The five active wings are home to seventeen Training Squadrons, designated VT and HT squadrons.

• Training Air Wing One Tail Code "A" at NAS Meridian, Mississippi
  • VT-7 Eagles, Advanced training in the T-45C Goshawk
  • VT-9(2nd) Tigers, Advanced training in the T-45C Goshawk
• Training Air Wing Two Tail Code "B" at NAS Kingsville, Texas
  • VT-21 Redhawks, Advanced training in the T-45C Goshawk
  • VT-22 Golden Eagles, Advanced training in the T-45C Goshawk
• Training Air Wing Four Tail Code "G" at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas
  • VT-27 Boomers, Primary training in the T-6B Texan II
  • VT-28 Rangers, Primary training in the T-6B Texan II
  • VT-31 Wise Owls, Advanced training in the T-44C Pegasus ^[c]
  • VT-35 Stingrays, Advanced training in the T-44C Pegasus ^[d]
• Training Air Wing Five Tail Code "E" at NAS Whiting Field, Florida
  • VT-2 Doerbirds, Primary training in the T-6B Texan II
  • VT-3 Red Knights, Primary training in the T-6B Texan II
  • VT-6 Shooters, Primary training in the T-6B Texan II
  • HT-8 Eightballers, Advanced training in the TH-73A Thrasher
  • HT-18 Vigilant Eagles, Advanced training in the TH-73A Thrasher
  • HT-28 Hellions, Advanced training in the TH-73A Thrasher
• Training Air Wing Six Tail Code "F" at NAS Pensacola, Florida
  • VT-4 Warbucks, Advanced NFO and AVP/UASO training in the Multi-Crew Simulator
  • VT-10 Wildcats, Primary NFO training in the T-6A Texan II and primary AVP/UASO in the T-6A simulator
  • VT-86 Sabrehawks, Advanced NFO training in the T-45C Goshawk

There were three Training Air Wings which have been disestablished (with assigned squadrons)

• Training Air Wing Three Tail Code "C" at the former NAS Chase Field, Texas: Disestablished 31 Aug 1992 ^[4]
  • VT-24 Bobcats: Disestablished
  • VT-25 Cougars: Disestablished
  • VT-26 Tigers: Disestablished
• Training Air Wing Seven Tail Code 2S until 1974,Tail Code F through 1976 disestablishment at the former NAS Saufely Field, Florida: Disestablished 1 Dec 1976 ^[5]
  • VT-1 Eaglets: Disestablished
  • VT-5 Tigers: Disestablished
• Training Air Wing Eight at the former NAS Glynco, Georgia: Disestablished Aug 1974 ^[6]
  • VT-86 Sabrehawks: Transferred to Training Air Wing Six
• Disestablished or Deactivated other Training Squadrons
  • VT-9(1st) Tigers: Established at Training Air Wing ONE, disestablished July 1987
  • VT-23 Professionals: Established at Training Air Wing TWO, transferred to Training Air Wing ONE in 1994, deactivated 30 Sep 1999
  • VT-29: Established at Training Air Wing FOUR, disestablished 31 Dec 1976 (was a land based multi-engine aircraft navigator training squadron)

CNATRA also oversees the Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron (NFDS) Blue Angels.

Naval Air Stations

NATRACOM conducts flight operations at the following Naval Air Stations:

• NAS Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas
• NAS Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas
• NAS Meridian, Meridian, Mississippi
• NAS Pensacola, Pensacola, Florida
• NAS Whiting Field, Milton, Florida

Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE)

The NATRACOM is part of the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE), reporting to Commander, Naval Air Forces.

See also

• List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962) / List of United States naval aircraft
• Military aviation
• Modern United States Navy carrier air operations
• Naval aviation
• Naval flight officer
• United States Naval Aviator
• List of United States Navy aircraft wings

Notes

1. AVPs are USN Warrant Officers who operate the MQ-25 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
2. UASOs are commissioned USMC officers who operate the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft system
3. being replaced by the T-54A Marlin II
4. being replaced by the T-54A Marlin II

References

1. "Chief of Naval Air Training | Mission".
2. "Chief of Naval Air Training". www.cnatra.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
3. "Rear Admiral Westendorff". U.S. Navy Biographies. U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
4. Naval Aviation News Nov–Dec 1992 p. 7
5. Naval Aviation News Jun 1977 p. 34
6. Naval Aviation News Nov 1977 p. 29

External links

• Official site: Chief of Naval Air Training