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Naval Air Training Command

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Naval Air Training Command
Logo of Naval Air Training Command
ActiveJuly 1972 - present (as Naval Air Training Command)
CountryUnited States United States of America
Branch United States Navy
TypeTraining Command
RoleFlight training of Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard
HeadquartersNAS Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Nickname(s)"CNATRA", "TRACOM"
Flying hours301,532 (2016)[1]
Websitewww.cnatra.navy.mil
Commanders
Commander RADM Richard T. Brophy
Chief of StaffCAPT Jeremy Rifas
Aircraft flown
FighterF/A-18E/F Super Hornet (Blue Angels)
Trainer helicopterTH-57B/C Sea Ranger
TrainerT-6B Texan
T-44C Pegasus
T-45C Goshawk
TransportC-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, and Naval Flight Officers. 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

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The Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), currently RDML Richard T. Brophy,[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

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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.

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.

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NATRACOM conducts flight operations at the following Naval Air Stations:

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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chief of Naval Air Training | Mission".
  2. ^ https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/mission.htm [bare URL]
  3. ^ "Rear Admiral Westendorff". U.S. Navy Biographies. U.S. Navy. 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
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