Naval Air Station Whiting Field is a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

base located near

Milton, Florida Milton is a city in and the county seat of Santa Rosa County, Florida, located in the Pensacola– Ferry Pass– Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as the Pensacola Metropolitan Area. Milton is located in the geographic center ...

, with some outlying fields near

Navarre, Florida Navarre is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County in the northwest Florida Panhandle. It is a major bedroom community for mostly U.S. military personnel, federal civil servants, local population, retirees ...

, in south and central

Santa Rosa County Santa Rosa County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population is 188,000. The county seat is Milton, which lies in the geographic center of the county. Other major communities within S ...

, and is one of the Navy's two primary pilot training bases (the other being NAS Corpus Christi, Texas). NAS Whiting Field provides training for

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, U.S. Marine Corps,

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

, and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

student pilots, as well as those of several allied nations. NAS Whiting Field is home to

Training Air Wing Five Training Air Wing Five (TW-5 or TRAWING 5) is a United States Navy aircraft training air wing based at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, in Milton, FL. TW-5 is one of five training wings in the Naval Air Training Command, and consists of three Unite ...

(TRAWING 5). NAS Whiting Field is actually two airfields sharing a common support base.

Primary Flight Training A naval aviator is a commissioned officer or warrant officer qualified as a crewed aircraft pilot in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps. United States Coast Guard crewed aircraft pilots are officially designated as "Coast Guar ...

student aviators fly the

Beechcraft T-6 Texan II The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T ...

from North Whiting Field (KNSE) while Advanced Helicopter Training takes place utilizing the

TH-57 Sea Ranger The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter progra ...

at South Whiting Field (KNDZ).

Namesake

Whiting Field is named for

Kenneth Whiting Kenneth Whiting (July 22, 1881 – April 24, 1943) was a United States Navy officer who was a pioneer in submarines and is best known for his lengthy career as a pioneering naval aviator. During World War I, he commanded the first America ...

, who was commissioned from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

on 25 February 1908. Whiting qualified in submarines, commanding , , , and . In 1914 he learned to fly under Orville Wright and was designated

Naval Aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

number 16. He assumed command of the 1st Naval Air Unit in France following America's entry into

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was subsequently assigned to command Naval Air Stations 14 and 15 at

RNAS Killingholme The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

"for exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility." After the war he was partially responsible for the conversion of collier ''Jupiter'' into the Navy's first aircraft carrier . He subsequently commanded ''Langley'' and , and various air squadrons prior to his retirement as Captain in June 1940.

Operations

North Field is used solely for

T-6 Texan II The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T ...

fixed-wing, primary flight training operations. Students from the United States Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force (as well as exchange students from various allied nations) go through the T-6B

Joint Primary Aircraft Training System The Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) was an aircraft procurement program of the United States in the 1990s by the United States Air Force and United States Navy, a merger of 1980s era training aircraft programs. The winner was dec ...

syllabus. South Field is utilized for United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard students in the Advanced Helicopter pipeline, flying the

. Upon completion of this syllabus students will become designated

Naval Aviators A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...

and assigned to their respective Fleet Replacement Squadron.

Squadrons

T-28B from Whiting Field in 1967

Outlying Fields

History

Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Whiting Field was commissioned on July 16, 1943 by Rear Admiral

George D. Murray George Dominic Murray (July 6, 1889 – June 18, 1956) was an admiral in the United States Navy and an early naval aviator. Biography Murray was born in Boston, Massachusetts, attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1911 and becomin ...

, Commandant of the Naval Air Training Center, and the widow of Naval Captain

, after whom the station was named. During construction, a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

camp was located at the station, providing additional labor. Jet trainers first arrived at Whiting Field in early August 1949 when eight

TO-1 Shooting Star The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

s transferred from

NAS Corpus Christi Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is a United States Navy naval air base located six miles (10 km) southeast of the central business district (CBD) of Corpus Christi, in Nueces County, Texas. History A naval air station for Corpus Christi ...

, Texas as part of a new transitional jet training squadron to commence operations in September 1949, commanded by Lt. Cmdr. V. P. O'Neil, USN. The

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

demonstration team moved its headquarters to Whiting Field from

, Texas, in 1955. On Friday August 6, 2021 Training Air Wing 5 received the first one of its new training helicopter. This is the Leonardo TH-73A Thrasher of Italian origin.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Whiting Field Military installations in Florida Airports in Florida Buildings and structures in Santa Rosa County, Florida United States Coast Guard Air Stations Former census-designated places in Florida Military Superfund sites Superfund sites in Florida 1943 establishments in Florida