Naval Air Station Whiting Field

Coordinates: 30°42′45″N 87°01′06″W / 30.71250°N 87.01833°W / 30.71250; -87.01833
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Naval Air Station Whiting Field
Near Milton, Florida in the United States
TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopters assigned to Training Air Wing Five at NAS Whiting Field
NAS Whiting Field is located in the United States
NAS Whiting Field
NAS Whiting Field
Location in the United States
Coordinates30°42′45″N 87°01′06″W / 30.71250°N 87.01833°W / 30.71250; -87.01833
TypeNaval Air Station
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUS Navy
Controlled byNavy Region Southeast
ConditionOperational
WebsiteOfficial website
Site history
Built1943 (1943)
In use1943 – present
Garrison information
Current
commander		Captain Paul N. Flores
GarrisonTraining Air Wing Five
Airfield information
IdentifiersWMO: 722226
For airfield information see NAS Whiting Field – North and NAS Whiting Field – South

Naval Air Station Whiting Field is a United States Navy base located near Milton, Florida, with some outlying fields near Navarre, Florida, in south and central Santa Rosa County, 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, U.S. Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force student pilots, as well as those of several allied nations. NAS Whiting Field is home to Training Air Wing Five (TRAWING 5).

NAS Whiting Field is actually two airfields sharing a common support base. Primary Flight Training student aviators fly the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II from North Whiting Field (KNSE) while Advanced Helicopter Training takes place utilizing the TH-57 Sea Ranger at South Whiting Field (KNDZ).

Namesake

Whiting Field is named for Kenneth Whiting, who was commissioned from the United States Naval Academy on 25 February 1908. Whiting qualified in submarines, commanding USS Porpoise (SS-7), USS Shark (SS-8), USS Tarpon (SS-175), and USS Seal (SS-183). In 1914 he learned to fly under Orville Wright and was designated Naval Aviator number 16. He assumed command of the 1st Naval Air Unit in France following America's entry into World War I and was subsequently assigned to command Naval Air Stations 14 and 15 at RNAS Killingholme, England. He was awarded the Navy Cross "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 USS Langley (CV-1). He subsequently commanded Langley and USS Saratoga (CV-3), and various air squadrons prior to his retirement as captain in June 1940.

Operations

North Field is used solely for T-6 Texan II 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 syllabus.

South Field is utilized for United States Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and select NATO/Allied students in the Advanced Helicopter pipeline, flying the TH-57 Sea Ranger. Upon completion of this syllabus U.S. students will become designated as Naval Aviators and assigned to their respective Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) or the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama for follow-on-training.

Squadrons

T-28s from VT-2 at Whiting field in 1967.
T-28B from Whiting Field in 1967
T-6B Texan II TH-57 Sea Ranger

Outlying Fields

Fixed Wing Fields
Name State Coordinates Notes
NOLF Barin AL[1] 30°23′21″N 87°38′07″W / 30.38917°N 87.63528°W / 30.38917; -87.63528 Primary Student Solo Field: Area 1
NOLF Brewton AL[1] 31°03′03″N 87°03′57″W / 31.05083°N 87.06583°W / 31.05083; -87.06583 Secondary Student Solo Field: Area 2
NOLF Choctaw FL[1] 30°30′33″N 86°57′28″W / 30.50917°N 86.95778°W / 30.50917; -86.95778
NOLF Evergreen AL[1] 31°24′53″N 87°02′40″W / 31.41472°N 87.04444°W / 31.41472; -87.04444 Primary Student Solo Field: Area 2
NOLF Holley FL[1] 30°25′32″N 86°53′42″W / 30.42556°N 86.89500°W / 30.42556; -86.89500 Closed
NOLF Silverhill AL[1] 30°33′47″N 87°48′35″W / 30.56306°N 87.80972°W / 30.56306; -87.80972 Area 1, Closed[a]
NOLF Summerdale AL[1] 30°30′28″N 87°38′44″W / 30.50778°N 87.64556°W / 30.50778; -87.64556 Area 1
NOLF Wolf AL[1] 30°20′37″N 87°32′29″W / 30.34361°N 87.54139°W / 30.34361; -87.54139 Closed[a]
Helicopter Fields
Name State Coordinates Notes
NOLF Spencer FL[1] 30°37′30″N 87°08′24″W / 30.62500°N 87.14000°W / 30.62500; -87.14000
NOLF Santa Rosa FL[1] 30°36′39″N 86°56′24″W / 30.61083°N 86.94000°W / 30.61083; -86.94000
NOLF Pace FL[1] 30°42′09″N 87°11′13″W / 30.70250°N 87.18694°W / 30.70250; -87.18694
NOLF Site X FL[1] 30°48′49″N 87°10′04″W / 30.81361°N 87.16778°W / 30.81361; -87.16778 [6]
NOLF Harold FL[1] 30°40′43″N 86°53′00″W / 30.67861°N 86.88333°W / 30.67861; -86.88333

History

Mechanics working on a Texan trainer, c. 1943

Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Whiting Field was commissioned on July 16, 1943, by Rear Admiral George D. Murray, Commandant of the Naval Air Training Center, and the widow of Naval Captain Kenneth Whiting, after whom the station was named. During construction, a prisoner of war camp was located at the station, providing additional labor.[7]

Jet trainers first arrived at Whiting Field in early August 1949 when eight TO-1 Shooting Stars transferred from NAS 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.[8] The Blue Angels demonstration team moved its headquarters to Whiting Field from NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1955.[9]

In 1982, Lieutenant Commander Barbara Allen Rainey, the first US female naval aviator, was killed along with a trainee at Naval Outlying Landing Field Evergreen.[10] The subsequent product liability lawsuit led to a U.S. Supreme Court case, Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey.[11]

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.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Operations". CNIC - U.S. Navy. July 20, 2020.
  2. ^ AirportNavFinder.com: NOLF Silverhill
  3. ^ AirportNavFinder.com: NOLF Wolf
  4. ^ NOLF Silverhill (Google Earth)
  5. ^ NOLF Wolf (Google Earth)
  6. ^ "Navy's Newest Outlying Landing Field Open for Training Operations". U.S. Navy. July 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "NAS Whiting Field". www.militarybases.us. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  8. ^ Fort Walton, Florida, "Jets Arrive At Whiting", Playground News, Thursday 4 August 1949, Volume 4, Number 27, page 7.
  9. ^ Murphy, Leo, Commander, USN, Retired, "History of Naval Aviation in Pensacola", Part 9, Meyers, Paul, producer, Cox Communications, Florida/Georgia.
  10. ^ Naughton, Russell (ed.). "Lt. Cmdr. Barbara Ann Allen (Rainey) (1948–1982)". Aviation Pioneers : An Anthology. Hargrav. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  11. ^ Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey, 488 U.S. 153 (1988).
  12. ^ "Navy's first TH-73A Thrasher arrives at NAS Whiting Field". Navy.mil. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  1. ^ a b These stations are currently marked as "unverified" on sectional charts[2][3] and their FAA Location Identifiers (NQB & NHL) are no longer listed in FAA databases. Additionally, satellite imagery shows their runways marked as closed.[4][5]
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