Naval Air Basic Training (Pictorial)

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°^Ung _men j_n several categories ,®Port to Naval Air Basic Train- Commissioned officers of the q' Navy, Marine Corps, and . °ast Guard, and foreign services; ^aval Aviation Officer Candidates are college graduates); and . ***1 and Marine Aviation Cadets ho have completed at least two ^^ears of college). The 18-month j^ticulum, which begins at the Pj^Sval Air Station, Pensacola, ,^°rtda, is very similar for students . ^e®ch of these categories. The I^CCs, NavCads, and MarCads, °Wever, receive special instruc- ⁿ in the history and traditions of ^e Navy, and other naval subjects ₍^^ch as leadership. Throughout ,^e training program, but espe- ® ,y during the pre-flight phase, httary discipline and physical ⁿditioning are stressed. In direct ; ^at*on to this part of the program j. Gaining in simulated aircraft Inching in the well-known "Dil- ^ert Dunker” and survival at sea.

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Commissioned officers spend (o weeks in the pre-flight school Pensacola. The students in ' AOC, NavCad, and MarCad P^r grams have a 14-week pre-fli^ course—with personnel insp^e^ tions held regularly. In addition knowing how to "land” and ^s vive at sea, the escape technrt instruction includes how to rol{ a parachute harness upon hitt*® the ground and then how to ^s vive in primitive areas. During¹ period, before the student steP into his first aircraft cockpit, tb* , are weeks of classroom study ^a°. familiarization with cockpit flt°^£ ups. All students completing P⁽ flight school pass on to Train‘d Squadron One at Saufley Field, ⁰ bases.

The^PiS                              .      .         ,

student-instructor relation-

the core of learning to fly.

i_n instructors in air basic train-

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Co ^{are veteran} Navy and Marine tra' ^{S pilots}’ ^The primary flight ^lUacT* syllabus of Training ni ^ron One is programmed for aj_r ⁶ ^^eeks using the T-34 Mentor i_n„ ^ra'^t- A regular cycle of brief- aj_r ^S> P^re'Aght checks of aircraft, are ^VVor*^{c an<}l post-flight critique of^ P^art of the daily routine F|j ,^{e s,u}dents during this period. 0_ne *■ ^Work in Training Squadron Pre divided into two phases, s₀|₀ °*l' ^and Precision. In the pre- ^‘ght ^{aSC stu(}^^ent rnakes 13 flij,. ^s' Eleven are dual instruction _So,o”^S_flThe twelfth is a "safe-for- t_0r Eight made with an instruc- larj^* ^er than the one who regu- b_{er 1}^'^orks with the student. Num- ¹³ is the solo flight.

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With their lessons in how to fly¹ light T-34 Mentor completed, t students are assigned either basic jet or basic prop train*⁰® The jet students are ordered Training Squadrons Seven or N*°^ at Meridian, Mississippi. The they fly the jet-powered T-* Buckeye (to be replaced by ¹ T-2B, which is similar in ^aPPf?_he ance but more powerful). ¹ basic prop students go on Training Squadron Two and tn Three at Pensacola’s Whin⁰ Field. These two squadrons fly °!

T-28 Trojan which is considers

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larger and more powerful than¹

T-34 Mentor. During both of th^e^ phases of training the stude*¹^ receive concentrated instruct' in instruments, formation fly^Jf,f^ and tactics. The instrument "'O'j includes instruction in the fa*^¹ _e Link trainer and instrument t**⁰ "under the bag” or "hood” in J rear cockpit. Formation fly¹” starts with two-plane rendezvous⁰ join-ups, cross-unders, and °._gtl maneuvers. Four-plane format* j flying is next, followed by day ^a° night navigation flights.

The pace in naval air basic training is intense. After some 25 weeks¹ the T-28, the prop students ent^e, the carrier qualification phase the program with Training Sq^uil ^ ron Five at Saufley Field. T hi rtcc practice flights are made on ^sltaf* lated flight decks ashore before t ^ students attempt to touch down °j the carrier. Two touch-and-go six arrested landings are ^recl^ulffi| to carrier qualify a student, o ^ naval aviators, regardless ^ whether they are Navy or Mar*ⁿ_£ Corps, and regardless of the tyP of aircraft they will later fly, ^nlU^ be qualified to land on an aircf^a carrier. The training carrier L^e ington (CVS-16) is permanen¹^ assigned to carrier qualificatio work. She is based at Pensac⁰^ and operates in the Gulf of Mex^|C

The jet students go through ^ weeks of training at Meridi* before they return to Pensacola ⁰ the carrier qualification phase ^ their training. This is done ‘ Training Squadron Four at S'¹® man Field, with the students agP' flying the T-2A Buckeye. ¹ basic jet training is in many similar to the basic prop pr°g^ra’ but, because of the jet aircra ^ higher performance character‘s tics, much of the curriculum ^ such as escape techniques,

much of the equipment—such

flight clothing, are in some more complex. Throughout actual flight training the academ‘ are continually stressed. The co“^ pletion of carrier qualifica^tl0.₍ work marks the end of naval * basic training and a year’s ^e^^aC₍ tion in the ways of the naval avia^t0