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[[Category:United States Navy air stations|Corpus Christi, Naval Air Station]] |
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Naval Air Station Corpus Christi
Truax Field
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Naval Air Station | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | United States Navy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Corpus Christi, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Built | March 12, 1941 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| In use | Active | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commander | CAPT Timothy E. Coolidge | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°41′33″N 97°17′28″W / 27.69250°N 97.29111°W / 27.69250; -97.29111 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (IATA: NGP, ICAO: KNGP), also known as Truax Field, is a naval base located six miles (10km) southeast of the central business district (CBD) of Corpus Christi, in Nueces County, Texas, USA.
The official step leading to the construction of the Naval Air Station was initiated by the 75th Congressin1938. A board found that a lack of training facilities capable of meeting an emergency demand for pilots constituted a grave situation. They recommended the establishment of a second air training station, and further, that it be located on Corpus Christi Bay. NAS Corpus Christi was commissioned by its first Commanding Officer, CAPT Alva Berhard, on March 12, 1941. The first flight training started on May 5, 1941.
In 1941, 800 instructors provided training for more than 300 student pilots a month. The training rate nearly doubled after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. By the end of World War II, more than 35,000 naval aviators had earned their wings here. Corpus Christi was the only primary, basic and advanced training facility in existence in the United States. At one time it was the largest pilot training facility in the world. Former President George H.W. Bush was in the third graduating class, June 1943, and the youngest pilot ever to graduate. NAS Corpus Christi also was home to the Blue Angels from 1951-1954. It also served as a Project Mercury Tracking station in the early 1960's.
Today, the training program is much longer, approximately 18 months, due to the increased complexity of today's aircraft. Currently, Training Air Wing FOUR produces approximately 400 newly qualified aviators each year.
Training Air Wing FOUR consists of four squadrons. VT-27 and VT-28 handle primary training in the T-34C Mentor, a single engine turboprop aircraft. VT-31 provides advanced training in the T-44A and T-44C Pegasus aircraft. VT-35 is a joint Air Force and Navy squadron flying the TC-12B Huron aircraft. Both the TC-12 and the T-44 are twin-engine turboprops. The Naval Air Station is also home to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron FIFTEEN, flying the MH-53E Sea Dragon. These massive helicopters search the seas for mines by towing the most advanced minesweeping packages available. Other aircraft found at NAS Corpus Christi include the UH-1N Huey, a helicopter used primarily for search and rescue. The station employs officer, enlisted and civilian personnel serving in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the military services of numerous NATO/Allied/Coalition partnet nations.
In support of the base’s training mission are two nearby outlying landing fields owned by the Navy: NALF Waldron, which is 3.5 miles from the Naval Air Station; and NALF Cabaniss, which is 8.0 miles from the Naval Air Station.
NAS Corpus Christi is also home to the Corpus Christi Army Depot, the largest helicopter repair facility in the world (and an unusual arrangement of an Army installation located on a Naval facility). The commanding officer is currently COL Timothy Sassenrath and the Director of Engineering Services is Kresten Cook.
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