Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, known as the "Cradle of Naval Aviation", occupies 5,804 acres and has a significant historical background. The site has a history dating back to the early 16th century, when a slave trader discovered Pensacola Bay in 1516. Twelve years later, in 1528, Don Tristan de Luna entered the harbor with 2,000 others and established the first white settlement in North America on Santa Rosa Island. The site now occupied by Naval Air Station Pensacola started as a Spanish fort built in 1797. Since then, the flags of Spain, France, Great Britain, the Confederacy, and the United States have flown over the strategic port of Pensacola.

The history of Naval Air Station Pensacola actually began with the United States purchase of Florida from Spain in 1821. In 1825 John Quincy Adams came to realize the strategic importance of Pensacola Bay as a site for a support facility for naval squadrons operating in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The Navy first came to Pensacola in 1825, when arrangements were made to build a Navy Yard where Naval Air Station Pensacola stands today. By 1861, it had become one of the best equipped naval establishments in the country. After being destroyed in 1862 during the Civil War and gradually rebuilt, it was discovered that the Navy Yard could not hold its own against the developing steam industry. In 1911, the base was decommissioned and closed.

With the practical development of aviation came the need for a permanent Naval Air Station. In 1914 the Pensacola Navy Yard was reopened for this purpose and was officially changed from a Naval yard to a Naval Air Station becoming the first air station in the Navy. On January 20, 1914, the USS MISSISSIPPI and one other ship arrived at Pensacola from Annapolis, Maryland, and off-loaded the first supplies for the Naval Aeronautic Station. The original aviation unit which set up shop at Pensacola consisted of nine officers, less than two dozen enlisted men, and seven ungainly flying boats and hydroaeroplanes commanded by Lieutenant Commander Henry C. Mustin. That was the start of the Navy's first air station and flying school. The station logbook was begun February 10, 1914, which has been considered the date the station was officially commissioned. The picture soon changed with the entry of the United States into World War I. Within 2 years, Pensacola had trained over 1,000 aviators. During World War II, the number of pilots trained at NAS Pensacola reached its peak. In 1944, over 12,000 men completed the extensive training and flew a combined total of almost 2 million hours.

NAS Pensacola is still the hub of naval aviation supporting a myriad of activities and is populated by 17,000 military and civilian personnel. The initial training of all naval aviators begins here. The air station is comprised of 69 DoD and 25 non-DoD tenant commands primarily dedicated to the training of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel in naval aviation. Some of the major activities on board the air station include Chief of Naval Education and Training (CNET), Training Air Wing Six, Naval Aviation Schools Command, Naval Aerospace and Operational Medical Institute (NAMI), and Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL). NAS Pensacola is also the home of the Blue Angels, (known officially as the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron), and the National Museum of Naval Aviation.

The headquarters of the Naval Education and Training Command, one of the largest Navy shore commands, is located in building 628 at NAS. The CNET is the vice admiral who reports directly to the Chief of Navy Operations. CNET oversees a network of training and education programs and activities that extend from coast to coast and to ships at sea. Recruit training through technical skills instruction occurs through about 4,000 courses. The CNET organization is responsible for teaching skills needed to maintain a modern technical Navy.

The Wing Commander is overall commander of NAS Pensacola and aviation training squadrons VT-4, VT-10, VT-86, and 2nd German Air Force Squadron. Supported by the air station, the Wing SIX mission is to plan, supervise, support, and conduct quality flight training of Student Naval Aviators, Student Naval Flight Officers, Undergraduate Navigators, and international Military to satisfy service requirements. Among a myriad of other responsibilities, TRAWING SIX also provides liaison between local operational units and the Chief of Naval Air Training, coordinates training airspace within the Pensacola area, and is the designated command for disaster control and hurricane procedures. TRAWING SIX is unique in that it is the only one of five air wings throughout the Naval Air Training Command training both Student Naval Pilots and Student Naval Flight Officers. Additionally, the Wing is also responsible for training a large number of International students from such countries as Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, France, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany.

The future of naval aviation is determined at the Naval Aviation Schools Command (NAVAVSCOLSCOM) where tomorrow's members take the first steps in their carreers.

Schools Command prepares officer candidates for commissioned status and provides both aviation indoctrination and ground training to student officers, officer candidates, and naval aircrewman trainees. Schools Command also provides specialized indoctrination programs for midshipmen, chief warrant officers, limited duty officers, flight surgeons, future aviation officers, and foreign students. About 13,000 students are trained annually.

Naval Aviation Schools Command is comprised of four schools: Officer Candidate, Aviation Enlisted Aircrew Training, Officer Training, and Aviation Training. The Naval Air Training Command Choir and the Pageant of Flags are also assigned to NAVAVSCOLSCOM.

Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL) is one of the premier research facilities for the causes and cures for disorientation sickness. The primary responsibility of the research laboratory is to conduct research, test and evaluate aviation medicine and allied sciences. The laboratory staff includes many internationally recognized research scientists, known for their work in vestibular physiology.

The Naval Aerospace and Operation Medical Institute (NAMI) provides professional and technical support and consultative services in operationally related Fleet and Fleet Marine Force medical matters worldwide. Best known for its training programs which lead to designation as either a Naval Flight Surgeon, Aerospace Physiologist, Aerospace Experimental Psychologist, Aerospace Medicine Technician, or Aerospace Physiologist Technician, NAMI also offers a three-year residency in Aerospace Medicine and sponsors a course of instruction for Medical Department officers reporting to first tours with ground units of the Fleet Marine Force. The institute conducts approximately 12,000 physical examinations each year for aviation personnel.

The Land Survival Exhibit is where survival skills are taught to future aviators, flight officers, and aircrewmen. The plants and animals displayed offer trainees the opportunity to hone survival skills in a non-hostile environment. The exhibit is open to the public Tuesday - Sunday. Call (850) 452-2249.

One of the newest additions to NAS Pensacola is the Air Force's Water Survival Training Unit, 17th Training Squadron. This is a joint service effort between the Navy and the Air Force to train aircrew to survive an over-water ejection. The squadron is collocated with the Navy Water Survival Training to enhance joint training and save precious tax dollars.

Naval Air Technical Training Center supports over 4,000 enlisted students. The center's mission is to train selected Navy and Marine Corps aviation personnel in aeronautical technical phases of naval aviation and other related subjects. The Center is located on a 200-acre site designed like a college campus. This $300 million school includes classrooms, training hangars, a galley, and barracks for all the students. Each of the 20 schools will teach aviation related skills, from aviation electrician to parachute rigger. The school will also teach some Army, Air Force and Allied military forces.

The changes scheduled to take place in the next two to three years will allow NAS Pensacola to become the center piece for naval air training for both officers and enlisted, continuing the strong traditions begun in 1914, to train the best aviators in the world.