Advanced Helicopter Training is the last phase of flight school for Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 and Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

 pilots. Training is accomplished at NAS Whiting Field in Milton, Florida

Milton, Florida

Milton , or Milltown, because Milton had the largest mill around) is a city in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. The city was incorporated in 1844 and is home to Naval Air Station Whiting Field. The population was 7,045 at the 2000 census. In 2004, the population recorded by the U.S...

. All training is done in Bell TH-57 Sea Rangers

Bell 206

The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine 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 program, the 206 failed to be selected...

. Advanced training is approximately six months long, and is divided into ten phases:

• Ground school: aircraft systems, local course rules, emergency procedures
• Familiarization: hovering, basic helicopter maneuvers
• Tactics: confined-area landings, external load operations, high-speed landings
• Trans-fams: familiarization in the instrument capable TH-57C model
• Basic instruments (BIs): common instrument scans
• Radio instruments (RIs): instrument approaches, basic instrument navigation
• Visual/instrument navigation: cross-country navigation
• Low-level navigation: visual navigation below 500 feet AGL
• Formation: section formation maneuvers
• Night familiarization/NVGs
  Night vision goggles
  A night vision device is an optical instrument that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness. They are most often used by the military and law enforcement agencies, but are available to civilian users...
  
  

Three squadrons perform advanced helicopter training: HT-8

HT-8

Helicopter Training Squadron 8 is a United States Navy helicopter training squadron based at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, FL. The squadron's mission is Advanced Helicopter Training. HT-8 flies the TH-57 Bell 206 JetRanger...

 Eightballers, HT-18

HT-18

Helicopter Training Squadron 18 is a United States Navy helicopter training squadron based at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida. The squadron, nicknamed the "Vigilant Eagles", is responsible for giving prospective naval aviators their Advanced Helicopter Training...

 Vigilant Eagles and HT-28

HT-28

Helicopter Training Squadron 28 is a United States Navy helicopter training squadron based at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida. The squadron, known as the Hellions, is one of three Advanced Helicopter Training squadrons that produces aviators for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast...

 Hellions. Training is also done for the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

 and for the navies and marines of several allied countries, including Italy

Regia Marina

The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...

, Spain

Spanish Navy

The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...

, and Germany

German Navy

The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...

.