Aviation Cadet Training Program (USN)

Naval Aviation Cadet program (1935-1968)

In 1914, the Navy began training Naval Aviators at the newly founded Pensacola NAS, dubbed the "Annapolis of the Air". Candidates had to have served at least 2 years of sea duty and training was for 12 months. In 1917, the Navy's program became part of the Flying Officer Training Program

Aviation Cadet Training Program (USAAF)

The Flying / Aviation Cadet Pilot Training Program was created by the US Army to train its pilots. Originally created in 1907 by the US Army Signals Corps, it expanded as the Army's air assets increased....

. Demand for pilots, however, still exceeded supply.

Aviation Cadet Act (1935)

On April 15, 1935 Congress passed the Aviation Cadet Act. This set up the Volunteer Naval Reserve class V-5 Naval Aviation Cadet (NavCad) program to send civilian and enlisted candidates to train as aviation cadets. Candidates had to be between the ages of 19 and 25, have an Associate's degree or at least two years of college, and had to complete a Bachelor's degree within six years after graduation to keep their commission. Training was for 18 months and candidates had to agree to not marry during training and to serve for at least three more years of active duty service. http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:cyMi0KEAp1QJ:www.history.navy.mil/download/res-02.pdf+naval+aviation+cadet+program&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjhvwJnQpbeprn-HdjF_NmSeLMBc6HQaVEjc3UkOFpIMLdcuB9epyPcqVob9USfd_0ca7M8mCebvnYHF2g48w-gIN0YGIFqMLknxBB7Qhe05CSMa5X_ClHI93jt7f9vKKND9nZ-&sig=AHIEtbRIiUDLZmORy_GHE6MCTiSNtvk6xg

Civilian candidates who had graduated or dropped out of college were classified as Volunteer Reserve class V-1 and held the rank of Ordinary Seaman in the Organized Reserve. Candidates who volunteered while still in college were enrolled in the Accredited College Program and were classified as Volunteer Reserve class V-1 (ACP).

Candidates who were not already in the Navy were evaluated and processed at one of 13 Naval Reserve Air Bases across the country, each one representing one of the eligible Naval Districts

United States Naval Districts

The naval district is a military and administrative command ashore, established for the purpose of decentralizing the U.S. Navy Department's functions with respect to the control of the coastwise sea communications and the shore activities outside the department proper, and for the further purpose...

. They consisted of the 1st and 3rd through 13th Naval Districts (representing the 48 states of the continental United States) and the 14th Naval District (comprising America's Pacific territories and headquartered at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii).

Candidates who were selected went on to Naval Flight Preparatory School. This was a course in physical training (to get the cadets in shape and weed out the unfit), military skills (marching, standing in formation, and performing the manual of arms), and naval customs and etiquette (as a naval officer was considered a gentleman). Pre-Flight School was a refresher course in mathematics and physics with practical applications of these skills in flight. This was followed by a short preliminary flight training module in which the cadets flew 10 hours with an instructor and 1 hour flying solo; those that passed received V-5 flight badges (gold-metal aviator's wings with the V-5 badge set in the center).

Graduates would become Naval Aviators with the rank of Aviation Cadet, which was considered senior to the rank of Chief Petty Officer but below the rank of Warrant Officer. As members of the Volunteer Reserve, they received the same pay as an Ordinary Seaman ($75 a month during training or duty ashore, $125 a month when on active sea duty, and $30 Mess allowance). They were sent on to Basic flight training at Pensacola NAS and Advanced flight training at a Naval Air Station. After three years of active service they were reviewed and could be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in the Naval Reserve and received a $1,500 bonus.

Cadets who washed out of the V-5 program were assigned to Volunteer Reserve class V-6 with the rank of Ordinary Seaman. This was a holding category that allowed the Navy to evaluate the candidate for either reassignment to another part of the Volunteer Reserve or reassignment to the General Service branches of the Navy or Naval Reserve. They were exempt from being drafted by the Army in wartime but were considered Reservists in the Navy and could be called to active service at any time.

Naval Aviation Reserve Act (1939)

Due to poor pay and slow promotion, many Naval Aviation Cadets left the service to work for the growing commercial aviation and airline industries. On April 11, 1939, Congress passed the Naval Aviation Reserve Act, which expanded the parameters of the earlier Aviation Cadet Act. Training was for 12 months. Graduates would receive commissions in the Navy Reserve (as an Ensign) or Marine Corps Reserve (as a 2nd Lieutenant) and served an additional seven years on active duty.

Uniforms and Insignia

Naval Aviation Cadets wore the same dress uniforms as Naval officers once they completed Primary. During Basic and Ground School their duty uniforms from 1935 to 1943 were green surplus Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...

(CCC) fatigue uniforms.

Cadets wore a different insignia than Army Aviation Cadets: a yellow shield with a blue chief with the word "Navy" in yellow letters, a pair of Naval Aviator wings bordered and decorated in blue across the middle, and the letter/number "V-5" in blue in the base. The insignia was in enameled sterling silver for wear on the breast pocket of dress uniform jackets and cloth patch form for wear on uniforms. Graduates received gold-metal Naval Aviator's wings rather than the silver-metal wings awarded to Army Aviators.

1942-1945

During World War II, the USN pilot training program started to ramp up. It had the same stages as the Army Aviation program

Aviation Cadet Training Program (USAAF)

(Pre-Flight, Primary, Basic, and Advanced), except it added a Carrier Landing stage for fighter and dive-bomber pilots. Each graduate had around 600 total flight hours - with 200 flight hours on front-line Navy aircraft.

In 1942 the program graduated 10,869 aviators, almost twice as many as had completed the program in the previous 8 years. In 1943 there were 20,842 graduates; in 1944, 21,067; and in 1945 there were 8,880. Thus in the period 1942 to 1945, the USN produced 61,658 pilots - more than 2.5 times the number of pilots as the Imperial Japanese Navy.

1955-1968

The Navy program separated in 1955, forming the Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) at Pensacola NAS. AOCS candidates were instructed by Navy personnel and trained by Marine Corps Drill Instructors. It stopped taking NavCad civilian and enlisted candidates in 1968, thus ending the NavCad program for a time.

1986-1993

NavCad was temporarily reopened in March, 1986 to meet the demands of the expanded Navy. Candidates had to have either an Associate's Degree or 60 semester hours of college study. It was shut down following the end of the Cold War. The last civilian applicants were accepted in 1992 and then it was finally canceled altogether on October 1, 1993.

In 1994 the Navy's Officer Candidate School (OCS) program moved from Naval Station Newport

Naval Station Newport

The Naval Station Newport is a United States Navy base located in the towns of Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School...

to Pensacola NAS. In July 2007, the specialized Aviation Officer Candidate School at Pensacola NAS finally closed; pilot officer candidates now attend the general OCS at NETC Newport

Naval Station Newport

Naval Aviation Pilot program (1916-1918; 1919-1940; 1941-1948)

This was a program to train Enlisted pilots in the Navy to fly large or multi-engined aircraft or pilot airships, since pilot officers were assigned to fly fighters and fighter/bombers.

1916

A training program for enlisted pilots was begun on January 1, 1916 and consisted of seven Petty Officers and two Marine Sergeants. A second class was started on March 21, 1917 that consisted of nine Petty Officers (one of which was rolled over from the previous class).

1917-1918

Once the United States entered World War One, all pilot training at Pensacola was suspended. Naval Aviator candidates were sent to be trained in Europe after passing Ground School and the enlisted aviator program was suspended.
Two hundred Landsmen

Landman (rank)

Landman was a military rank given to naval recruits.-United Kingdom:In the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom in the middle of the 18th century , the term Landman referred to a seaman with less than a year's experience at sea...

(100 Quartermaster (Aviation) Landsmen and 100 Machinist (Aviation) Landsmen) were trained to act as ground crew. To expand the number of available pilots, the US Navy sent 33 Quartermaster (Aviation) Petty Officers to pilot training schools in France and Italy. Graduates received military aviator's wings. Two Petty Officers (Harold H. "Kiddy" Karr and Clarence Woods) received both French and Italian pilot's wings. Thirteen became Warrant Officer

Warrant Officer

A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...

s or commissioned officers and twenty remained as Petty Officer

Petty Officer

A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...

1919-1940

After the war, the Navy decided that the dreary task of flying transport planes or dirigibles should fall to enlisted men. In 1921 the specialties were sea-plane (scout aircraft with pontoon landing gear), ship-plane (scout aircraft designed to be catapaulted from a ship), and airship

Airship

An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...

1941-1948

During World War Two, the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps produced Naval Aviation Pilots to meet the demands of the expanding Naval Aviation force.

The Navy produced ? NAPs during the war.

The Coast Guard produces 179 NAPs during the war and later trained 37 NAPs between 1945 and 1948.

The Marine Corps produced ? NAPs during the war.

1949-1981

After 1948, the NAP rating

Rating

A rating is the evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality , quantity , or some combination of both.Rating may also refer to:...

was officially ended. However, the NAPs were still in service.

The last enlisted Marine Corps NAPs (Master Gunnery Sergeants Joseph A. Conroy, Leslie T. Ericson, Robert M. Lurie and Patrick J. O'Neil), simultaneously retired on February 1, 1973. The last Marine Corps NAP (Chief Warrant Officer Henry "Bud" Wildfang) retired on May 31, 1978.

The last enlisted Coast Guard NAP (Master Chief Petty Officer/ADCMAP John P. Greathouse) retired in 1979.

The last enlisted Navy NAP (Master Chief Petty Officer/ACCM Robert K. "NAP" Jones) retired on January 31, 1981.

Aviation Midshipman Program (1946-1950)

Known as the "Holloway Plan", after its creator Rear-Admiral James L. Holloway. It was created in 1946 to meet the perceived potential shortfall in Naval Aviators once the enlistments of the currently-serving veteran pre-war and wartime aviators expired.

It granted high school graduates a subsidized college education in a scientific or engineering major for two years in exchange for enlistment as Airmen Apprentices

Seaman Apprentice

ConstructionmanvariationFiremanvariationAirmanvariationSeamaninsigniaSeaman apprentice is the second lowest enlisted rank in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, just above seaman recruit and below seaman; this rank was formerly known as seaman second class.The actual title for an E-2 in the U.S....

and a commitment to serve in the Navy for 3 years. Students received free tuition, fees and book costs and $50 per week for expenses. After serving on active duty for at least three years, they had to return to school to finish their remaining education within two years or lose their commission.

It also offered the remaining Aviation Cadets still in training and newly-graduated Naval Aviators the chance to serve as full-time active duty pilots rather than be discharged or serve stateside and part-time in the Reserves. However, they would not receive the education benefits of the full Aviation Midshipmen, nor would they receive the starting rank of Ensign like the Aviation Cadets.

The Aviation Midshipmen (dubbed "Holloway's Hooligans") had Regular Navy commissions rather than the Naval Reserve commissions granted the Aviation Cadets. However, they were not allowed to marry until they fulfilled their 3-year service commitment and could not be commissioned as Ensigns until two years after their date of rank (the date they received their Midshipmen's warrant). They also had to live on meager pay ($132 a month; $88 base pay plus $44 Flight Status pay) while having to pay for mess fees and uniforms.

Later, the midshipmen were informed that their two years spent in training and active service as a pilot didn't count towards seniority, longevity pay or retirement benefits. This was not rectified until an Act of Congress was passed in 1974. Even then it only affected the less than 100 officers still in service.

Training

After attending two years of school, the students attended a four-week Officer Candidate Training course at NAS Pensacola. The students were drilled by Navy Petty Officers. Graduates were promoted to Aviation Midshipmen Fourth Class and wore a khaki uniform with black dress shoes. They were not allowed to drink and had restrictions on leave.

Pre-Flight training was a refresher in math and science coursework and taught military skills like transmitting and receiving Morse Code. The candidates were drilled by Marine sergeants and were placed under a stricter regimen of discipline. Graduates of Pre-Flight were promoted to Midshipmen Third Class.

Primary Flight Training was at Whiting Field, where the midshipmen were taught basic flying. Graduates were promoted to Midshipmen Second Class.

Basic Flight Training was split into two parts. Flying by instruments and night flying were taught at Corry Field and formation flying and gunnery were taught at Saufley Field. Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) was held at Barin Field. Carrier Qualification (CarQual) testing was first held aboard the USS Saipan (CVL-48)

USS Saipan (CVL-48)

The first USS Saipan was a light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class of carrier. She was later selected for conversion into a command ship in 1963-1964, but instead of becoming a command ship instead was converted to the Major Communications Relay Ship Arlington ...

from September 1946 to April 1947; later it was held aboard the USS Wright (CVL-49)

USS Wright (CVL-49)

The USS Wright was a Saipan-class light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, later converted to the command ship CC-2. It is the second ship named "Wright"...

or USS Cabot (CVL-28)

USS Cabot (CVL-28)

USS Cabot was an in the United States Navy, the second ship to carry the name. Cabot was commissioned in 1943 and served until 1947. She was recommissioned as a training carrier from 1948 to 1955. From 1967 to 1989, she served in Spain as '...

. Graduates were promoted to Midshipmen First Class and got to wear anchor insignia on both collars. The student could now wear a Naval Aviator's green duty uniform and brown aviator's boots and restrictions on drinking and leaves was lifted.

Advanced Flight Training took place at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. There the midshipmen were sorted into single-engine (fighters and fighter-bombers) and multiple-engine (transport, reconnaissance, and bomber) pilots. Although there were jet aircraft in service, Advanced training was on soon-to-be-obsolescent turbo-prop aircraft like the AD-4 Skyraider.

Problems

From 1948 to 1950 the program was subject to cost-cutting due to post-war budget restructuring that favored the Air Force over the Navy. This impaired training and discouraged retention of its students and graduates. Midshipmen were being offered a release from their service commitment or a place in the Naval Reserves rather than a Regular Navy commission.

From June to September, 1948 the number of students at Pensacola expanded to five training battalions, swamping the facilities. Graduates of Pre-Flight in November and December 1948 were assigned to the USS Wright (CVL-49) to do maintenance and guard duty until a slot opened up for them at Whiting Field to begin Basic. In June, 1949 students in Basic and Advanced Flight Training were sent on leave for a month because Pensacola and Corpus Christi had used up their monthly aviation gasoline allotment and there was no funding for more.

On May 19, 1950 the Navy announced that the program was ending and that aviators would be drawn from Annapolis and Navy ROTC programs. Less than 40 members of the latest graduating class of 450 midshipmen would be retained and the rest (including the midshipmen still in training) would be let go by the end of June. The dawn of the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

on June 25th saved the remainder but they were told they were only authorized until July 31 (later extended to a 12-month period). In the fall of 1950 they were told that they could remain on active duty "indefinitely" (i.e., until the end of hostilities), but pre-war limits on promotion and pay would still be in force.

Famous "Flying Midshipmen"

In 1946, Richard C. Jacobi became the first Aviation Midshipman to complete flight training.

Aviation Midshipman Joe Louis Akagi became the first Japanese-American Naval Aviator. He served in the Korean War with squadron VF-194.

On October, 1948, Aviation Midshipman Jesse L. Brown

Jesse L. Brown

Jesse LeRoy Brown was the first African American naval aviator in the United States Navy, and the first naval officer killed in the Korean War....

became the first African-American Naval Aviator. He served during the Korean War with VF-32, dying in combat on December 4, 1950. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

In May, 1949 Norman Gerhart became the last Aviation Midshipman to complete the regular flight training program.

On April 8, 1950 Ensign Thomas Lee Burgess of squadron VP-26 became the first Aviation Midshipman to die while on active service. Burgess' PB4Y-2 Privateer, based at NAS Port Lyautey, Morocco, was shot down over the western Baltic Sea in international waters by the Soviet Air Force. The Soviets claimed they thought it was a B-29 bomber and that it had violated Latvian airspace and had fired on planes sent to intercept it. No crewmen were recovered. http://thebrownshoes.org/AcrobatPDF/g.%20Navy%27s%20Flying%20Midshipmen%20-%20Thomas.pdf

On August 16, 1950 Aviation Midshipman Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong

Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....

was qualified as a Naval Aviator. He served during the Korean War with VF-51, a jet fighter unit. He later became an astronaut and was the first man to walk on the Moon in 1969.

In 1984, Rear-Admiral William Gureck, the last Regular Navy "Flying Midshipman", retired.

Marine Aviation Cadet program (1959-1968)

The Marine Corps developed their own programs to meet their increased demand for helicopter pilots. One of the basic hurdles was the 3-year minimum service requirement, which caused potential candidates to hesitate.

In 1955, a special Platoon Leader's Course
Officer Candidates School (United States Marine Corps)
The United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School is the entry-level training for Marine officers, equivalent to recruit training for enlisted Marines. Located at Marine Corps Base Quantico, the school trains, screens, and evaluates potential Marine Corps officers...

(PLC) variant called PLC (Aviation) was created. It was like PLC, but it sent officer candidates directly to the Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) rather than the Basic Course. Its advantage was that if the candidate changed his mind, he could still go on to Basic. An Aviation Officer Candidate Course (AOCC) followed in 1963 to train dedicated Marine pilot officer candidates that went straight to AOCS.

Since this still didn't meet the demand, the Marine Aviation Cadet (MarCad) program was created on July, 1959 to take in enlisted Marines. Candidates had to sign the four-year "Aviation Guarantee", promising that they'd serve at least four years on active duty. Graduates were commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants in the Marine Corps Reserve. On February 1961 Second Lieutenant Clyde O. Childress USMC became the first MarCad to be commissioned.

On October 6, 1962 First Lieutenant Michael J. Tunney USMC became the first MarCad to die in combat when the UH-34D Seahorse helicopter he was co-piloting crashed due to mechanical failure.

When the number of Marine pilots began to meet demand in 1968, the MarCad program was closed. On March 22, 1968 Second Lieutenant Larry D. Mullins USMC was the last MarCad to be commissioned.

Between 1959 and 1968 the program produced 1,296 Naval Aviators, most of whom were helicopter pilots.

Naval Aviation Cadets

Charles Glass, "NAVCAD Program Circa 53-54" Wings of Gold - The Journal of the Association of Naval Aviation, Summer 2005

Marine Aviation Cadets

Marines and Helicopters (1962–1973) by William R. Fails. Department of the Navy, History and Museums Division USMC, 1978.

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