The Pensacola Naval Air Station, also known as Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola, is a United States naval base located in the town of Warrington, Florida, just southwest of the city of Pensacola. Serving as the primary training base for U.S. Marine and Navy aviators for several decades, the base is often given the nickname "The Cradle of Naval Aviation.''
Military and civilian staff members at the Pensacola Naval Air Station are charged with the task of providing basic training for all Navy and Marine aviators as well as all Naval Flight Officers. The location also provides advanced training for most Naval Flight Officers. In addition, NAS Pensacola's other claim-to-fame is as the home base of the Blue Angels, the world-renowned precision flying team that is officially known as the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron.
Naval Air Station Pensacola also houses the Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC), a school that trains all enlisted aircraft maintenance and enlisted aircrew specialties personnel in the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. The base is also home to the Naval Air and Operational Medical Institute (NAOMI), where all flight surgeons train. Aviation physiologists and aviation experimental psychologists also spend several months training at NAOMI.
In addition to being the home of the Blue Angels, NAS Pensacola's Forrest Sherman Field is also home to the Training Air Wing SIX which includes the Training Squadron 4 Warbucks, Training Squadron 10 Wildcats and Training Squadron 86 Sabrehawks squadrons; the 2nd German Air Force Training Squadron USA - originally established at Pensacola in 1913 by German-Americans; and the NAS Pensacola Search and Rescue detachment, which flies helicopters.
Fort Barrancas, an historic military fort built in 1787, also sits on the property of the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Built to defend against both sailing ships entering the harbor and attacks across land, the fort was used by the Confederates during the Civil War and as a signal station by the U.S. Army during World War II. It was de-activated in 1947, and after extensive renovation in the late 1970s, it is now operated by the National Park Service and is a National Historic Landmark. The fort is open to the public for tours.
The National Museum of Naval Aviation is also part of NAS Pensacola and is open to the general public. This popular Florida museum, the largest of its kind in the world, is home to more than 150 unique and historic aircraft and also houses several other exhibits pertinent to the lives of those who served as military aviators.
In 2004, Pensacola Naval Air Station was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan and it was feared that the base would be closed. However, Pensacola NAS and other military bases hit by Ivan were spared at the last minute.
