U.S. Fleet Forces Commander Visits Pensacola Training Commands

By Lt. Jonathan Bacon, Naval Air Technical Training Center Public Affairs

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command toured Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC), Aug. 15. to see firsthand how Sailors and Marines are trained for the fleet.

At NATTC, Gortney had the opportunity to observe the full range of aviation maintenance training to include advanced "C" schools for radar maintenance, carrier and amphibious air traffic control at the Air Traffic Control Schoolhouse. Additionally, he saw the Aviation Boatswain's Mate Handling and Aviation Boatswain's Mate Fuels "C" schools at NATTC's Air Training Department.

During the visit Gortney observed the Joint Oil Analysis Program "C" school, and the Naval Aviation Logistics Command Management Information System (NALCOMIS) "C" school. He talked to the Sailors and Marines as he walked through an Aviation Structural Mechanic Metal Fabrication Lab and the Aviation Machinist's Mate Jet Engine Lab.

Capt. Alan Dean, NATTC's commanding officer, who accompanied Gortney on the visit, said "I appreciate Adm. Gortney taking time to visit NATTC to meet our staff and students, and see our facilities. Our staff is the best our Navy and Marine Corps has to offer. They are highly motivated subject matter experts that provide the best entry level and advanced aviation technical training to our Navy, Marine Corps, and international students in support of the Naval Aviation Enterprise. Today's visit was an opportunity to showcase some of the many ways our training directly supports the fleet."

For more than 70 years, NATTC has been delivering training and increasing readiness within the Naval Aviation Enterprise. NATTC graduates approximately 15,000 Navy and Marine students annually. The majority of the student body is comprised of enlisted personnel attending "A" schools, where they are gaining the knowledge and skills required to perform in the fleet as technicians at the apprentice level.

NATTC's advanced schools provide higher-level technical knowledge for senior petty officers, and specialty schools offer specific skills not particular to any one rating, such as airman apprentice training, maintenance, personal financial management and shipboard aircraft firefighting. NATTC also conducts technical training for officers in aviation fuels, carrier air traffic control center operations, aircraft launch and recovery equipment, shipboard aircraft fire fighting and amphibious air traffic control center operations.