VT-27 is a primary training squadron of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. One of just five Navy primary training squadrons, VT-27 is one of two located on the
Texas Coastal Bend
The Texas Coastal Bend, or just the Coastal Bend, is a geographical region in the US state of Texas. The name refers to the area being a curve along the Texas Gulf Coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The largest city of the Coastal Bend is Corpus Chri ...
.
History
Training Squadron 27 was initially established on 11 July 1951 as Advanced Training Unit-B at Naval Air Station,
Corpus Christi. The command moved to Naval Air Station,
Kingsville in 1952 and again to Naval Air Station,
New Iberia
New Iberia (; ) is the largest city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, Louisiana, Lafayette, and forms part of ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
in 1960. It was there the squadron was redesignated VT-27 in July of that year and about that time that the
Grumman S2F-1T Tracker was put into service as a multi-engine trainer. In September 1962 the
1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system
The Tri-Service aircraft designation system is a unified system introduced in 1962 by the United States Department of Defense for designating all U.S. military aircraft. Previously, the U.S. armed services used United States military aircraft de ...
changed the Tracker's designation to TS-2A. In July 1964, the "Boomers" were returned to Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi where they continue to be an important part of the community.
In 1973, the squadron began a transition to the role of a primary training squadron with the arrival on 1 August of the first
T-28B Trojan. By 1 October 1973, the last
Grumman TS-2A Tracker had departed, signifying the end of the advanced training role and the completion of the transition to primary training. In August 1983, the squadron took delivery of the first
T-34C Turbo Mentor aircraft. From March 1984, when the last T-28B ever used for naval flight training departed, to June 2013, the T-34C was the mainstay of the Navy and Marine Corps primary flight training program. In June 2013 VT-27 transitioned from T-34C to the
T-6B Texan II
The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by Textron Aviation. It is a license-built Pilatus PC-9, a trainer aircraft. The T-6 replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T-37B Tweet and the United States Navy' ...
. The "Boomers" average well over 11,000 training missions a year, and more than 70 sorties per training day.
Squadron aircraft
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S2F-1T / TS-2A Tracker
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T-28B Trojan
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T-34C Turbo Mentor
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T-6B Texan II
The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by Textron Aviation. It is a license-built Pilatus PC-9, a trainer aircraft. The T-6 replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T-37B Tweet and the United States Navy' ...
Squadron bases
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Naval Air Station Corpus Christi
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is a United States Navy naval air base located six miles (10 km) southeast of the central business district (CBD) of Corpus Christi, in Nueces County, Texas.
History
A naval air station for Corpus Christi ...
, Texas
*
Naval Air Station Kingsville
Naval Air Station Kingsville or NAS Kingsville (NASK) is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located approximately 3 miles east of Kingsville, Texas in Kleberg County. NAS Kingsville is under the jurisdiction of Navy Region Southeast and is ...
, Texas
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Naval Air Station New Iberia
Naval Air Station New Iberia, located near New Iberia, Louisiana, was a short-lived training facility of the United States Navy which operated for a mere five years in the 1960s.
The naval base at New Iberia was actually designated NAAS, indicating ...
, Louisiana
Training wing
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Training Air Wing Four
Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. It ...
, Corpus Christi, Texas
See also
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History of the United States Navy
The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that became notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy" ...
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List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
This is a list of active United States Navy aircraft squadrons. ''Deactivated'' or ''disestablished'' squadrons are listed in the list of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons.
The U.S. Navy uses the term "squadron" only to describe uni ...
*
List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
Most of the United States Navy aircraft Squadron (aviation), squadrons established since the Navy designated its first aircraft squadrons in 1919 no longer exist, having been "disestablished". Another 40 or so have been "deactivated", currently e ...
References
VT-27 U.S. Navy website
Training squadrons of the United States Navy
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