NAS Whiting Field is a US Navy Base located in Santa Rosa County, near the town of Milton, Florida. It is one of the Navy’s primary pilot training centers, and it also provides training for the Coast Guard, Air Force, and Marine Corps pilots. It gets its name from Kenneth Whiting, a submarine commander who eventually worked his way up to Captain, and was awarded the Navy Cross, one of the Navy’s most prestigious awards. He also helped to convert an old Jupiter into the Navy’s first active aircraft carrier.
There are actually 12 different air fields at NAS Whiting Field. Each field is used for a different purpose. Some are helicopter fields, some are large aircraft launch fields, and many are used as practice areas for novice pilots. Fighter jets have been launched from NAS Whiting field every since August 1949, when several TO-1 Shooting Star fighters were transferred to Whiting Field from NAS Corpus Christi, the Navy’s other main pilot training facility. The base has been in operation since then, and has served its country greatly by providing the training necessary for fighter pilots in many different wars and military conflicts.