A class of five apprentice (“A”) school students at Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU),
Whidbey Island is graduating, June 10. This marks the last class to graduate from CNATTU since the devastation
of Hurricane Ivan forced Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) on Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola to close
and disperse their students to other Navy facilities in Sept., 2004.
Since that Ivan, approximately 1,400 Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD), Aviation Structural Mechanics (AM), Aviation
Electrician’s Mates (AE), and Aviation Electronics Technicians (AT) have received their “A” school training from
CNATTU Whidbey Island.
“’Big’ Navy decided all the training school houses, CNATTs, would initiate ‘A’ schools, so we stood up our first
class Nov. 2004,” said Senior Chief Aviation Maintenance Administrationman (AW) Karen Fisher, CNATTU staff
leading chief petty officer. “We’ve graduated approximately 34 ‘A’ school students per month. I’d say ‘A’ school
probably comprised about 40 percent of our student throughput.”
During the transition, CNATTU is assisting NATTC by sending instructors on a six-month TAD (temporary
additional duty) to lend a hand.
Some of the instructors said they are glad for the reprieve from the rigors of the additional requirements in
preparing an ‘A’ school Sailor to be ready for the fleet.
“When I first got here, we had approximately 130 students and it was very busy,” said Aviation Electronics Technician
(AW) Patrick Lybarger, AT “A” School instructor. “Every Thursday we would have a group of about 10 new students
come in. Friday we’d be doing indoctrination with the new students and Phase advancement. It was like a continuing
motion of evolutions in each stage every week. It was very fast-paced, but now it’s starting to slow down.”
There were both advantages and disadvantages for the students training at the CNATTU facility.
“The way the ‘A’ school is set up here, all the rates, instructors and students interact with each other rating
wise,” said Lybarger. “It’s like being in a small squadron in a way, because they get a good taste of how the
fleet is and they get different perspectives from the different rates.”
Cmdr. Terry Pulliam, CNATTU Whidbey Island executive officer, feels the consistency in training Sailors will
receive on NAS Pensacola is the most beneficial thing for them and the transition is the right thing to do.
“The best place for the ‘A’ schoolers is back down in Pensacola, because they all get the same exact training
as an AT, AE, AD, or AM,” said Pulliam. “I think going back down to Pensacola is very important to get them
off on the right foot.”