Mobile Coast Guard Aviation Training Center | |
---|---|
Aviation Training Center unit patch
|
|
Active | 1966 – present |
Country | United States of America |
Branch | United States Coast Guard |
Type | Air station |
Role | Training |
Size | 550 active personnel |
Commanders | |
Commanding Officer | CAPT Thomas S. MacDonald |
Aircraft flown | |
Helicopter | MH-60J, MH-65C |
Patrol | HC-144 Ocean Sentry. |
Mobile Coast Guard Aviation Training Center is an air base of the United States Coast Guard located at Mobile, Alabama, where it shares an airfield with the Mobile Regional Airport. The Alabama Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment's "B" Company is also located at the airfield. The base is also home to the Coast Guard National Strike Force's Gulf Strike Team.
It is a multi-mission unit, for the Coast Guard's aviation and capabilities development center. Training is conducted to qualify pilots in the MH-60 Jayhawk, MH-65 Dolphin, and HC-144 Ocean Sentry. All pilots initially train at ATC, and will return once a year for a one-week proficiency course in their assigned airframes. Officer cadets from the United States Coast Guard Academy who are pursuing aviation careers also train at ATC. Serving within the Coast Guard's Force Readiness Command's Training Division (FC-T), the center is responsible for certifying all Coast Guard pilots are using their equipment and tactics to meet all mission requirements. The operations department, flies the HC-144A Ocean Sentry, which is a segment within the ATC command that conducts Search and Rescue, Homeland Security, and Environmental Protection. The operations department operates under the tactical control of the Eighth Coast Guard District and has an area of responsibility that extends from the Louisiana/Texas border to the eastern edge of the Florida panhandle.