by CDR Doug Seigfried, USN(Ret)
|
| T-28B and T-28C Trojans assigned to Saufley and VT-5 are parked on the field’s west flight line along with transient T-1As and TC-45Js from NAO Basic School, T-2As from VT-4 and the Flight Instructor Indoctrination Group, and RF-9Js from NATTC Philadelphia. The checkerboard-marked T-28 in this 15 Jan ’64 photo was one of the station weather birds. |
Three new naval air stations — Jacksonville and Miami, Fla., and Corpus Christi, Texas, were proposed to support the flight training program. In addition, a 50 percent expansion of facilities at NAS Pensacola was included in the plans.
Expansion of the Pensacola complex began in August 1939 with the purchase of 867 acres known as Felton Farm Field, leased by the Navy since 1933 as an outlying facility for Chevalier and Corry Fields. Construction began immediately on the site that was soon named Saufley Field for LTJG Richard C. Saufley, Naval Aviator No. 14, killed in a plane crash at Pensacola on 9 June 1916.
 |
| An early 1940 view of Auxiliary Base Saufley Field while under construction. The field opened for operation in Aug ’40. |
Saufley opened for business on 26 August 1940 as an auxiliary field, home to the 50 North American NJs and SNJ-1 Texans assigned to the instrument training squadron, VN-5, redesignated VN-3 in December. Three months later, primary training came to Saufley with the arrival of the Stearman NS, N2S Kaydet and Naval Aircraft Factory N3Ns of VN-1C and VN-1D. Saufley Field was officially designated an NAAS on 1 March 1943.
It was common practice in the Training Command to create new squadrons that performed the same function as another by adding a letter after the squadron number. Two other primary training squadrons, VN-1A and VN-1B, were located at nearby Corry Field.
When the Navy bought the land in 1939, it included the property of a couple in their 80s. The Navy allowed the couple to keep their home, and even went as far as to build a special access gate to a country road for them. Base personnel adopted the couple and regularly provided medical care, food and “handy-man” help around the home. Though the husband died in 1943, this arrangement continued until 1948 when his wife finally passed on.
Saufley would witness many squadron assignment and mission changes through the turbulent years of World War II. In November 1941, just prior to the outbreak of hostilities, VN-3 moved its instrument training activities to Chevalier Field. In early 1942 the wartime training plan was implemented directing that primary flight training with its associated “Yellow Peril” trainers be located at bases all over the country. NAS Pensacola and Corpus Christi were now to be responsible for all basic flight training while operational training would come under control of NAS Jacksonville. On 25 September 1942 primary squadron VN-1C was disestablished, followed by VN-1D on 30 January 1943.
To fill the void at Saufley created by the loss of its primary training squadrons, basic training squadron VN-2B and its complement of Vultee SNV “Vibrators” moved to Saufley Field on 14 November 1942. Instrument training returned to Saufley in February 1943 with the arrival of VN-3B. Six months after -3B’s arrival, however, the squadron joined with VN-3A from Chevalier to move to the newly opened NAAS Whiting Field on 1 July.
VN-2B was joined at Saufley from May to 27 November 1944 by VN-8S, which conducted preoperational training in the Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina amphibian for Army Air Force pilots and flight engineers going to AAF air-sea rescue squadrons.
Basic flight training activities at Saufley ended on 28 September 1944 with the disestablishment of VN-2B. The squadron was immediately replaced by VN-9, responsible for the newly implemented preoperational training program for all carrier aircraft-bound students. The new course consisted of three weeks and 26 flight hours of familiarization, formation, navigation and ordnance training in the more than 150 Douglas SBD-5s assigned. On 15 December 1945, VN-9 was redesignated VN-5 and assigned the mission of CV training in SNJs. The SBDs remained at Saufley until spring 1946, when the weary trainers were finally retired.
On 1 November 1945 the Training Command was reorganized into the Basic and Advanced Training Command under the Chief of Naval Air Training. Under the new program, primary and basic instruction were conducted at Corpus Christi. Multi-engine land and seaplane training, CV ops and carrier qualification were taught in Pensacola in the SNB, PBM and SNJ aircraft.
 |
| BTU-3 line, c. 1953 was a busy place, filled with yellow SNJ-5 and -6 Texans. The unit was responsible for basic formation and tactics training. |
Saufley survived demobilization due to its rugged, well-constructed facilities and its all-weather operating capability. In late 1945 the SNJs from the Carrier Qualification Training Unit at NAS Glenview, Ill., were transferred to Saufley to form VN-6. By late December 1945 VN-6 was instructing students in the SNJ and SNJ-C in the art of carrier landings as Training Command’s basic carrier qualification squadron. Advanced CQ was conducted at NAAS Whiting in Advanced Training Unit 7 in late 1946. In June 1947, the advanced training CQ squadron moved from Whiting to Saufley, bringing with it its F6F, SB2C, TBM and F4U aircraft. The combined squadron was redesignated CQTU-4 in late 1948 and moved to NAAS Corry on 4 May 1949.
As the Stearmans were phased out of the Training Command during the last half of 1947, basic SNJ and single-engine instrument training moved from Corpus to Pensacola, and all multi-engine and advanced training moved to Texas. In accordance with the shifting missions, VN-5 in late 1947 became Basic Training Unit Three (BTU-3) and conducted basic formation and tactics training. In July 1953 BTU-3 was redesignated BTU-2, still conducting the same training.
After the Korean War, two new trainers were introduced into the Training Command to replace the SNJ. The T-34B Mentor began to arrive at the primary training squadron BTG-1 at Whiting Field in late 1955, followed in 1957 by the T-28 Trojans for the basic training groups at Corry and Saufley. In October-December 1956 BTG-1’s T-34 primary training operations moved from Whiting to Saufley, and all T-28 basic training was transferred to Whiting. Shortly afterward, on 1 November 1958, NAAS Barin Field was closed and BTU-5, the basic training CQ squadron assigned there, arrived at Saufley with its T-28 B/C trainers.
 |
|
A T-28C from VT-5, the basic training propeller carrier qualification squadron, flying over NAAS Saufley on 28 Mar ’63.
|
In July 1958 BTG-1 received its first Temco TT-1 Pinto jet primary trainer. Jet primary training at Saufley ended in mid-1960 when the TT-1 was retired. On 1 May 1960, BTG-1 and -5 were established as VT-1 and VT-5 as the Training Command squadrons changed to the VT designation. Saufley was officially designated a naval air station on 31 July 1968.
The Training Command weathered another reorganization in the early 1970s to the single-base/training wing concept. Training Wing Seven was established at Saufley on 1 February 1972. Carrier qualification for basic prop students was dropped on 15 November 1973 and VT-5 began its transition as a primary training squadron flying the T-34B. TraWing 7 was disestablished on 30 June 1974. NAS Saufley and its two primary training squadrons, VT-1 and VT-5, were placed under control of Training Wing Six at Pensacola.
 |
|
A VT-1 solo student in his T-34B “Teeny Weeny” flies over Saufley in 1963.
|
Budget cuts, implementation of the new integrated flight training syllabus, procurement of the T-34C and use of the T-28 as primary trainer caused Saufley and its training squadrons to be retired. The last T-34B flight was flown by VT-1 on 27 September 1976, and VT-1 and VT-5 were disestablished on 1 October. No longer would the cry “Saufley Tower, this is Two Sierra 116, solo radio check” (or sometimes a nervously stated “solio rodeo check”) be heard. Primary flight training in the T-28 was transferred to Whiting and Corpus Christi.
Saufley Field was disestablished on 1 December 1976 as a naval air station, but remained open as a day VFR outlying field for Whiting-based training. It was reactivated in May 1979 when the Naval Education and Training Program Development Center moved on board from Ellyson Field.
 |
|
A familiar pose for VT-1 students was standing the wheels watch to ensure fellow students landed with their gear down. In this photo, taken in late 1963, the wheels watch is indicating that the gear is down and it is safe to land.
|
Saufley today is home to a minimum-security Federal prison camp, a Naval Reserve Center, CNET’s Professional and Technology Center, together with several other education and financial system activities.
 |
|
Saufley still looks like an air station with its pre-WW II hangars, but today it is home to many different commands that include the NE&T technology center, federal prison camp, Naval Reserve Center, DoD Financial System Activity and the Navy’s Education Support Center. Above, right: An overhead photo of Saufley Field today shows the two runways that are still used for day VFR landing practice by NAS Whiting’s T-34Cs
|