Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi is located in Nueces County, Texas, six miles southeast of the central business district of Corpus Christi on Corpus Christi Bay. The 75th United States Congress initiated construction in 1938 following a board recommendation for training facilities to meet pilot demand. The station was commissioned on March 12, 1941, under the command of CAPT Alva Berhard, and flight training began on May 5, 1941. During World War II, the base provided intermediate flight training for naval aviators using aircraft including the SNJ, SNV, SNB, OS2U, PBY, and N3N. By 1944, the installation comprised 20,000 acres and nearly 1,000 buildings.

The installation is operated by the United States Navy under the direction of Navy Region Southeast. Its mission is the administration of the Naval Aviator training program's Maritime Pipeline, which qualifies pilots for shore-based fixed-wing jet and turboprop aircraft. The station hosts Training Air Wing Four, which consists of four squadrons: VT-27 and VT-28 for primary training, and VT-31 and VT-35 for advanced training. These units provide instruction for personnel from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and international partner nations.

NAS Corpus Christi serves as the headquarters for the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) and houses the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), a helicopter repair facility. Aircraft operating from the station include the T-6B Texan II, T-44C Pegasus, and Textron T-54A. U.S. Customs and Border Protection also maintains operations at the site, utilizing P-3 Orion aircraft and MQ-9 Reaper drones. Infrastructure includes three naval outlying landing fields: NOLF Waldron, NOLF Cabaniss, and NOLF Goliad. Other tenant units include the Marine Aviation Training Support Group (MATSG-22), the Navy Operational Support Center, and the Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi.