Initial aviation ‘A’ school training to be relocated to NATTC Pensacola Published Nov. 8, 2007 By U.S. Navy TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training has announced that all Aviation Electrician's Mate, Aviation Structural Mechanic, Aviation Electronics Technician and Aviation Machinist's Mate "A" school training will be relocated to the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Pensacola, Fla. NATTC is one of 26 learning sites under the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training. Its student body is largely comprised of enlisted Navy and Marine Corps personnel attending "A" schools designed to provide them with the knowledge and skill levels required to perform as technicians at the third class petty officer level. Advanced, or "C" schools, provide higher level technical knowledge, while specialty schools offer specific skills not peculiar to any one rating. NATTC also conducts technical training for officers. "This realignment will be executed as a phased transition with no impact to Fleet Readiness," explained Capt. Terry L. Merritt, commanding officer of CNATT. "We believe that this move will be a 'win-win' situation for everyone -- manpower and equipment savings, a ready infrastructure, and the greatest flexibility for follow-on training." The realignment, which will occur during fiscal 2008, is being implemented as a way of achieving the most efficient production alignment and reducing the overall Total Force training fiscal constraint requirements. The consolidation of all initial accession skill training for the AD, AM, AT and AE enlisted rates will provide the lowest cost of ownership and additional investment, greatest cost avoidance, and optimal training effectiveness. Among the benefits to customers and stakeholders are right place, right time training solutions; training current to mission tasking; and support of the Naval Aviation Enterprise architecture.