UPDATE: WF's 35,000th helo pilot

MILTON, Fla. – Training Air Wing Five will celebrate a significant milestone in naval aviation when the 35,000th rotary wing student pilot walks across the stage on board Naval Air Station Whiting Field on Nov. 22. The aviator will receive his or her coveted wings of gold. The last such milestone occurred in 2009 when Marine 1st Lt. Michael Brown received his wings, marking the 30,000th “winger” produced at NASWF. Whiting Field is the backbone of Naval Aviation training, supporting about 60 percent of all primary fixed-wing flight training and 100 percent of all initial helicopter training for the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. (Source: NASWF media advisory 11/15/19) Update: Lt. j.g. Robert Woods, a native of Northlake, Ill., walked off the stage at the Lassen Auditorium as the Navy’s newest helicopter pilot and Whiting's 35,000th rotary wing graduate. He was joined by 22 other students in achieving the greatly sought after designation. (Source: NASWF 11/22/19)