Photo By Ensign GEOFFREY GUMPORT | Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Max G. McCoy Jr. (right), outgoing commodore,...... read more read more
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Training Air Wing (TW) 4 held a change of command ceremony onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, Texas, Aug. 6. Capt. Daniel Thomas relieved Capt. Christopher Penn as commodore of TW-4.
Rear Adm. Max McCoy, Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), presided over the event and presented Penn with the Legion of Merit for his exceptionally meritorious conduct and leadership throughout his tour in the Coastal Bend since June 2024. Under his leadership, TW-4 safely executed 129,806 flight hours and 69,895 sorties, delivered 938 primary complete flight students to the advanced training pipelines, and awarded 709 wings of gold.
“Penn's efforts in production and mission effectiveness, while navigating a complex airframe transition and syllabus overhaul were instrumental to the success of the Naval Air Training Command over the past two years,” said McCoy. "He demonstrated exceptional leadership by keeping training standards high during a period of limited aircraft availability."
A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Penn began his career by enlisting in the Navy in 1992 as an aviation rescue swimmer. After completing multiple deployments with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 5, he was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program, graduating from the University of North Florida and earning his wings of gold as a naval aviator in November 2002. Penn previously commanded VAW-125 forwarded deployed to Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni Japan.
"Serving as the commodore of Training Air Wing 4 has been the profound honor of my career,” Penn said. “During my tenure, our primary focus has been the aggressive modernization of our training pipelines to ensure we are delivering the most capable, combat-ready naval aviators to the fleet. I am incredibly proud of our instructor pilots, our maintenance professionals, and the entire TW-4 family. Their commitment to safety, disciplined execution, and instructional excellence has set a new standard for naval aviation training. The future of the multi-engine fleet is in exceptional hands."
Thomas is from Plantation, Florida. A 2002 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Oceanography, Thomas was designated a naval aviator in June 2004. Over his distinguished career, he has accumulated more than 3,800 flight hours across 11 operational deployments.
“It’s a tremendous honor to assume the role of the Training Air Wing 4 commander, and I’m fired up to take on this position,” Thomas said. “Naval aviation is a foundational pillar of our country’s naval strength, with primary and advanced flight schools serving as the bedrock of our nation’s maritime dominance. My hat’s off to Capt. Penn; he did an amazing job leading this organization for over two years, and I look forward to carrying on the mission of training naval aviation’s finest. “
TW-4 is one of five training air wings under CNATRA, located in Corpus Christi, Texas. Four individual units make up the wing: Training Squadrons (VT) 27, 28, 31, and 35. Squadron Augment Units (SAU) are assigned to each squadron, respectively. Student aviators receive basic flight training in VT-27 and VT-28. VT-31 and VT-35 provide intermediate and advanced flight training using multi-engine aircraft.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2026 15:27 |
| Story ID: | 571869 |
| Location: | CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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