AVON PARK AIR FORCE RANGE, Fla. – A detachment of primary students assigned to Training Air Wing (TW-5) FIVE stationed at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida traveled to Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida for five weeks of joint primary pilot training Jan. 23 to Feb. 26, 2026.
The detachment comprised of 23 Navy T-6B Texan II aircraft, 46 instructor pilots, 86 student naval aviators and 45 maintenance personnel. TW-5 chose to utilize Avon Park AFR due to its location, manageable flying weather and availability of restricted airspace.
“We chose this location because of its proximity to Whiting Field, the availability of the range and restricted airspace, and the support Avon Park provides,” said Lt. Cmdr. JonathanScarfo, DET 26-1 operations officer. “Logistically,it’s very easy for us, and it’s going great so far.”
Instructors and students came from TW-5’s primary training squadrons: the “Doerbirds” of Training Squadron (VT) 2, the “Red Knights” of Training Squadron (VT) 3 and the “Shooters” of Training Squadron (VT) 6. Upon arrival, primary students and instructors hit the ground running upon arrival.
“We train future naval aviators from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and international partner nations to fly every platform in the inventory, that includes future rotary-wing pilots,” Scarfo said.“This is their first military aircrafttraining and a big milestone they’re aiming for is to complete first solo flight in the T-6 after 10 flights with an instructor, which we hope to accomplish in about two weeks.”
“After that, they’ll do basic aerobatics and formation training before returning home for instrument training and culminating exercises to finish primary flight training.”
As the largest training range east of the Mississippi River and one of a very few ranges with an 8000-foot runway and airfield, Avon Park AFR provided not just the facilities, but a focused training environment despite the logistical challenges for such a large movement of equipment and personnel.
“While it’s a big lift to get this whole operation on the road, the benefit isn’t just better weather,” Scarfo said.“There are no distractions here, the phones don’t really work, so nobody can bother you. You’re here to fly, and that’s it.”
Avon Park AFR is primarily an air-to-ground training range and has never hosted pilot training previously, offering a rare exposure to more remote, austere environments early in the aviators’ careers can give them the edge in any future operational demands.
“It exposes them to what the military is like outside a typical training base,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col Albert Chang, 598th Range Squadron commander and A-10C Thunderbolt II command pilot. “Those environments are very regimented and familiar. Coming to Avon Park requires them to travel and adapt to a nonstandard training location. That early exposure matters."
“They will carry those lessons forward and become more creative and flexible when it comes to exercises and training scenarios.Ultimately, that better prepares them for combat, because combat is never exactly what you expect and is always changing. We need warfighters who can adapt, and that’s what this kind of training helps develop.”
The successful execution of the detachment also highlighted the critical role of Avon Park AFR personnel and the joint coordination required to support large-scale training operations away from home stations.
“The planning process was a challenge, figuring out how to move such a large footprint to a new location we’d never been before — lodging, transportation, all the pieces that go into this,” Scarfo said. “Now that we’re here, things are going smoothly. The team is adapting and getting it done. The fact that we were able to come to an Air Force facility with no friction and get our work done shows that no matter what service we’re in, we’re all on the same team.”