The
HT-18
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HISTORY OF HELICOPTER
TRAINING SQUADRON EIGHTEEN
Helicopter Training Squadron
EIGHTEEN (HT-18) is home based at Naval Air Station 
Whiting
Field, Milton, Florida. Organized as the advanced Helicopter Training Squadron,
HT-18 was established on March 1, 1972 to fulfill the increasing need for
helicopter trained pilots in the expanding helicopter communities of the
Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Additional duties assigned to the squadron
consist of providing rotary-wing training and designation to select members
of various allied nations, refresher and transition training to fleet aviators
and flight surgeons, and executive transportation for the Pensacola/Milton
area. On October 7, 1985, HT-18 added Primary Helicopter Training to its
advanced training syllabus and now provides all facets of helicopter flight
training to 
Student
Naval Aviators. Student Naval Aviators begin their helicopter careers in
the primary stage of helicopter training, which consists of approximately
40 flight hours in the TH-57B. This stage of training familiarizes the
student with hovering, takeoffs and landings, autorotations (engine out
landings), and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) navigation. The advanced training
syllabus starts with 12 Basic Instrument flights in which the student learns
to fly a helicopter without visual references, forming a solid building
block for later instrument stages. The 25 flights in the Radio Instruments/Airways
Navigation Stage are designed to further develop a student’s ability to
confidently become an "all weather" aviator. The next stage of
training is the Tactics Stage which introduces maneuvers currently employed
in fleet helicopter operations. This stage includes confined area landings,
external load operations, formation flights, night landing zone operations,
low-level navigation, and helicopter search and rescue operations. At the
end of the Tactics Stage, shipboard qualification landings are conducted
aboard the Helicopter Landing Trainer (HLT IX-514). Upon completion of
the 75 hour advanced helicopter syllabus, the designated Naval Aviator
will have accumulated over 215 hours of fixed and rotary-wing flight time.
To accomplish its mission, HT-18 utilizes the TH-57B and the TH-57C Sea
Ranger manufactured by the Bell Helicopter Division of Textron Incorporated.
The aircraft has a maximum gross weight of 3200 pounds, a maximum forward
airspeed of 130 knots, and can remain airborne for over 3 1/2 hours. The
TH-57B is a VFR Aircraft used for primary training and certain tactical
flights. The TH-57C is used for both VFR and IFR (Instrument Flight Rules)
flights and is equipped with an automatic flight control and stabilization
system. The TH-57C is certified by the FAA as a single pilot IFR Aircraft
and has the ability to conduct ADF, VOR, TACAN, ILS approaches, and will
soon be able to conduct GPS approaches as well. On 01 March 1997, Helicopter
Training Squadron EIGHTEEN celebrated its 25th Silver Anniversary of training
future generations of rotary-wing warriors. On 01 August 1997, HT-18 celebrated
17 years of Class-A mishap free flying. (No accidents totaling the aircraft nor
causing any fatalities) During the last 17 years, HT-18 has amassed more than
679,000 flight hours, completed more than 313,000 syllabus flights, made more
than 1,800,000 landings, completed 175,000 full autorotations or power-off
landings, and designated more than 5,700 unrestricted Naval Aviators.