Description
Mobile Coast Guard Aviation Training Center is an air base of the United States Coast Guard located at Mobile, Alabama, where it shares an airfield with the Mobile Regional Airport. The Alabama Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment’s “B” Company is also located at the airfield. The base is also home to the Coast Guard National Strike Force’s Gulf Strike Team.
It is a multi-mission unit, for the Coast Guard’s aviation and capabilities development center. Training is conducted to qualify pilots in the MH-60 Jayhawk, MH-65 Dolphin, and HC-144 Ocean Sentry. All pilots initially train at ATC, and will return once a year for a one-week proficiency course in their assigned airframes. Officer cadets from the United States Coast Guard Academy who are pursuing aviation careers also train at ATC. Serving within the Coast Guard’s Force Readiness Command’s Training Division (FC-T), the center is responsible for certifying all Coast Guard pilots are using their equipment and tactics to meet all mission requirements. The operations department, flies the HC-144A Ocean Sentry, which is a segment within the ATC command that conducts search and rescue, homeland security, and environmental protection missions.
Normally, it takes about two full years to complete all the requirements to become a USCG aviator. For a Coast Guardsman to be considered for a position, they must first be commissioned, either through Coast Guard Officer Candidate School, the United States Coast Guard Academy, or a college ROTC program. If the applicant is accepted, they are assigned to Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, where the Coast Guard Aviation Liaison Officer coordinates their training. This includes academics, physical fitness, medical exams and physicals, and housing.
The USCG National Strike Force’s Gulf Strike Team is also located at the Aviation Training Center. This specially trained unit was created in 1973 as a result of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, and is tasked with responding to natural and man-made pollution and hazard incidents such as oil discharge, hazardous materials released, weapons of mass destruction, and vessel salvage operations.
This handsome challenge coin is bronze and given an antique finish, and is imbued with durable and attractive enamel.
Each coin measures 1 3/4 inch (44mm) in diameter.
This is a surplus NWTMint item, packaging may vary.
This is an out of date design and will not be remade after product is sold out.
