Capt. Nate Schneider, commanding officer of Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT), took the opportunity to tour aviation maintenance training units in the Hampton Roads area, Dec. 10. 

Schneider was able to observe the newest, state-of-the-art training devices and upgrades being installed and employed to train thousands of fleet-bound Sailors every year at both Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) Norfolk and CNATTU Oceana.

Schneider saw changes currently in the works at CNATTU Norfolk for the new E-2D Hawkeye trainer, major upgrades to the MH-60S Knighthawk trainer, and a brand-new MQ-8 Firescout trainer.

At CNATTU Oceana, Schneider toured the newly-installed electronic Consolidated Automated Support Stations (eCASS) and T-12 Hydraulics Test Station.

“CNATTU Oceana is privileged to be outfitted with the newest technology, and our ability here to train Sailors in aviation maintenance is unmatched,” said CNATTU Oceana's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. David Moore. "CNATTU Oceana offers the largest number of aviation maintenance courses fleet-wide."

Last month, CNATTU Oceana received one eCASS High Power (HP) station as a performance upgrade swap and two eCASS Hybrid stations, while off-loading the pre-performance build eCASS HP and one legacy CASS. This upgrade resulted in six eCASS and four legacy CASS stations being available for training. 

In September, CNATTU Oceana also installed the Navy’s new T-12 Hydraulic Test Station, replacing the older T-10 model. The new T-12 is already being employed in the fleet, and now CNATTU Oceana has the ability to train the next-generation maintainers using the same equipment they will see when they report to their commands. 

Schneider’s visit at CNATTU Oceana wrapped up with demonstrations for the new Maintenance Diagnostics and Repair Tool (MDART), using the new Windows 10 operating system for Training Network (TRANET) servers. The system is used for a majority of the courses taught at CNATTU Oceana.

A former instructor himself, Schneider enlisted in the Navy as a signalman in 1981 and served 12 years before earning his commission in 1993 through the Navy’s enlisted commissioning program. He graduated from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science in political science, and went on to earn his Master of Business Administration-Logistics degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2003. Schneider has served in leadership positions at more than a dozen commands, including executive officer at CNATT, before assuming the role of commanding officer in November 2018.

CNATT, the largest learning center under Naval Education and Training Command, is a technical training agent for the Naval Aviation Enterprise, an organization designed to advance and sustain naval aviation warfighting capabilities at an affordable cost. The Pensacola-based headquarters is responsible for 28 sites located throughout the continental United States and Japan. With a staff of nearly 3,000, CNATT trains more than 97,000 students annually for aviation ratings, airman, related aviation maintenance officer training and training for Marine Corps aviation military occupational specialties requirements.

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy Facebook or Twitter.

For more news from Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training, visit www.navy.mil/.