The Air Operations Department operates three separate and fully operational airfields, Whiting Field North & South ~ TW-5 (142 T-6s & 112 TH-57s and the new TH-73A Thrasher platform) with 2 lighted 6,000’ X 200’ runways each with control towers.  Choctaw ~ TW-5 and UAS with one lighted 8,000’ X 150’ runway with a control tower, twelve (12) Navy Outlying Fields: Helicopter Fields; Spencer (FL), Santa Rosa (FL), Pace (FL), Site X (FL), Harold (FL), Fixed Wing; Barin (AL), Brewton (AL), Silverhill (AL), Summerdale (AL), Evergreen (AL), Wolf (AL), Choctaw (FL), (Holley, FL-- former OLF that is now a solar energy asset under a lease agreement with Gulf Power), which account for 52% of all U.S. Navy Outlying Landing Fields (OLFs). Provides services to support operations of tenant, and transiting aircraft; provides firefighting functions, both structural and fire and rescue; provides air traffic control; operates the air terminal; schedules administrative and proficiency flights; repairs and maintains station ground electronics equipment.

Air Operations Department supports approximately one million flight operations per year (approx. 1 million last year vs. 882K @ Atlanta Hartsfield – busiest in the world). Roughly 130,000 flight hours per year, 43% of Chief, Naval Air Training flight time, 11% of USN / USMC flight hours, 17% of USN flight hours.