Ed Scharch reported October 26, 1943 to U.S. Naval Air Training Center (NATC) in Pensacola, Florida for Intermediate flight training. He spent many hours of flight time in the cockpit of an SNJ, one of the U.S. Navy's tandem seat trainers, which had full instruments and retractable landing gear. On March 14, 1944, after successfully completing "Intermediate" training, he was commissioned an Ensign and accepted his wings as A-V(N) Naval Aviator, USNR.

Having received a Naval Aviator diploma, commission and wings, pilots were assigned to squadrons then sent off to an Operational Training Unit (OTU). Carrier pilots had an additional training hurdle with Carrier Qualification which took place aboard a "floating airfield." Graduates were sent to the Carrier Qualification Training Unit at NAS Glenview, Illinois.

NAAS Barin Field - Foley, AL. Barin Field was the only NAAS in Alabama, and it operated under the jurisdiction of NATC Pensacola. In 1942, the Navy leased the Foley Municipal Airport and also purchased adjoining land to construct a second airfield. Training at Barin Field first consisted of torpedo bomber & fighter instruction. Other aircraft used included OS2U Kingfishers, SNVs, and N2S Stearmans. Barin Field had become an autonomous auxiliary station by 1943, with two complete sets of asphalt runways (east and west) separated by four large hangars, maintenance shops, barracks and administration buildings. Torpedo training moved to Corry Field, leaving Barin to focus on the fighter program using SNJ trainers. Before the end of the war, more than 400 training aircraft were based at NAAS Barin Field.

NAAS Bronson Field - Myrtle Grove, FL. Located 9 miles west of NAS Pensacola. Originally called Tarkiln Field and located northwest of Pensacola, it was established in 1939 as an outlying field to Corry Field. In 1942, a seaplane facility was added on the eastern shore of Perdido Bay. Both installations were designated a NAAS in late 1942, and it provided runways for landplanes and seaplane ramps for floatplanes. Training squadron VN-5 operated nearly 300 SNJs from Bronson Field, while squadron VN-8 operated some 40 PBY Catalina flying boats at the seaplane ramp.

NAAS Chevalier Field - NAS Pensacola, FL. The training center's main airfield was built in 1922 and called Station Field. It was renamed Chevalier Field in 1935 and further expanded in 1938 to include schools for aviation medicine and aviation maintenance. The airfield had seven asphalt runways arranged in two clusters that intersected at mid-field, with the longest at 3,100 feet. an extensive seaplane ramp and hangars were also added on the southeast corner facing Pensacola Bay. Variety of aircraft based here were the OS2U, SC & N3N floatplanes and PBY seaplanes, along with N3N, N2S, SNV and SNJ landplanes.

NAAS Corry Field - Myrtle Grove, FL. The first auxiliary field established for the NAS. A newer Corry Field was built in 1927, west of downtown Pensacola. an active aviation training complex where advanced fighter plane techniques were taught. In 1942 the NAS Pensacola Transport Unit, flying PBYs, R4Ds and SNBs, was based at Corry. In January 1943, Corry Field was designated a NAAS. Squadron 8C conducted multi-engine patrol or VB-2 training in SNBs until moving in November 1943 to Whiting Field. Squadron 6 joined the unit in August 1943 and conducted carrier aircraft VTB (torpedo bombing) training initially in land-based OS2Us (and later SNJs) until the end of 1944. In the mid-1960s, for a time, Corry Field became a venue for sports car racing. An old track map shows the road course was laid out on existing runways, and it included some ten or more turns.

NAAS Ellyson Field - Ferry Pass, FL. The airfield was first proposed in 1940 as an outlying landing field to support NAS flight training. "Site 3" was 12 miles north of NAS Pensacola. Construction began in 1941, but it was greatly expanded as the war intensified and cost more than $1.7 million. Ellyson Field OLF opened October 1, 1941, with six taxiways & runways, three hangars, administrative & operations buildings, barracks & mess hall. In 1943, the OLF was redesignated a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. Ellyson's only training squadron was VN-2A, and it conducted intermediate basic training until it was disestablished in 1945. The Vultee SNV 'Valiant' single-engine monoplane trainer was used for familiarization, formation & night flying. At its peak, the squadron operated almost 250 SNVs and conducted 4 weeks and 36 hours of flight training before the cadets, enlisted & officer students moved on to specialized intermediate courses with SNJ, PBY, SNB & OS2U aircraft.

NAAS Saufley Field - Bellview, FL. Initially built in 1933, Felton's Field was 9 miles northwest of NAS Pensacola. The OLF was significantly expanded and renamed Saufley Field in 1940. It conducted primary training, instrument training, and fighter training. On February 15, 1943, Training Squadron Three Detachment 8-B (VN3D8-B) was organized at Saufley Field, but was relocated to Whiting Field on July 1, 1943. Saufley was commissioned a NAAS in 1943, and it provided a variety of training in N2S, PBY5A, SBD and SNJ aircraft. The airfield had a large rectangular asphalt mat at its center, over which four asphalt runways extended. The control tower and four hangars were situated on the south end. In 1944, there were 160 aircraft at Saufley and a station complement of over 2,200 men. The station also had several of its own OLFs during WWII, and it remained open after the war due to its substantial construction.

NAAS Whiting Field - Milton, FL. Opened July 16, 1943 as an auxiliary air station to NAS Pensacola, located 28 miles northeast of the NAS. The new aviators first took up residence in tents. The airfield was built on 2,920 acres of agriculture land, and its complement grew to 3,300 officers and men and 1,431 students. Training Squadron Three Detachment 8-B (VN3D8-B) was relocated from Saufley to Whiting Field on July 1, 1943 and later joined by VN3D8-A from Chevalier Field to form VN-3. Training aircraft used were SNBs, SNJs, and PBYs. WAVES operated Link Trainers (flight simulators) while on the ground. Outlying fields to Whiting included Choctaw, Holley, Milton 'T', and Pensacola Airports. German POWs arrived at Whiting in July 1945 for duty in construction and soil erosion projects. The 225 detainees were released in March 1946. VN-3 squadron was decommissioned in 1947.