Official VT-3 Red Knights Dragon Shoulder Patch

Official VT-3 Red Knights Dragon Shoulder Patch — The First Patch Every Naval Aviator Earns the Right to Wear

Before the fleet, before the wings, before the tailhook — there are the Red Knights.

Training Squadron Three (VT-3) — the 'Red Knights' — has been forging military aviators at NAS Whiting Field in Milton, Florida since May 1, 1960, when the squadron was commissioned at South Whiting Field to carry on the legacy of its World War II predecessor, VN-3. From day one, VT-3's mission has been primary flight training — teaching student naval aviators the fundamental skills of formation flying, precision aerobatics, instruments, and familiarization that form the bedrock of every career in military aviation. During the Vietnam War, VT-3 reached its peak with 174 instructors, 494 students, and 162 T-28 Trojan aircraft, flying nearly 110,000 instructional hours and training 902 students in a single calendar year — a record for any training squadron in Naval Air Training Command history. The squadron transitioned from the T-28 to the T-34C Turbo Mentor in 1977, and in 1994, the Red Knights made history again by becoming the Navy's first and only Joint Service Primary Flight Training Squadron, integrating Air Force instructors and students into the ready room and alternating Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force commanding officers. VT-3 was then selected as the first Navy squadron to transition to the T-6B Texan II, the joint primary pilot training aircraft that bridges the gap between training and modern fleet platforms. Today, the Red Knights train student aviators from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and allied nations, preparing them for selection into rotary wing, maritime, strike, or command and control communities. This dragon shoulder patch carries the iconic Red Knights insignia — a symbol worn by every instructor and student who has passed through one of naval aviation's most storied primary training squadrons.