Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106), also known as the "Gladiators", is a United States Navy F/A-18B Fleet Replacement Squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The GladiatorsÕ mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 Replacement Pilots and Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs) to support fleet commitments. Every 6 weeks, a class of between 8-12 newly-winged Navy and Marine Corps pilots and Naval Flight Officers begins the 9 month training course in which they learn the basics of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, culminating in day/night carrier qualification and subsequent assignment to fleet Hornet squadrons.
Note: two photos combined in Adobe Photoshop as a single Panorama- some distortion resulted.