VFA - 106 Strike Fighter Squadron 106 ( VFA - 106 ) , also known as the " Gladiators , " is a United States Navy F / A - 18 Hornet and F / A - 18E / F Super Hornet Fleet Replacement Squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana , Virginia . Mission . As the East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadron , the Gladiators ’ mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps F / A - 18 Replacement Pilots and Weapon Systems Officer s ( WSOs ) to support fleet commitments . Every 6 weeks , a class of between 8 - 12 newly - winged Navy and Marine Corps pilots and Naval Flight Officer s 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 . The West Coast counterparts to VFA - 106 are VFA - 122 at NAS Lemoore , California and VMFAT - 101 at MCAS Miramar , California . VFA - 106 is also responsible for transitioning experienced naval aviators from other aircraft , such as the F - 14 Tomcat and S - 3 Viking , to the Hornet and Super Hornet . Aircrew returning from non - flying assignments undergo refresher training at VFA - 106 prior to returning to the fleet . Additionally , VFA - 106 ( with the help from the Center of Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit : CNATTU ) trains maintenance personnel and provides replacement aircraft to fleet units . There are approximately 1200 Navy and Marine Corps personnel , as well as foreign instructors and students ( from countries such as the United Kingdom , Switzerland , and Germany ) assigned to VFA - 106 . VFA - 106 typically has 90 + F / A - 18s of various models assigned . There is a permanent VFA - 106 Detachment in Naval Air Station Key West , Florida , where the squadron often deploys for fighter training . The squadron often detaches 12 aircraft to Naval Air Station Fallon , Nevada and Naval Air Facility El Centro , California , as well as various aircraft carriers for carrier qualifications ( CQ ) . Squadron insignia and nickname . The squadron ’ s insignia was approved by Chief of Naval Operations on 26 May 1982 , and was similar to one used by VA - 106 from April 1952 until disestablishment on 7 November 1969 . Airshow TAC DEMO team . The VFA - 106 Gladiators are also well known for the airshow TAC DEMO Team . The team flies the F / A - 18F and F / A - 18C to show sites in the eastern United States . Instructors of the squadron fly the aircraft , and serve on a year schedule . The team demonstrates maneuvers used in training and combat flights . VFA - 122 takes the western part of the United States for demonstrations . History . VFA - 106 was activated at NAS Cecil Field , Florida on April 27 , 1984 , flying the A and B models of the F / A - 18 Hornet . The first Replacement Pilot Class began training on the F / A - 18 Hornet on 7 Oct 1985 . In Oct and Dec 1987 , respectively , VFA - 106 received its first C and D models of the Hornet . In the summer of 1999 , as a result of the BRAC - mandated closure of NAS Cecil Field , VFA - 106 moved to NAS Oceana , Virginia . In 2004 , VFA - 106 received its F / A - 18E / F Super Hornet s . On April 6 , 2012 an F / A - 18D assigned to VFA - 106 encountered problems on take off and crashed into an apartment complex in Virginia Beach , Virginia . Both pilots ejected safely , and there were no fatalities .