CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2012 Guam High School graduate and Agana Heights, Guam, native is participating in a rigorous training process that transforms officers into U.S. naval aviators.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Finley |
Ensign Travis Martin is a student pilot with the “Wise Owls” of Training Squadron (VT) 31, based in Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. The squadron flies the T-44C Pegasus aircraft.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning qualifications needed to fly naval aircraft.
“I really enjoy flying and the quality of flight training that we get in the military is intense and high caliber,” Martin said.
Martin credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Agana Heights.
“I did NJROTC in high school and I had two instructors there, a retired Navy commander and retired Navy chief, who were both beneficial to strengthening my leadership skills and work ethic that has helped me in my naval career,” Martin said.
The T-44C Pegasus is a twin-engine, pressurized, fixed-wing monoplane used for advanced turboprop radar aircraft training using two 550 shaft horsepowered engines, with a cruising airspeed of 287 mph.
VT-31’s primary mission is to train future naval aviators to fly as well as instill leadership and officer values, Navy officials explained. Students must complete four phases of flight training in order to graduate, including aviation pre-flight indoctrination, primary flight training, and advanced flight training. After successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted “Wings of Gold.”
After graduation, pilots continue their training to learn how to fly a specific aircraft, such as the Navy’s P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft or Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. They are later assigned to a ship or land-based squadron.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
Martin plays an important role in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Martin is most proud of completing officer candidate school and receiving his commission to become a naval officer.
“It was the beginning of my journey to become a naval aviator and I’m proud to have the opportunity to serve my country as a naval officer,” Martin said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Martin, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Martin is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father served as a commander in the Navy as a pediatrician,” Martin said. “I am making him proud serving my country just as he did.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Martin and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Following the footsteps in naval aviation in a career rich in tradition gives me a great sense of pride to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Martin said.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning qualifications needed to fly naval aircraft.
“I really enjoy flying and the quality of flight training that we get in the military is intense and high caliber,” Martin said.
Martin credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Agana Heights.
“I did NJROTC in high school and I had two instructors there, a retired Navy commander and retired Navy chief, who were both beneficial to strengthening my leadership skills and work ethic that has helped me in my naval career,” Martin said.
The T-44C Pegasus is a twin-engine, pressurized, fixed-wing monoplane used for advanced turboprop radar aircraft training using two 550 shaft horsepowered engines, with a cruising airspeed of 287 mph.
VT-31’s primary mission is to train future naval aviators to fly as well as instill leadership and officer values, Navy officials explained. Students must complete four phases of flight training in order to graduate, including aviation pre-flight indoctrination, primary flight training, and advanced flight training. After successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted “Wings of Gold.”
After graduation, pilots continue their training to learn how to fly a specific aircraft, such as the Navy’s P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft or Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. They are later assigned to a ship or land-based squadron.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
Martin plays an important role in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Martin is most proud of completing officer candidate school and receiving his commission to become a naval officer.
“It was the beginning of my journey to become a naval aviator and I’m proud to have the opportunity to serve my country as a naval officer,” Martin said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Martin, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Martin is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father served as a commander in the Navy as a pediatrician,” Martin said. “I am making him proud serving my country just as he did.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Martin and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Following the footsteps in naval aviation in a career rich in tradition gives me a great sense of pride to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Martin said.