CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2013 Cumberland Christian Academy graduate and Atlanta 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 Daniel Lemay 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 and absorbing instruction through simulator flights in the T-44C.
“Training to become a Naval aviator is a challenge and I enjoy it,” Lemay said.
Lemay credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Atlanta.
“My parents have always instilled in me to try my best, even if it is something I’m not good at,” Lemay said. “This led me to pursuing my Naval aviator career.”
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.
Lemay 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, Lemay is most proud of getting as far as he has in flight school and the hard work it took to receive his aviator wings.
“It proves I can reach the goals I set for myself, no matter how challenging or far-fetched they may seem,” Lemay said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Lemay, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Lemay is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father was enlisted in the Marines and instilled a sense of service that led to me joining the military,” Lemay said. “He believes that everyone should give back to the community in some way and I took that as a personal challenge.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Lemay and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means putting others before yourself,” Lemay said. “I have always tried to have a servant’s heart and the military is a way that I can fulfill that duty.”
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning and absorbing instruction through simulator flights in the T-44C.
“Training to become a Naval aviator is a challenge and I enjoy it,” Lemay said.
Lemay credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Atlanta.
“My parents have always instilled in me to try my best, even if it is something I’m not good at,” Lemay said. “This led me to pursuing my Naval aviator career.”
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.
Lemay 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, Lemay is most proud of getting as far as he has in flight school and the hard work it took to receive his aviator wings.
“It proves I can reach the goals I set for myself, no matter how challenging or far-fetched they may seem,” Lemay said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Lemay, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Lemay is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father was enlisted in the Marines and instilled a sense of service that led to me joining the military,” Lemay said. “He believes that everyone should give back to the community in some way and I took that as a personal challenge.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Lemay and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means putting others before yourself,” Lemay said. “I have always tried to have a servant’s heart and the military is a way that I can fulfill that duty.”