KINGSVILLE, Texas - A 2011 Westwood High School graduate and Austin, Texas, 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 |
Lt. j.g. Mark Jbeily is a student pilot with the “Golden Eagles” of Training Squadron (VT) 22, based in Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. The squadron flies T-45C Goshawk aircraft.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for training to fly the Navy's jet pilot trainer that involves learning how to handle emergencies, navigate, and in later stages, how to tactically employ the aircraft in situations like dropping bombs and basic flight maneuvering.
“It's always fun to strap on a million-dollar jet and go skim the cloud tops but it's really cool because a couple of weeks ago, I flew into my hometown of Austin for a training flight,” Jbeily said. “It was cool to see my hometown from above.”
Jbeily credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Austin.
“Austin provides a ton of cool volunteering opportunities,” Jbeily said. “In high school, I got to meet a lot of retired naval officers and they inspired me to join the Navy and pursue commissioning as a naval officer.”
The T-45C Goshawk is a tandem-seat, jet trainer aircraft powered by a twin-spool non-afterburn turbofan engine with 5,527 pounds of thrust and airspeed of 645 mph.
VT-22’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 many 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 F/A-18 Hornet fighter attack jet aircraft or the F-35 Lightning joint strike fighter jet. 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.
Jbeily 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, Jbeily is most proud of being named the distinguished graduate at his ROTC.
“That was really special to me because it commemorated fours years at the University of Texas and it's been with me through all major milestones in life,” Jbeily said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Jbeily and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“My parents were given a new opportunity when they immigrated in 1980 from Lebanon,” Jbeily said. “I've had a better life because I grew up in the U.S. and that's what motivated me to give back by pursuing public service and national security.”
A Navy student pilot is responsible for training to fly the Navy's jet pilot trainer that involves learning how to handle emergencies, navigate, and in later stages, how to tactically employ the aircraft in situations like dropping bombs and basic flight maneuvering.
“It's always fun to strap on a million-dollar jet and go skim the cloud tops but it's really cool because a couple of weeks ago, I flew into my hometown of Austin for a training flight,” Jbeily said. “It was cool to see my hometown from above.”
Jbeily credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Austin.
“Austin provides a ton of cool volunteering opportunities,” Jbeily said. “In high school, I got to meet a lot of retired naval officers and they inspired me to join the Navy and pursue commissioning as a naval officer.”
The T-45C Goshawk is a tandem-seat, jet trainer aircraft powered by a twin-spool non-afterburn turbofan engine with 5,527 pounds of thrust and airspeed of 645 mph.
VT-22’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 many 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 F/A-18 Hornet fighter attack jet aircraft or the F-35 Lightning joint strike fighter jet. 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.
Jbeily 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, Jbeily is most proud of being named the distinguished graduate at his ROTC.
“That was really special to me because it commemorated fours years at the University of Texas and it's been with me through all major milestones in life,” Jbeily said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Jbeily and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“My parents were given a new opportunity when they immigrated in 1980 from Lebanon,” Jbeily said. “I've had a better life because I grew up in the U.S. and that's what motivated me to give back by pursuing public service and national security.”