CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2011 Cape Elizabeth High School graduate and Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 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. Cyrus Wolfinger is a student pilot with the “Stingrays” of Training Squadron (VT) 35, based in Naval Air Station Corpus, Christi, Texas. The squadron flies the T-44C Pegasus aircraft.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning how to fly multi-engine aircraft and become efficient in working with the flight crew in order to transition into a successful naval aviator.
“It's an exciting job, there's always something new to learn and there is a purpose behind what I'm doing, which is becoming a more proficient naval aviator,” Wolfinger said.
Wolfinger credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Cape Elizabeth.
“I learned to always stay humble, trust in your teachers and peers and take the best of all the training and knowledge they have to offer and apply to my own life,” Wolfinger 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-35’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.
Wolfinger 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, Wolfinger is most proud of receiving top honors in aviation class.
“It was a reward and testament for all my hard work and I have a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that I put my best foot forward,” Wolfinger said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Wolfinger, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Wolfinger is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather flew for the civil air patrol training pilots for WWII and I know that he would be proud if he was still around seeing me become a naval aviator,” Wolfinger said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Wolfinger and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I have a great sense of honor and pride serving my country and I am making my family proud by following in my grandfather's footsteps,” Wolfinger said.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning how to fly multi-engine aircraft and become efficient in working with the flight crew in order to transition into a successful naval aviator.
“It's an exciting job, there's always something new to learn and there is a purpose behind what I'm doing, which is becoming a more proficient naval aviator,” Wolfinger said.
Wolfinger credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Cape Elizabeth.
“I learned to always stay humble, trust in your teachers and peers and take the best of all the training and knowledge they have to offer and apply to my own life,” Wolfinger 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-35’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.
Wolfinger 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, Wolfinger is most proud of receiving top honors in aviation class.
“It was a reward and testament for all my hard work and I have a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that I put my best foot forward,” Wolfinger said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Wolfinger, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Wolfinger is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather flew for the civil air patrol training pilots for WWII and I know that he would be proud if he was still around seeing me become a naval aviator,” Wolfinger said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Wolfinger and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I have a great sense of honor and pride serving my country and I am making my family proud by following in my grandfather's footsteps,” Wolfinger said.