CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2008 Mariposa County High School graduate and Coulterville, California, native is playing a key role in the lengthy and rigorous training process that transforms officers into U.S. naval aviators.
Lt. Michael Thomasson is an instructor pilot with the “Rangers” of Training Squadron (VT) 28, based in Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. The squadron flies the T-6B Texan II aircraft.
A Navy instructor pilot is responsible for teaching student aviators the basics of flying military aircraft including initial takeoff, landing, instrument and visual navigation and basic formation flying.
“When I’m teaching the students, I enjoy seeing the ‘light come on’ when they realize they can do anything that they first thought they couldn't,” Thomasson said.
Thomasson credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Coulterville.
“The morals, values and discipline instilled in me by my parents has not only helped me become a better person but both a naval officer and leader,” Thomasson said.
The T-6B II Texan is a training aircraft that is powered by a 1,100 shaft horsepower, free-turbine, turboprop single-engine, four-bladed propeller, with a cruising speed of 320 mph.
VT-28’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 F/A-18 Hornet fighter attack jet aircraft, the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft or the SH-60 Seahawk helicopter. 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.
Thomasson 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, Thomasson is most proud of getting his qualification to be patrol plane commander for the P-3 aircraft.
“This was the most difficult test that I ever experienced,” Thomasson said. “It entailed several flights, as well as an exam where I had to brief my superiors on everything that I knew from months and months of preparation.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Thomasson, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Thomasson is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“I have grandfathers, uncles, brothers, one aunt and a cousin who have all served in the military,” Thomasson said. “It means a lot to share this experience with them.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Thomasson 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 is a job that can be very demanding at times,” Thomasson said. “It's very high-tempo with time away from family but at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.”
A Navy instructor pilot is responsible for teaching student aviators the basics of flying military aircraft including initial takeoff, landing, instrument and visual navigation and basic formation flying.
“When I’m teaching the students, I enjoy seeing the ‘light come on’ when they realize they can do anything that they first thought they couldn't,” Thomasson said.
Thomasson credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Coulterville.
“The morals, values and discipline instilled in me by my parents has not only helped me become a better person but both a naval officer and leader,” Thomasson said.
The T-6B II Texan is a training aircraft that is powered by a 1,100 shaft horsepower, free-turbine, turboprop single-engine, four-bladed propeller, with a cruising speed of 320 mph.
VT-28’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 F/A-18 Hornet fighter attack jet aircraft, the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft or the SH-60 Seahawk helicopter. 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.
Thomasson 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, Thomasson is most proud of getting his qualification to be patrol plane commander for the P-3 aircraft.
“This was the most difficult test that I ever experienced,” Thomasson said. “It entailed several flights, as well as an exam where I had to brief my superiors on everything that I knew from months and months of preparation.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Thomasson, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Thomasson is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“I have grandfathers, uncles, brothers, one aunt and a cousin who have all served in the military,” Thomasson said. “It means a lot to share this experience with them.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Thomasson 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 is a job that can be very demanding at times,” Thomasson said. “It's very high-tempo with time away from family but at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.”