CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2014 Dublin-Jerome High School graduate and Dublin, Ohio, native is participating in a rigorous training process that transforms officers into U.S. naval aviators.
Ensign Chase Stewart is a student 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 student pilot is responsible for learning how to safely operate a military aircraft in various conditions and environments to become an effective warfighter in the fleet.
“Every day provides a new challenge, this has been a dream of mine since high school,” Stewart said.
Stewart credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Dublin.
“I was taught how to work hard and have good study habits from both my parents and coaches,” Stewart said. “These traits have made me the person and naval officer I am today.”
The T-6B Texan II 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.
Stewart 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, Stewart is most proud of successfully completing his first flight.
“It was a long road to get there and it signified the beginning of something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time,” Stewart said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Stewart and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“It feels great to be part of an organization dedicated to protecting this country,” Stewart said.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning how to safely operate a military aircraft in various conditions and environments to become an effective warfighter in the fleet.
“Every day provides a new challenge, this has been a dream of mine since high school,” Stewart said.
Stewart credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Dublin.
“I was taught how to work hard and have good study habits from both my parents and coaches,” Stewart said. “These traits have made me the person and naval officer I am today.”
The T-6B Texan II 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.
Stewart 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, Stewart is most proud of successfully completing his first flight.
“It was a long road to get there and it signified the beginning of something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time,” Stewart said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Stewart and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“It feels great to be part of an organization dedicated to protecting this country,” Stewart said.