CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2013 Deep Run High School graduate and Glen Allen, Virginia, native is participating in a rigorous training process that transforms officers into U.S. naval aviators.
Ensign Ian Stoner 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 training to be a naval aviator and successfully execute missions and operations for the fleet.
“Getting an opportunity to fly a high-performance aircraft and doing something that I love is a dream come true,” Stoner said.
Stoner credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Glen Allen.
“A diverse hometown gave me the opportunity to learn how to work with people from different backgrounds and build cohesiveness working together in large teams,” Stoner said.
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.
Stoner 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, Stoner is most proud of being awarded the Merchant Mariners Expeditionary Medal while serving with Military Sealift Command supporting the military in the Mediterranean.
“It was a unique experience because it gave me an opportunity to be a part of something that most students still in college would not have the chance to do,” Stoner said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Stoner, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Stoner is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather served in the Air Force as a doctor during the Korean War,” Stoner said. “It’s an honor to carry on his name serving my country.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Stoner and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I’m living a dream I’ve had ever since I was a kid,” Stoner said. “The opportunity to serve my country and develop as a leader is the greatest thing I could ask for.”
A Navy student pilot is responsible for training to be a naval aviator and successfully execute missions and operations for the fleet.
“Getting an opportunity to fly a high-performance aircraft and doing something that I love is a dream come true,” Stoner said.
Stoner credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Glen Allen.
“A diverse hometown gave me the opportunity to learn how to work with people from different backgrounds and build cohesiveness working together in large teams,” Stoner said.
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.
Stoner 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, Stoner is most proud of being awarded the Merchant Mariners Expeditionary Medal while serving with Military Sealift Command supporting the military in the Mediterranean.
“It was a unique experience because it gave me an opportunity to be a part of something that most students still in college would not have the chance to do,” Stoner said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Stoner, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Stoner is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather served in the Air Force as a doctor during the Korean War,” Stoner said. “It’s an honor to carry on his name serving my country.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Stoner and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I’m living a dream I’ve had ever since I was a kid,” Stoner said. “The opportunity to serve my country and develop as a leader is the greatest thing I could ask for.”