KINGSVILLE, Texas - A 2011 Gulf Breeze High School graduate and Gulf Breeze, Florida, 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. Nicholas Sholty 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 learning how to fly, in order to become a tactical, mission capable pilot for the Navy.
“I really enjoy the challenge,” Sholty said. “Every time you get good at one aspect of flying, you move into a more challenging section of training.”
Sholty credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Gulf Breeze.
“I learned to have a short-term memory,” Sholty said. “There is going to be setbacks, but you have to learn from these challenges and put the mistakes behind you and keep moving forward in order to succeed."
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.
Sholty 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, Sholty is most proud of being recognized for relief efforts during Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida, in 2018.
“It came as a surprise to me because I wasn’t doing it for the recognition,” Sholty said. “I was doing it to help those in need.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Sholty 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 means helping others and keeping our country safe,” Sholty said. “It means meeting new people and having close friends.”
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning how to fly, in order to become a tactical, mission capable pilot for the Navy.
“I really enjoy the challenge,” Sholty said. “Every time you get good at one aspect of flying, you move into a more challenging section of training.”
Sholty credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Gulf Breeze.
“I learned to have a short-term memory,” Sholty said. “There is going to be setbacks, but you have to learn from these challenges and put the mistakes behind you and keep moving forward in order to succeed."
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.
Sholty 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, Sholty is most proud of being recognized for relief efforts during Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida, in 2018.
“It came as a surprise to me because I wasn’t doing it for the recognition,” Sholty said. “I was doing it to help those in need.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Sholty 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 means helping others and keeping our country safe,” Sholty said. “It means meeting new people and having close friends.”