CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2013 Shawnee High School graduate and Medford, New Jersey, 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 |
Ensign Vincent Gardella is a student pilot with the “Wise Owls” of Training Squadron (VT) 31, 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 a multi-engine aircraft.
“The Navy provides high performance aircraft which are fun to fly,” Gardella said.
Gardella credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Medford.
“I learned from my parents to seek out opportunity, which has kept me motivated in the Navy,” Gardella 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-31’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.
Gardella 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, Gardella is most proud of receiving his aviator wings.
“It took hard work and I enjoy the camaraderie of being a Naval aviator,” Gardella said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Gardella, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Gardella is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My cousin, who is my mentor, is an Air Force pilot,” Gardella said. “He is my mentor and a high standard to live up to, so I became a Naval aviator and he is proud of me.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Gardella and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I am proud of protecting the American way of life,” Gardella added.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning how to fly a multi-engine aircraft.
“The Navy provides high performance aircraft which are fun to fly,” Gardella said.
Gardella credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Medford.
“I learned from my parents to seek out opportunity, which has kept me motivated in the Navy,” Gardella 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-31’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.
Gardella 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, Gardella is most proud of receiving his aviator wings.
“It took hard work and I enjoy the camaraderie of being a Naval aviator,” Gardella said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Gardella, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Gardella is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My cousin, who is my mentor, is an Air Force pilot,” Gardella said. “He is my mentor and a high standard to live up to, so I became a Naval aviator and he is proud of me.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Gardella and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I am proud of protecting the American way of life,” Gardella added.