CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2005 Cobaep 12 High School in Izucar De Matamoros, Puebla graduate and Mexico City, Mexico 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 Finely |
Lt. Chanon Ortega 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 safely operate naval aircraft such as taxing, taking-off, handling and emergency flight procedures.
“It's a constant learning process, you are never bored and it challenges you by pushing you to your limits,” Ortega said.
Ortega credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Izucar De Matamoros.
“My parents taught me a strong work ethic regardless of the task at hand, and I took this trait with me and it’s definitely helped me succeed in all aspects of life,” Ortega 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.
Ortega 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, Ortega is most proud of being accepted into the naval aviation flight program.
“It means a lot to me because I come from a place where I’ve never seen a plane,” Ortega said. “My acceptance into this program is an example for people to see that they are not limited to their current circumstances.”
Casillas is the first from his family to serve in the military and hopes to start a family tradition.
“I am the first of family to serve and I would like to set an example for my son and future generations,” Ortega said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Ortega 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 being able to give something back to this country for all the opportunities that have been offered to me that would not have been possible in any other country,” Ortega said.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning how to safely operate naval aircraft such as taxing, taking-off, handling and emergency flight procedures.
“It's a constant learning process, you are never bored and it challenges you by pushing you to your limits,” Ortega said.
Ortega credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Izucar De Matamoros.
“My parents taught me a strong work ethic regardless of the task at hand, and I took this trait with me and it’s definitely helped me succeed in all aspects of life,” Ortega 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.
Ortega 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, Ortega is most proud of being accepted into the naval aviation flight program.
“It means a lot to me because I come from a place where I’ve never seen a plane,” Ortega said. “My acceptance into this program is an example for people to see that they are not limited to their current circumstances.”
Casillas is the first from his family to serve in the military and hopes to start a family tradition.
“I am the first of family to serve and I would like to set an example for my son and future generations,” Ortega said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Ortega 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 being able to give something back to this country for all the opportunities that have been offered to me that would not have been possible in any other country,” Ortega said.