CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2014 Prattville Christian Academy graduate and Prattville, Alabama, native is participating in a rigorous training process that transforms officers into U.S. naval aviators.
Ensign Joseph Flemming 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 to safely and effectively operate naval aircraft.
“The feeling of controlling an aircraft and flying above the clouds is unmatched,” Flemming said. “Knowing that this first step in my training will lead me to future career opportunities in the Navy is an added bonus.”
Flemming credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Prattville.
“Growing up in a small town taught me that teachers, coaches, friends and mentors all guide you to places you never anticipate,” Flemming said. “Focusing on my studies while also taking the time to unwind with your friends was a key factor that I learned while in school.”
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.
Flemming 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, Flemming is most proud of graduating in 2018 from the Naval Academy with his commission as a naval officer.
“My career is still young but this accomplishment has been the high point thus far,” Flemming said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Flemming, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Flemming is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father was a chief machinist’s mate in the Navy and my godfather was a sergeant major in the Army,” Flemming said. “Knowing the length and time that they served definitely motivates me in my career, and having my father render my first salute was one of the most special moments I’ve experienced in my life.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Flemming 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 more to me each time I think about it,” Flemming said. “The military was not always in my plans but growing up a Navy child and seeing the opportunities it afforded my family makes me excited for my future. I also love the people I have met and the chance to serve our country.”
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning to safely and effectively operate naval aircraft.
“The feeling of controlling an aircraft and flying above the clouds is unmatched,” Flemming said. “Knowing that this first step in my training will lead me to future career opportunities in the Navy is an added bonus.”
Flemming credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Prattville.
“Growing up in a small town taught me that teachers, coaches, friends and mentors all guide you to places you never anticipate,” Flemming said. “Focusing on my studies while also taking the time to unwind with your friends was a key factor that I learned while in school.”
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.
Flemming 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, Flemming is most proud of graduating in 2018 from the Naval Academy with his commission as a naval officer.
“My career is still young but this accomplishment has been the high point thus far,” Flemming said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Flemming, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Flemming is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father was a chief machinist’s mate in the Navy and my godfather was a sergeant major in the Army,” Flemming said. “Knowing the length and time that they served definitely motivates me in my career, and having my father render my first salute was one of the most special moments I’ve experienced in my life.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Flemming 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 more to me each time I think about it,” Flemming said. “The military was not always in my plans but growing up a Navy child and seeing the opportunities it afforded my family makes me excited for my future. I also love the people I have met and the chance to serve our country.”