CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2012 La Jolla High School graduate and San Diego native is participating in a rigorous training process that transforms officers into U.S. naval aviators.
 |
| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Finley |
Ensign Ralph Sathre 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 every aspect of multi-engine aircraft that will later translate directly into protecting America's most valuable asset, the lives of America's sons and daughters.
“I enjoy flying because of the constant challenges it presents and the endless opportunities that are needed to become better,” Sathre said.
Sathre credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in San Diego.
“My family taught me to work hard and to never give up,” Sathre 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.
Sathre 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, Sathre is most proud of graduating from the Naval Academy and making it through primary flight school, which is one step closer to to getting his Wings of Gold.
“I’m most proud of making it this far in this program because it hasn't been easy, and getting my wings has been a goal of mine for a very long time,” Sathre said.
Casillas is the first from his family to serve in the military and hopes to start a family tradition.
“I am honored to be the first in my family to serve my country,” Sathre said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Sathre 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 is about representing your country and being a part of something greater than myself,” Sathre said.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning every aspect of multi-engine aircraft that will later translate directly into protecting America's most valuable asset, the lives of America's sons and daughters.
“I enjoy flying because of the constant challenges it presents and the endless opportunities that are needed to become better,” Sathre said.
Sathre credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in San Diego.
“My family taught me to work hard and to never give up,” Sathre 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.
Sathre 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, Sathre is most proud of graduating from the Naval Academy and making it through primary flight school, which is one step closer to to getting his Wings of Gold.
“I’m most proud of making it this far in this program because it hasn't been easy, and getting my wings has been a goal of mine for a very long time,” Sathre said.
Casillas is the first from his family to serve in the military and hopes to start a family tradition.
“I am honored to be the first in my family to serve my country,” Sathre said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Sathre 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 is about representing your country and being a part of something greater than myself,” Sathre said.