CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2013 Jesuit High School graduate and Tampa, 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 |
Ensign Leland Saile 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 multi-engine aircraft and develop the needed decision making skills to become a naval aviator.
“I enjoy the rush that comes from flying aircraft and looking out over the city from a 'bird's eye' view is a feeling you can only get from being a pilot,” Saile said. “We also get to maximize the performance of aircraft that aren't exactly designed for how we use them.”
Saile credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Tampa.
“I went to the best high school in my area and teachers, coaches and my peers imbued in me what it is to be a man,” Saile said. “I got to interact with people of every background and learn how to react to certain social situations.”
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.
Saile 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, Saile is most proud of being named tournament Most Valuable Player for his college baseball team at the Naval Academy.
“It took a lot of hard work and a lot of the student athletes didn't finish the full four years,” Saile said. “Being able to win the MVP for the Patriot League Conference and getting a berth to the NCAA tournament was a great honor that I’ll never forget.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Saile, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Saile is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather went to West Point and served during the Vietnam War,” Saile said. “It’s important to carry on his legacy of service to our country. Being a part of something bigger than myself is something my grandfather taught me at a very young age.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Saile and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Being able to give back to the country that has given me so many opportunities is important to me, and being a pilot for the Navy is probably the coolest job I could think of,” Saile said.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning how to safely operate multi-engine aircraft and develop the needed decision making skills to become a naval aviator.
“I enjoy the rush that comes from flying aircraft and looking out over the city from a 'bird's eye' view is a feeling you can only get from being a pilot,” Saile said. “We also get to maximize the performance of aircraft that aren't exactly designed for how we use them.”
Saile credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Tampa.
“I went to the best high school in my area and teachers, coaches and my peers imbued in me what it is to be a man,” Saile said. “I got to interact with people of every background and learn how to react to certain social situations.”
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.
Saile 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, Saile is most proud of being named tournament Most Valuable Player for his college baseball team at the Naval Academy.
“It took a lot of hard work and a lot of the student athletes didn't finish the full four years,” Saile said. “Being able to win the MVP for the Patriot League Conference and getting a berth to the NCAA tournament was a great honor that I’ll never forget.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Saile, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Saile is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather went to West Point and served during the Vietnam War,” Saile said. “It’s important to carry on his legacy of service to our country. Being a part of something bigger than myself is something my grandfather taught me at a very young age.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Saile and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Being able to give back to the country that has given me so many opportunities is important to me, and being a pilot for the Navy is probably the coolest job I could think of,” Saile said.