KINGSVILLE, Texas - A 2012 Grafton High School graduate and Yorktown, Virginia, 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 |
Lt. j.g. Zachary Jones is a student pilot with the “Golden Eagles” of Training Squadron (VT) 22, based in Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. The squadron flies T-45C Goshawk aircraft.
A Navy student pilot is responsible for being knowledgeable and proficient with the operating procedures, limits and tactics of naval aircraft.
“Every flight is new and challenging,” Jones said. “Each one provides the opportunity to improve and perfect the skills needed to become an efficient warfighter.”
Jones credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Yorktown.
“I learned that nothing is ever handed to you,” Jones said. “You have to work and study hard each and every day to excel in this profession.”
The T-45C Goshawk is a tandem-seat, jet trainer aircraft powered by a twin-spool non-afterburn turbofan engine with 5,527 pounds of thrust and airspeed of 645 mph.
VT-22’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 many 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 or the F-35 Lightning joint strike fighter jet. 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.
Jones 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, Jones is most proud of getting switched from multi-engine aircraft to tactical jet aircraft.
“I was one of four people out of 14 selected to transfer from multi-engine to strike and tactical training,” Jones said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Jones, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Jones is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather served in the Coast Guard for 31 years and my mother was a Naval Reserve electrician for six years while working in the Newport News, Virginia, shipyard,” Jones said. “My father was a welder who worked in the shipyard as well. My family has always been around the Navy and it's an honor to be a part of the Navy family.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Jones 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 a lifestyle and every day is new and challenging,” Jones said. “Plus, you get to serve with your friends and travel the world which is a unique opportunity.”
A Navy student pilot is responsible for being knowledgeable and proficient with the operating procedures, limits and tactics of naval aircraft.
“Every flight is new and challenging,” Jones said. “Each one provides the opportunity to improve and perfect the skills needed to become an efficient warfighter.”
Jones credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Yorktown.
“I learned that nothing is ever handed to you,” Jones said. “You have to work and study hard each and every day to excel in this profession.”
The T-45C Goshawk is a tandem-seat, jet trainer aircraft powered by a twin-spool non-afterburn turbofan engine with 5,527 pounds of thrust and airspeed of 645 mph.
VT-22’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 many 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 or the F-35 Lightning joint strike fighter jet. 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.
Jones 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, Jones is most proud of getting switched from multi-engine aircraft to tactical jet aircraft.
“I was one of four people out of 14 selected to transfer from multi-engine to strike and tactical training,” Jones said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Jones, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Jones is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather served in the Coast Guard for 31 years and my mother was a Naval Reserve electrician for six years while working in the Newport News, Virginia, shipyard,” Jones said. “My father was a welder who worked in the shipyard as well. My family has always been around the Navy and it's an honor to be a part of the Navy family.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Jones 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 a lifestyle and every day is new and challenging,” Jones said. “Plus, you get to serve with your friends and travel the world which is a unique opportunity.”