Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tim Miller
LEMOORE, Calif.- A 2015 Burke County High School graduate and Waynesboro, Georgia, native is currently serving with a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron which flies one of the world’s most advanced warplanes.
Airman Malik Way is an aviation structural mechanic with the Black Aces of VFA 41, which operates out of Naval Air Station Lemoore. A Navy aviation structural mechanic is responsible for maintaining hydraulics and the structure of aircraft. “Growing up, I was taught to think outside the box and to experience more,” Way said. “The Navy is such a diverse place where you can see new places and meet new people.”
Members of VFA 41 work with the F/A 18 Super Hornet, one of the most advanced aircraft in the world. The Super Hornet takes off from and lands on Navy aircraft carriers at sea and is capable of conducting air-to-air combat as well as striking targets on land. It is approximately 61 feet long, has a loaded weight of 51,000 lbs., and a max speed of 1,190 miles per hour.
Operating from sea aboard aircraft carriers, the Super Hornet gives the Navy the power to protect America’s interests anywhere, at any time. The versatile jet has the ability to destroy targets located hundreds of miles inland, without the need to get another country’s permission to operate within its borders.
“Strike Fighter Wing, U. S. Pacific Fleet, based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, is the heart of Naval Aviation,” said Capt. James S. Bates, Deputy Commodore, Strike Fighter Wing, U.S. Pacific. “The sailors assigned to SFWP always exceed expectations and produce amazing results through team work and dedication to their department, squadron, the U.S. Navy and their family. Naval Aviation is a challenging occupation, but our sailors work day in and day out to provide fully mission capable aircraft and fully qualified aircrew to ensure leadership is able to answer national level tasking. I am humbled to be able to lead the sailors of SFWP and I am proud to call Lemoore my home.”
Way has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My dad was in the Army before Desert Storm,” said Way. “He wanted me to join the Army and most of my family have served in the Army. I wanted to be unique, so I chose the Navy.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Way 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 that all of us who joined the Navy as a whole, regardless of our backgrounds, come together to complete the mission,” Way said.