SigMT

SigMT Vol12 Iss 3

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SiG MT 18 URBAN AFFAIRS Working Life Text by Lt. Paula Knight Great Falls Native in Training to be a U.S. Naval Aviation Warfighter Great Falls native and 2008 C.M. Russell High School graduate Caroline Buck is participating in a rigorous training process that transforms officers into U.S. naval aviators. Buck is a student pilot with the "Stingrays" of Training Squadron (VT) 35, based in Naval Air Station Corpus, Christi, Texas. e squadron flies the T-44C Pegasus aircra. A Navy student pilot is responsible for learning aircra systems and operating them safely. "I enjoy the challenge of something new, and the camaraderie of the team environment with this squadron," Buck said. Buck credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Great Falls. "My father taught me a great work ethic, which has helped me in my Navy career," Buck said. e T-44C Pegasus is a twin-engine, pressurized, fixed-wing monoplane used for advanced turboprop radar aircra training using two 550 sha horse-powered engines, with a cruising airspeed of 287 mph. VT-35's primary mission is to train future naval aviators to fly as well as instill leadership and officer values. Students must complete four phases of flight training in order to graduate, including aviation pre-flight indoctrination, primary flight training, and advanced flight training. Aer successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted "Wings of Gold."

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