23vEW enjoys flying DCS with multiple Naval Aviators!

23vEW now has multiple US Navy Aviators flying with us. Some of these Naval Aviators have contributed to 23vEW ops with mission creation, volunteering time to help pilots learn to fly (UPT) and volunteering time to help pilots learn Instrument Flying + much more.

Every time these pros fly with us, we learn something new.

Cumulatively, the Naval Aviators flying with us have been assigned to the F-18 Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II, CVM-22 Osprey and E-2 Hawkeye.

Having flown with these aviators now for a while, I'm thoroughly impressed. They're humble, credible, and approachable showing incredible airmanship in DCS, fangs out warriors during ops and fun guys to hang out with online.

Hearing excepts about the standards they had to achieve in each phase makes some of us in DCS look like Pre-K pilots (motivates us old guy DCS Pilots work harder and get better!). We've all learned a lot about flying from the naval aviators flying with us and they deserve a shout out.

Becoming a Naval Aviator is no small accomplishment. In order to become a naval aviator, candidates must have a officer commission (meaning they have a bachelors degree + either graduated Annapolis or the Navy Officer Candidate School). In addition, there are multiple other points along the program a candidate can wash out:

• Introductory Flight Screening (IFS)

• Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (AVI)

• Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation (NIFE)

• Primary Flight Training (Multiple challenges)

• Advanced Flight Training (Multiple challenges)

  If that wasn't enough to convince you how elite the naval aviators are, depending on their assigned airframe they must pass their syllabus / pipeline

• Strike Syllabus --> + SERE + Carrier Qualifications (CQ)

• E-2/C-2 pipeline --> + SERE + Carrier Qualifications (CQ)

• Rotary-wing pipeline--> + SERE

• Multi-engine pipeline---> + SERE
  
  Congratulations to each of you for being selected for this pipeline!
  
  Congratulations to each of you for crushing all the challenges thrown at you!
  
  Congratulations to each of you who passed CQ and SERE!
  
  Congratulations to each of you who just received Wings of Gold!
  
  You guys are elite warriors and gentlemen & we're glad to have you flying with us!

  FLY NAVY!
  
  If you want to know more about the Naval Aviator pipeline -> Naval aviator (United States) - Wikipedia
  
  Blackhat
  23vEW commander & US Army Veteran (friend to my Naval Aviator warrior bros!)