 |
It's a Bird, Its a Plane
By Mark N. Lardas
You have probably seen the U. S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. They performed 66 shows at 35 different air fields in 2007. In a typical year over 15 million fans watch the Blue Angels strut their stuff in the Navy’s newest fighter—the F/A-18 Hornet.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a Blue Angel pilot? what it is like to fly for the Blue Angels? what they do, on and off the field?
Listen magazine did. We talked to Lieutenant Commander Thomas R. Winkler. He flies “slot” for the Blue Angels. Slot is the number 4 airplane,—the jet tucked in at the back of the diamond. Winkler joined the Blue Angels in September 2005.
Winkler considers himself an unlikely Blue Angel. “I came to aviation late. I was not someone who grew up wanting to be a pilot as a kid.” And he doesn’t come from a service background.
Home is Washington, D.C., where he grew up. “I got interested in the Navy because of a neighbor. He was a Vietnam veteran, a retired Navy captain. He mentored me. I learned about the Navy through him. It seemed like it would be an interesting first job out of college. I could have some fun, travel, and serve my country.”
Winkler joined the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps unit at college, the University of Virginia. Then he got interested in naval aviation. “I went out for flight training. They sent me to Pensacola.” (The Navy has its flight school there.)
 “Then I asked to fly jets and got that.” He has been flying the Hornet since January 2000, first in a Navy fleet squadron in South Carolina, and later as an instructor pilot. He decided to apply to the Blue Angels.
You have to volunteer. Competition is intense. Being the hottest pilot in the sky is not enough. The Blue Angels look for pilots who are team players. “You spend 280-plus days together in a high-stress environment,” Winkler says. “When we interview volunteers, we ask ‘who do we want to be around? Who will best represent the Navy, Marines, and the Armed Forces?’”
If you get in, you are in for the busiest two years of your life. From November to March you fly six days a week, learning the routine. When air show season starts, in April, you get busier. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays you practice at Pensacola, the Blue Angels’ home base. As slot pilot, Winkler is training officer. “Our routine takes an hour. We fly one of three shows, depending upon the weather. Then we debrief. I do the debrief. We review the maneuvers. It takes an hour and a half—longer than we fly.”
On Wednesdays they spend an hour at the Navy Air Museum at Pensacola, meeting visitors and signing autographs. “It is a lot of fun,” says Winkler. On Thursday they fly to their show site. After they arrive, they do a flyover to review the terrain. Then they fly their routine. On Friday mornings they visit schools in the area—talking to students about what they do. They do a full-out dress rehearsal in the afternoon.
Saturday and Sunday are showtime. That is when they do their act for the air show. Sunday evening they fly home. Monday, they rest.
What is the best part of the job? “Visiting the people we meet around the country,” says Winkler. “The speed and smoke and all that are fun, but my biggest reward is speaking with kids and sharing our experiences. Flying is great, but meeting people is the best part.”
And the worst? “You get only two years,” mourns Winkler. The demonstration pilots stay only two years. The pilots who fly the C-130 “Fat Albert” support plane get a three-year tour. “I would stay longer if I could,” says Winkler.
Is it dangerous? Winkler says no. “It has the appearance of danger. It is a dynamic environment, but there is a lot of preparation that goes into each show. There is danger, but the relative danger is not high. The accident rate is lower than at a fleet squadron. Safety has priority.”
As for the thrill of flying? “It is a great feeling. I have been flying 11 years. It is lots of fun; an intense environment. Imagine riding on a really fast roller coaster.” Winkler loves flying the Hornet, but the T-34, a primary trainer, comes a close second. “Flying the T-34 is pure aviation. You feel like you are part of the sky.”
What else does it take? “Fitness is critical,” Winkler says. “You have to eat healthy, and work out. Flying is a physically demanding environment.” Winkler lifts weights to build strength and rides a bicycle or runs for a cardio workout virtually every day.
As for drugs and alcohol? “The Navy has a zero-tolerance policy toward drug use or alcohol while flying,” states Winkler. “It is not an option to be flying jet aircraft and be involved in drug use at the same time.” Too dangerous.
What about when you are in high school or college? “Avoid them and you keep your options open. Once you start doing drugs, you lose options. You do not want to do that.”
Winkler views life as being about options. “Do as well as you can in school. That keeps your options open. You do not want to close out your options. Work hard in school.”
He also points out: “You do not have to be a pilot in your teens to become a Blue Angel pilot. You can pick that up after you join the Navy.” But you do have to get a four-year degree. “You have to be an officer,” says Winkler. “Look for a college with an ROTC program, or the Naval Academy.”
A final pointer from Commander Winkler: “You might not know about something. Learn about it. Do not let anyone else’s answers limit you from doing what you want to do. Keep after it.” |
|
|
