Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
USMC: Gold Wings. If you are selected for one of the few Maritime slots offered to Marine pilots, you will complete intermediate training at NAS Whiting Field, FL.
Yrou will then receive orders to VT-31 at NAS Corpus Christi, TX for 4-5 months of multi-engine training in the Beechcraft T-44, which is the military version of the popular Beechcraft Super King Air. Maritime training consists of one week of navigation, one week of aircraft systems, one week of self-paced studies (where you work with programmed texts on flight rules), aerodynamics, meteorology, and advanced instrument navigation. There is also one week of proficiency training in checklists and ground emergencies.
The flying in the T-44 begins at the completion of these ground courses. Flight training consists of 10 FAM flights, 5 BI flights, 22 RI flights, with 13 simulator flights, and a cross country with a fellow student. The training consists of approximately 100 flight hours.
When you complete your training you will receive your “Wings of Gold” and be designated a Naval Aviator. You will then receive orders to the Replacement Air Group for the KC-130 Hercules.
U.S. Marine Corps Force Recon | Swift, Silent, Deadly From Times Archives
