Last modified Wed., September 20, 2006 - 04:38 PM
Originally created Thursday, September 21, 2006

VP-30 flight officers get wings

By Lt. Steve Bradfield, VP-30 PAO

Ensign Jesse Cleland receives his naval flight officer wings from his fiancee, Catherine Dziok during the ceremony. Photo courtesy of VP-30

VP-30 began a new era in naval flight officer (NFO) training recently by conducting their first NFO winging ceremony. This ceremony was the result of the Chief of Naval Air Training's (CNATRA) trial initiative known as the Undergraduate Maritime Flight Officer (UMFO) Program. Through this initiative, CNATRA hopes to streamline the P-3 NFO training pipeline while providing the maritime patrol community a better product.

During the ceremony, VP-30's Commanding Officer Capt. Tim Brewer awarded NFO wings to: Ensigns Jon Baccus, Jesse Cle-land, Drew Micklethwait and Justin Rogers. The event and reception drew family members and friends from around the country.

For Rogers, a Jacksonville native and former aviation warfare systems operator at VP-45, this designation brings extra significance as he has exchanged his service in a support capacity, for a top leadership position within a P-3 tactical crew.

The recipients have completed the undergraduate maritime flight officer syllabus, earning their wings. The four will now enroll in the CAT 1 fleet replacement squadron (FRS) syllabus. Their anticipated graduation date is scheduled for Feb. 9. Upon their graduation at VP-30, they will report to various operational patrol squadrons to begin their initial sea tour.

The NFO training pipeline begins with aviation preflight introduction (API) instruction in Pensacola, Fla. After completing API, all student NFOs report for primary training at VT-10 or VT-4, also at NAS Pensacola. In the traditional training track, multi-engine designated NFOs attend advanced navigation training at Randolph AFB in San Antonio, Texas.

Upon completion of this course, they are awarded their wings of gold prior to transferring to VP-30 where they receive P-3 FRS training. The four UMFOs reported directly to VP-30 following completion at VT-10 or VT-4.

With the continued success of this experimental initiative, CNATRA may begin sending all maritime NFO's directly from primary flight training to VP-30, bypassing advanced training at Randolph AFB. The primary and VP-30 courses would add additional events to accommodate the loss of advanced training.

As a result, the process would reduce current redundancies in training, reduce the number of PCS moves, create a focus on P-3 specific NFO training, all while reducing the overall training time by 10 weeks.