I love you, I won't kill you

When the Pensacola U.S. Naval Permanent Air Station, established in 1914, ushered in the dawn again, a group of naval pilot students in the flight uniforms of their respective services walked out of the officer's dormitory building.

Captain Cannian walked beside Amanda with his marching rucksack, and said quietly, "Mike, I regret that you can't go to the Naval Base in Texas with us."

Amanda turned her head and glanced at him, "It's nothing, because we received different orders, so we will naturally go to different places for primary training."

As she recounted, Captain Cannian and some of his trainees were ordered to go immediately to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas for initial flight training.Amanda, who is a Marine Corps pilot, went to Whitingfield Naval Base east of Pensacola with the rest of the pilots for training.

Going to these two air bases and the Vance U.S. Air Force Base in the Enid area of ​​Oklahoma for training is a tradition of U.S. Navy aviation training and a standardized procedure for the Navy to train student pilots.Such procedures have never changed, and there is only one way of flying in the Navy, which is the "Navy Way"!

The Navy's way is embodied in the cadets' bodies, minds and hands in the hard blue plastic-covered flight training manual.The manual that now belongs to Amanda is lying in her marching rucksack, and she will go to Whitingfield base with her.There, the handbook will still be her second most important companion after Julie Mitchell.

Captain Cannian jokingly said to Amanda, "Mike, did they send you to Whittingfield because you were so good at training in the water?"

Amanda smiled and looked at the angular face, and her thoughts seemed to return to the scene when she received water training in Pensacola.If the most severe test is being asked to swim a mile (about 8 meters) in 1600 minutes wearing a full flight uniform, then the water training with aviation professionalism makes people feel even more scared, nervous and uneasy.

Among them, the frightening helicopter caisson training can not only train students how to escape safely from a helicopter that has fallen into the water, but also effectively identify whether the students have a calm mind, strong self-confidence and the means to calmly implement self-rescue.

When the Lieutenant Commander's instructor told Amanda the dos and don'ts of underwater escape for the last time, she didn't say a word.Just mentally say, "Take the last breath of air you can and find a handle or other point of reference. Keep your eyes on that point so that when the whole helicopter trainer is submerged and flipped belly up You don’t lose your sense of direction.”

All movement came to an abrupt halt as the caisson of the helicopter was completely submerged in the water and turned belly up.The whole process lasted about 2 minutes and 15 seconds, and Amanda held her breath underwater until the caisson stopped moving.

At this moment, with her head down and her feet up, she calmly freed herself from her seat.While exhaling, he quickly swam to the exit of the helicopter caisson designated by the instructor, and became the first student pilot who successfully escaped from the caisson and surfaced.

"I don't know, why do you think so?" Amanda looked at the teacher in front of her and whispered.

"Hehe, as far as I know, the Navy can not only conduct primary flight training at Whitingfield Base, but also helicopter training. As a pilot of the Marine Corps, there is a high possibility that you will fly the Marine Corps Unless you hate this kind of rotorcraft." Cannian explained seriously and jokingly.

“Why should I hate it? You know, helicopter pilots made part of the history of naval aviation.” Amanda has a fond memory of the Marine Corps major on Pensacola’s Wall of Honor, whose heroics She remembers it very well.That guy led the entire helicopter crew to win the highest honor in American history, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Soon, the students in the cadet pilot class were divided into two small groups and boarded the travel buses bound for different aviation bases.Cannian sat by the window and gave Amanda a thumbs up in the other car, meaning, "Good luck."For him as a naval pilot, Amanda is more like a close-knit brother in the Marine Corps.

The Captain would have no doubts that when Navy pilots catapult out at sea or over enemy territory, it was these "rotorheads" (helicopter pilots) who risked their lives to save their lives.

The tourist bus departed from the Pensacola Base Airport smoothly. The first bus headed west to Texas, and the second bus headed east to Whitingfield Naval Base in Milton, Florida.Amanda looked at the blue sky and white clouds and the long coastline outside the car window. She didn't know what challenges she would face in another naval base.

It should be said that Captain Amanda and Captain Cannian are lucky, because their countless predecessors pilots have completed a large number of and Multi-subject flight training.

Today, the T-6A "Texan" II single-engine, two-seat trainer, which is more advanced and closer to actual combat requirements, has defeated other competing models in the bidding for the "Joint Primary Aircraft Training System" and has become the U.S. Air Force, The best trainer model used by the Navy and Marine Corps to train cadet pilots.

At around 8:05 in the morning, Amanda followed other students into the Whitingfield Naval Air Base.Today will be their first real flight training, which is fundamentally different from their previous simulator training.

Ten minutes later, all the student pilots, including Amanda, walked into the flight preparation room of the training squadron with neat steps.There, they meet the experienced flight instructor who will accompany them on 10 flights or instruct them countless times.

"Good morning, Major. I am Marine Corps Pilot Student, Second Lieutenant Amanda McLaren." Amanda said loudly while saluting Lieutenant Commander Paul Andres, who was standing in front of her without a smile.

"Second Lieutenant, hello. Do you know what you are doing standing here?" Major Andres asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir. Prepare the required materials for today's flight and familiarize yourself with all relevant flight information."

"Uh, good. Now, I hope you can do everything you said before you're about to put on your flying gear."

After reciting the flight procedures, memorizing the training objectives of the day, checking the latest weather forecast, and checking the aircraft allocation and flight area, Amanda finally followed Major Andres to the flight equipment room downstairs.

Witnessing everything in the flying equipment room, Amanda understood what is called "flying equipment dance".Of course, the witty remarks are only aimed at those new students who are scrambling to put on their flying gear.For example, a young Navy lieutenant in flight gear.

When Amanda was holding her flying gear, Major Andres said only one sentence, "Lieutenant, if you don't want to be a 'soap sandwich' like them, you better watch my movements."

This is another slang term that is relatively popular in the US military.Amanda knew exactly what the major was referring to, and hoped that she would not be another piece of trash, so she calmly replied while watching, "Yes, sir."

The major quickly put on his flight equipment, and was carefully checking the flight maintenance log item by item.Amanda quickly understood the major's intentions. He was giving himself a chance to breathe, allowing himself to fully wear the complicated naval pilot equipment with a lot of life-saving equipment within a limited time.

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