Lessons From A Marine Pilot: Perseverance When Everyone Says No

Welcome to the Inspirational, Informational, and Transparent Aviation Careers Podcast. In today’s episode, I read an inspiring story from a Marine Pilot who succeeded through perseverance even though he had many No’s in his career progression.

Links Mentioned In This Show:

https://www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/free/

https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/tw5/vt3/

https://www.spartan.edu

TimeLine:

Intro – I’m Back From A Medical Break

Listener Mail: Should I pay for the ATP-CTP?

Inspirational Story Intro

History of VT-3

Perseverance When Everyone Says No

Carl’s Inspirational Message

Talking Points:

Thank you for your patience while I made my way through this sickness. I am now fully recovered and have my vaccine. We are back to a normal schedule.

First listener question before we hear our inspirational story.

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Hello Carl and team.

I have a quick question for the podcast.

I just hit 1500 hours TT and have enough cross-country time for a R-ATP (425). I know the regionals will generally do your ATP checkride as part of your initial training and type checkride. Before COVID, they were covering the ATP-CTP as well. My question is, given the environment, would it be worth spending the $5K on the ATP-CTP now or should I wait until hiring restarts to see if the regionals will continue to cover it?

I would like to do the ATP-CTP now and get the ATP written out of the way, but it’s a lot of money I don’t really want to spend right now if I don’t have to.

Thanks!

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Now on to our inspirational story but first we would like to thank the sponsor of this podcast Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology.

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Carl,

I’ve been listening to your podcast for a few years now, and I gotta say you have been very inspirational to me. I greatly appreciate what you do for all of us. I finish listening to your episodes and always accomplish something to move in the right direction.

Thank you.

I finally got around to emailing you because I was watching one of your YouTube episodes (great BTW, keep that up), and I saw a big VT-3 patch on the shelf behind you. I was just curious what connection you had to the Red Knights and if you were an instructor here at one time?

I’ll be retiring out of here in a couple of years and plan on starting a career in the airlines after this. I plan on reaching out for some career advice when the time comes, or at least a little closer.

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A short history of VT-3

Training Squadron Three (VT-3) was commissioned on May 1, 1960, at South Whiting Field. Its primary mission at the time was to instruct student Naval Aviators in radio instruments, air-to-air gunnery, and formation flying. Air-to-air gunnery was discontinued in January 1965 and familiarization and basic instrument training was added in its place. In 1973, VT-3 moved to its present location at North Whiting Field.

In 1980, VT-3 became one of the few commands selected to be alternately commanded by Navy and Marine Corps officers. The Red Knights were honored again in 1994 when they became the Navy’s only joint primary flight training squadron to include Air Force students and instructor pilots. Additionally, VT-3 alternated Navy and Air Force commanding officers from 1995 to 2014. Today, VT-3 continues its legacy of joint training with a ready-room of Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force instructor pilots.

https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/tw5/vt3/

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I’ve heard a lot of inspirational stories on your show. I hope you have the time to hear mine.

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a pilot. As I remember back there were a few things that worked together to spark my passion. My dad was in the Air Force and worked on F-15’s. I was able to be around the aircraft regularly. We had a family friend who was an airline pilot and got me a discovery flight with the Young Eagles program. I know it seems trivial but as a kid I loved to build models of aircraft. My parents bought this paper airplane model kit (Whitewings), and I was so intrigued with how they flew and the aerodynamics behind it. But the pivotal moment was about 14. We were stationed at Nellis and the Thunderbirds used to practice north of Vegas all the time. I would sit on the roof and watch. One day I told myself, “Yup, that’s what i’m going to do.” It took a tremendous amount of work as a teenager, but after being stationed back at Eglin, I mowed a lot of lawns and saved up the money to get my private license at the Eglin AFB Aero Club.

I flew as much as a poor young adult could afford for the next couple years. Then life took a different direction. I got married, had a son right away at a very young age, and found myself struggling to provide; with nothing extra to spend on flying. After losing my last civilian job with a second son on the way, I went to a recruiter and enlisted in the Marine Corps.

I spent the next 12 years as a Tanker. I had the most wonderful experiences, incredible deployments, and made lifelong friends. All the while I would take a college class here and there, and try to fly just enough to stay current with what I could afford.

There is a program in the USMC called MECEP (Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program). It is a very competitive commissioning program that basically gives you orders, while remaining active duty and getting paid, to go to college, get your degree, and commission upon completion. A very sweet deal indeed.

I was selected and attended Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach FL. Majored in Aero Sci. And because I could use my GI Bill benefits, I went to the Multi-engine track and flew the DA-42 the whole time I was there to get my Commercial, ME, Inst. I was so happy to be doing what I loved and getting paid for it. While attending the school, I tried to get an aviation contract with the Marines. But I was 31 at the time, and the CG (Commanding General) said no to my Age waiver. I was incredibly frustrated, but I did not give up. I asked again but again an answer of no. New CG, asked again, No. CG Came to the school so I was able to talk face to face, he said he would work with me. But it came back on paper, No. I was pretty frustrated. I was older because I had been a Marine not because I had been on the street the whole time. I ran a

n outstanding PFT (Physical Fitness Test), had a 4.0 GPA, was attending the perfect school for it, all 9’s on the ASTB (Aviation Selection Test Battery), was going to incur the same obligation as any other new Marine pilot, yet I was one year older than another student at the school who got the waiver and my answer was No.

I went to The Basic School as a new officer on a ground contract. While under a different command I asked for the age waiver again and got a yes. I was ecstatic but now I had to compete for the one pilot slot for my class of 240. Only about 25 guys were gunning for it though. I worked my butt off and in the end, the pilot slot was mine. I was over the moon.

You’re probably familiar with what happens next API (Aviation Preflight Indoctrination), then VT-6. I knew from the start that the C130 was where I wanted to be. I was very successful in primary, after all I had been studying for this my whole life. I was lucky enough to be selected for the almighty Herc, and I have had the most amazing career flying it. I fell in love with that plane.

Stationed in Japan then San Diego, been around the globe numerous times, flown to the craziest locations you can think of, numerous deployments and detachments. I would drive to work and could not believe that they were paying me to do this.

The mission set for this platform in the USMC is unique as well. To be able to fly a low level at night on the goggles under a threat to air deliver bundles of blood and supplies to troops at a FOB (Forward Operating Base), go refuel jets or helo’s, land in austere location somewhere, then a couple nights later be at some capital city in Europe for the trip home, doing it all with your close friends in a plane that is comfortable and a blast to fly!

All good things come to an end and I knew that I would get orders somewhere, so I asked for orders to come back here to Whiting and instruct. So far I have greatly enjoyed it. I owe the two years for the PCS then I will be eligible to retire. I plan on flying for the airlines after. I’m looking forward to the next chapter, but certainly enjoying this one.

Once again, love your show and all the work you do advancing our community. Thank you for all you do.

Look forward to hearing from you.