KINGSVILLE, Tx — Cheers were heard at Naval Air Station (NAS)- Kingsville Tuesday morning as aviators and local officials celebrated a milestone.
The T-45 Goshawk Aircraft completed one million hours of flight. That accomplishment represents years of training and aviators said it is rare for an aircraft to achieve. One million flight hours is equivalent to 114 years of continuous flying.
The Navy first began to use the T-45 in the early ’90 and 30 years later it has trained over 8,000 Navy and Marine Corps pilots.
Commodore of Training Air Wing 2 Captain Aaron Rybar said being an aviator was a dream that was always within him, having been around the conversation that sparked his interest since he was a child.
“My dad flew helicopters in the Vietnam era, and truthfully never stopped talking about naval aviation. The first time we stepped on a navy airplane it was home,” Rybar said.
Rear Admiral Rich Brophy also flew the aircraft. He said he wasn’t able to be part of the group that trained with it, but he still seized the opportunity when it came knocking.
“My experience with the T-45 is relatively new. When I came into this current position, I had the opportunity to fly the airplane, went through the syllabus…fun airplane to fly,” Brophy said.
Brophy said half of all navy aviators that fly off carriers are trained at NAS-Kingsville. Aviators said their accomplishment would not have been possible without the support of the Kingsville community.
“Every naval aviator remembers just a couple of days. You remember the birth of your child, your wedding and they’re going to remember today. They’re going to remember that moment those wings went on their chest. When we fly…everybody here in Kingsville says ‘That’s awesome, we’re so excited you’re here,’ and I’ve never seen that anywhere else, and I’ve lived in a lot of places. We’re super proud of this community,” Rybar said.
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