Winging

[BuckeyeMom]

I have been reading and reading, so if this has already been addressed please forgive me!  Our son has started Advanced in Milton.  My understanding is that it should take 6, possibly 7 months.  And then the winging?  Somewhere as I was reading I saw that an aviator completed Advanced, was then sent somewhere else for additional training and the winging was there.  That is not the norm, is it? 

My next question is how much advance notice do you get for the ceremony?  And then, how firm is that date?  And then, after the winging how long do they 'usually' (is there really such a thing as usual?) have before they have to report to the next destination?  I am just wondering if we should/could plan on a little more time with him.  I grabbing every moment that I can get!  :)

Thanks for your help.  I am trying to stay flexible and patient.  That is a real challenge!

[NOAM]

Welcome Buckeye! Our fam is from the buckeye state too.

Ou Ds's training prior to winging was right at a year; he had jets.

Our DS winged last fall and out of 14 who winged, 3 had to be at their next location the week after winging,4 had 3 weeks, 3 or 4 were from abroad and the rest had between 2 and 6 weeks.  Bottiom line is you can't count on anything until your loved one gets his orders. 

He's in Oceana and they have pushed his class start date twice.  We are assuming he wont make it home for Christmas and if he does we will be tremendously blessed,

We were given 2 winging dates and the second one stuck.  We had about 9 weeks notice.

This group is a wonderful support and resource so come back often.

[Trevorsdad]

Dear Buckeye,

Our son completed advanced training at Milton and got his wings there.  While the date for winging was uncertain while he was training, we got plenty of notice once it was scheduled.  Milton is a closed base, but parents and friends are allowed to stay at the Navy Gateway Inn on base for the winging.  Winging is an important ceremony for the navy and they look after the guests who come. 

At the winging ceremony, the aviators are given their new assignments in a fleet replacement squadron (FRS).  While the new assignments involve more training (training never stops), they are now naval aviators and start fulfilling their service time requirements.  They are given a report date for their new squadron with not a lot of time between winging and reporting to FRS.

We were lucky enough to have our son assigned to a NAS base near where we live.  But in all cases, it's a thrill to watch their careers progress.

[HeloMOM2016]

Thanks for information...my son will be finished at Pensacola the 18th and then head to Milton for the next 22 weeks of his training...so I am rather new at this and appreciate the support from  the more experienced moms here.

Gina

[weR5and1]

My son was winged in Milton about 7 months after he started advanced...your son has certain boxes he needs checked and sometimes due to weather, whatever, he won't know that his winging date until 2 weeks beforehand.  Sometimes they are flying their last qual just before winging, When the time gets closer, my son gave me a window of 4 weeks then we narrowed it down when he knew how it was going.  So...I am not helping much except to tell you that he really won't know...as an aside. I waited to have the gold wings we bought him engraved with his winging date until we were in FL and the day before winging!

It is a wonderful few days with your son and his friends...highly recommend attending.

[ulua]

Hi there Buckeye mom! What aircraft is your son training on? There are different training pipelines depending on what he selects.

For the jet pipeline, I believe primary training is done at either Milton or Corpus Christi, TX.  Advanced training is done at Meridian, Miss, or Kingsville TX. During Advanced training, the students are sent to other bases to complete specialized training such as carrier quals or ordinance, but they wing at either Meridian or Kingsville. Primary training takes about 6 months and advanced training takes longer, about 11 months.

Sometimes it does get down to the wire when the student will successfully complete all their required flights to be able to wing. If they can't get everything completed, they may be pushed to the next month's winging. Sometimes families do make travel arrangements that have to be changed to a later date.

After the winging, it gets more complex as the Naval Aviator has to move to their next duty station and complete survival training, SERE. We were lucky to get 10 days with our DS but it was during the Christmas holidays. There isn't much 'planning', its just as you say, you are happy to have every moment. God bless you Navy mom.

[campbellm]

Good morning BuckeyeMom.  My son is also just starting advanced at Milton.  Would you like to PM?

[BuckeyeMom]

So it seems like the best idea is to just stay loose!  That is not my forte, but perhaps my life lesson? 

I have enjoyed the comments so far, and look forward to hearing more of your experiences.  Our DS has started Helo Advanced in Milton.  He did IFS in Pensacola, and Primary in Milton, so he has been right in that area for a while now, longer than originally anticipated anyway. 

I am actually running down for the weekend in a couple days! After I have been reading about your kids in Japan, Guam, etc. ,an eleven hour drive seems like a cake walk! 

[Rockmom]

My son is driving to Milton on Friday 5/2 to start Helo Advanced. He's really excited. He was in Pensacola, then Corpus Christi, now on to Milton. 

[td309]

My son started Advanced in  maritime at Corpus over a month ago and has been told his tentative winging date will be in mid-July.  I was reading some of these older posts and it looks like a few of the go-to websites for gifts are no longer there.  Has anyone gotten gifts more recently and have suggestions of sources?  I get on this website at least once a week, but have only replied a handful of times.  I have learned a tremendous amount from the moms who post a lot on here, and hope I will someday be as helpful as they have.  Thank you all, ladies!

[naturegirl1]

my son is in helicopter training in Pensacola. It's probably the same scenario. He has been there for 7 months and  is slated to "wing' end of April

he tells me he wont find out where he is going next until the ceremony. Everything depends on the Navy schedule though. when he can finish his check off flights, etc. 

[td309]

Anyone out there with someone in Advanced in Corpus Christi?  DS is to wing mid summer , but is already  2 weeks behind due to weather.  Can anyone tell me what the ceremony is like?  Is it just a one day, one event thing?  Gift ideas?  I know there have been lots of posts in the past, but many of those online sites are no longer in existence.  My son is in Maritime.

[naturegirl1]

just got back from visiting my dS in Pensacola. he got delayed for his winging due to weather. 

however, he said the ceremony is only a few minutes and he has attended several of them for his friends. we got him a pair of the gold wings from flywings.com.  he was very impressed, but he also said a new watch or ipad would be great gifts.

good luck to your son. wish we could have attended!