Although summer is only a couple of days old, it’s been more than five weeks since I stepped foot on Tufts campus and saw the Boston skyline from Tisch Library roof. In that time I travelled to Florida and spent three weeks with HSL-46, a Navy helicopter squadron, for my senior summer ROTC training. Three other midshipmen, from the University of Florida, Old Dominion and Georgia Tech, joined me, and we spent our time learning the ins and outs of the life of a Navy aviator.
We began our trip with water survival training, learning the basics of flight physiology and the changes that our body would face in a low-pressure environment. Once the hospital corpsman conducting the training had thoroughly convinced us that we’d never survive our first flight, he brought us down to the pool to teach us how to survive the crash that we’d inevitably (or so it seemed to us) experience in the coming weeks. Of course, after training, we discovered that our fears were unfounded and we were now cleared to fly in the Navy’s combat aircraft. Dream come true.
The following week, I flew to Michigan on a P-8 Poseidon, traveled to Savannah, Georgia on an MH-60R helicopter to eat at Paula Deen’s restaurant (one-word description: butter), and was taught the basics of flying a helicopter in a simulator. This “back-seat” time only whet our appetite for the real thing, when we were given the opportunity to fly the aircraft ourselves.
After watching us get comfortable in the aircraft and learn the basics of aviation life, the squadron’s pilots scheduled an individual flight for each midshipman to fly one of the squadron’s helicopters. The flight, overseen by a watchful squadron veteran, was incredibly exciting and made me think of the romantic era of aviation when flying was still new, dangerous, and personal. I felt far removed from the numerous flights I’ve taken with Delta and American Airways.
I’m back in Connecticut now, wistfully looking back on my time with the squadron and excitedly looking forward to my Chinese studies back in Boston!