From Cradle Of Naval Aviation To Cockpit
by U.S. Navy Public Affairs Specialist Austen Hunter McClain
April 20, 2026

Ensign Sarah Myers grew up watching space shuttle launches from her driveway in Windermere, Florida.

Today, she is training to fly one of the Navy's most capable platforms, and the foundation that made it possible was built right where her journey began.

Myers, a Student Naval Flight Officer (SNFO) currently completing the Advanced phase of training with Training Squadron (VT) 86 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, is projected to earn her Wings of Gold in July 2026. Following her designation, she will train as either a Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) aboard the F/A-18F Super Hornet or an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) aboard the EA-18G Growler ... two of the Navy's premier strike fighter and electromagnetic attack platforms. Her path to that cockpit runs directly through the training programs managed by the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).

A Foundation Built At NASC

Myers commissioned from the United States Naval Academy in May 2024, earning a Bachelor of Science degree with Merit in Aerospace Engineering. She reported to NAS Pensacola and enrolled in the Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation (NIFE) program at Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC), a learning center of NETC and the first stop in the naval aviation training pipeline for all prospective Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard pilots and NFOs.

The 10-week program screens candidates for aeronautical adaptability while building the technical and procedural foundation required for follow-on flight training. Students learn to interpret weather reports, plan navigation routes, and calculate fuel loads; core competencies that stay with aviators throughout their career. For Myers, those fundamentals quickly became second nature.

"In NIFE, things like reading weather and fuel planning took up almost all of my brain power," said Myers. "Now I do them without a second thought. The baseline NIFE built allows me focus on the harder problems."

NIFE's pace demands more than technical aptitude. It demands discipline. With exams every three days and multiple courses running in parallel, students learn quickly that time management and teamwork are not soft skills; they are mission requirements.

"The hardest days were when I was juggling two courses at once and had to figure out which alligator was closest to the boat," Myers said. "NIFE taught me that you cannot outwork a poor study plan and that teamwork is required to succeed."

Choosing The Crew

"My mentors told me stories of flights where, without their NFO, they would not have made it home. I wanted to be that person ... the one who lightens the load and makes sure we accomplish the mission and recover safely. That's what drew me to this community."

Myers did not arrive at a naval aviation career path by accident. Myers was mentored at the Naval Academy by officers with firsthand experience in the air. She was immediately drawn to the collective responsibility of keeping a crew mission-capable; she chose the NFO path with purpose.

"My mentors told me stories of flights where, without their NFO, they would not have made it home," Myers said. "I wanted to be that person ... the one who lightens the load and makes sure we accomplish the mission and recover safely. That's what drew me to this community."

After completing NIFE, Myers advanced to primary flight training at VT-10, where she studied the T-6A Texan II turboprop aircraft and began developing the communication and crew coordination skills that define an NFO's role within the cockpit. Her performance earned her placement on the Commodore's List with distinction and the title of Honor Graduate ... finishing in the top five percent of her Primary class. She then completed intermediate training before reporting to VT-86 for the advanced phase.

At VT-86, Myers is now applying everything the pipeline has built: learning to manage communications, configure navigational systems, and adapt in real time to the demands of high-performance jet operations. She describes the shift from primary to advanced as moving from learning procedures to learning people.

"Procedures can be memorized in a classroom, but crew coordination is learned in the aircraft," Myers said. "Every pilot is different. My job is to make sure that no matter who I'm flying with, I'm increasing our awareness and our ability to get the mission done."

The NETC Investment

Myers' trajectory reflects what NETC's training pipeline is designed to produce. She arrived in Pensacola as an Aerospace Engineering graduate from one of the nation's premier commissioning sources. What NASC and the NIFE program provided was the procedural foundation, the cultural standards, and the team-first mindset that transforms individual capability into combat effectiveness.

As an NFO, she will bear direct responsibility for the situational awareness of her crew in some of the most demanding operational environments the fleet has to offer. Some of these skills include monitoring the weather, managing fuel, and coordinating inside and external to the cockpit, all of which trace back to a 10-week program taught by Naval Education and Training Command.

"Everything I learned in NIFE is still with me every single day," Myers said. "I've just built on top of it." Myers is projected to wing as a Naval Flight Officer in July 2026 at NAS Pensacola.

NETC's mission is to recruit, train, and deliver those who serve our nation, taking them from street to fleet by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and battle-ready warfighters.

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