Navy Aviation Milestones - which ones for family to attend/ skip?

Herman_Snerd

Herman_Snerd

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I'll post this here but feedback welcome from all commissioning sources. Any recommendations on which navy aviation milestones for families/ loved ones to attend (or skip)?
  • Flight Suit Friday
  • Completion of NIFE
  • Completion of Primary
  • Completion of Intermediate Training
  • Completion of Advanced Training/ Winging Ceremony
  • Complete Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) training, before heading to some part of the world.
  • Others?
Advised to definitely attend Wings of Gold ceremony, if at all possible, and to skip Flight Suit Friday generally as it's informal, for the group who didn't scrub out of the academic portion of NIFE. thoughts?

Thanks.
 
Herman_Snerd said:
I'll post this here but feedback welcome from all commissioning sources. Any recommendations on which navy aviation milestones for families/ loved ones to attend (or skip)?
  • Flight Suit Friday
  • Completion of NIFE
  • Completion of Primary
  • Completion of Intermediate Training
  • Completion of Advanced Training/ Winging Ceremony
  • Complete Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) training, before heading to some part of the world.
  • Others?
Advised to definitely attend Wings of Gold ceremony, if at all possible, and to skip Flight Suit Friday generally as it's informal, for the group who didn't scrub out of the academic portion of NIFE. thoughts?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Been associated with aviators in training, then flight instructors and then parents of Aviators in training. I don't think that any of
the folks that I've known had parental participation/attendance at anything but Winging. A spouse or significant other who are
in residence in the local area is a different story though.
 
Herman_Snerd said:
I'll post this here but feedback welcome from all commissioning sources. Any recommendations on which navy aviation milestones for families/ loved ones to attend (or skip)?
  • Flight Suit Friday
  • Completion of NIFE
  • Completion of Primary
  • Completion of Intermediate Training
  • Completion of Advanced Training/ Winging Ceremony
  • Complete Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) training, before heading to some part of the world.
  • Others?
Advised to definitely attend Wings of Gold ceremony, if at all possible, and to skip Flight Suit Friday generally as it's informal, for the group who didn't scrub out of the academic portion of NIFE. thoughts?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Winging.

DH presented his mom with tiny wings of gold with a teensy diamond chip. I have it now. See photo below - I borrowed DH’s ring to show size. I don’t know whether that is still a thing.

I don’t usually hear of family attendance at other training transition points. Completion of trading blocks is routine progress through warfare specialty training syllabus.

Any significant others in the area - sure, especially if there is social stuff associated IMG_6024.jpeg
 
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Flight Suit Friday - yes, go to this over NIFE graduation if you can. The Mustin Beach Club is great, and there are tons of people to talk to there about Naval Aviation! Students usually bring their significant others and parents if they're in town. My parents went to mine (and drove me back home!). It usually lasts a couple hours and is a fun celebration. This event is the last Friday of academics. You'll know the date around 4 weeks prior to this, assuming student doesn't roll for failing tests.

NIFE graduation - no, it literally lasts like 5 mins. You get a certificate, shake hands, and then leave to check into Whiting, Corpus, or SNFO land. If you're going to go to a NIFE event, definitely go to Flight Suit Friday over this. Trust me. This event will happen with short notice, like as soon as the syllabus is complete

Completion of primary, intermediate - haven't gotten here yet, but haven't really seen any parents at these. They usually happen with short notice, 1 week notice, or sometimes even less than that, as soon as the syllabus is complete.

Winging - for sure! If you're only go to choose one to go to on this list, definitely this one, followed by Flight Suit Friday. I've heard they give some advance notice for the actual Winging ceremony so people can plan.

Completion of FRS - idk? I don't know if I've heard of parents attending this one.
 
Winging. Then down the road, a change of command ceremony, when your aviator takes command of a squadron or ship!
 
Wining is pretty much on par with college graduation in my eyes. A lot of work over a multi-year process. If you can swing it, I would also try and make it to Selection after Primary. Perfectly fine if you don't (many parents don't go), but your future Naval Aviator finds out what they will end up flying. If you go, be prepared for an emotional day. Selection either brings people great joy and relief, begrudging acceptance, or outright anger. Selection isn't like Service Assignment where you can get a rough idea of your chances and most people end up getting their first choice. A lot of solid students get stuck with something other than their first choice. Sometimes it is as simple as the week they picked or the class that graduated the week before.

In actuality, a lot of milestones are administrative in nature. Finish the FRS? A couple squadronmates (from your new Fleet squadron) will come and say hi, but the priority is getting checked out of the FRS and checked into your fleet squadron. Sometimes that means meeting them on deployment.
 
Times have changed...my parents had 4 kids, couldn't go jetting across the country for events. I don't think we even had "graduations" between Aviaton Indoc, VT10 and NATU. Winging was formal, but fairly short notice --completed requirements, winged and on the road to FRS next day. (My FRS class actually started the day I was winged, and we had to get across country from Mather AFB in California to NAS Jax ASAP).
 
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