Getting Paid to Fly

One of the first things anyone who meets me finds out is that I'm an unabashed aviation junkie. I have wanted to be a pilot ever since I found out there was such a thing. The pursuit of this ambition, and my desires to serve in the military, led me to earn a commission as a US Naval Officer and be selected for the Naval Aviation program.

I arrived at NAS Pensacola on February 3, 2006, leaving my dear wife of almost two years far away in upstate New York to finish her own education. Being away is hard, but I suppose it's something everyone who has served in the military has had to deal with. It's even harder for my wife. I'm down here having the professional time of my life, at least. She's still at home doing all of the stuff she used to do, plus most of the things I did to keep up the household. So, we have come to this conclusion: I'm doing this for free. The Navy is not paying me to fly, they're paying her to LET me.