The Errant Ensign

Aviation

What Makes Fighter Pilot Helmets so Freaking Cool?

Explore the advanced world of fighter pilot helmets. Learn about their evolution, technology, and impact on aviation safety and performance.

Aviation Featured

Flight Pay Revealed: The Insider's Guide to Fighter Pilot Salaries

How much do fighter pilots really get paid? Once the residuals from Hollywood wear off, at least...

Aviation

How to Become a Pilot: Exploring Civilian and Military Paths

Ever wanted to become a pilot? This post shows you the paths available and which one might be for you!

OCS Featured

Conquer Navy OCS: The ULTIMATE Physical Preparedness and Workout Guide

Get in the best shape possible so you can ship to OCS and crush the physical standards!

Aviation

How to Sound Cooler on the Radio

Whether you’re flying the world’s fastest fighter jet off an aircraft carrier or your grandpa’s Cessna 172 from the ‘60s, there’s only one thing that really matters: effective and professional communication, aka, sounding cool on the radio. Don’t believe me? They literally made an entire

Aviation

A Day in the Life of a Flight Student in the US Navy

Ever wonder what a typical day in the life is like for a flight student in the US Navy?

Aviation

5 Things Formula 1 Racecars and Military Fighter Jets Have In Common

When it comes to speed, noise and the uncanny ability to make you stop what you’re doing and gawk, two mighty machines stand out: Formula 1 racecars and military fighter aircraft. Despite their distinct domains, these high-performance vehicles share surprising similarities—both in the machinery themselves as well as

Aviation

Acing Flight School: The Power of Anki and Spaced Repetition for Memorizing Anything

Anki changed my life. Combined with some of the techniques discussed in Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking with Einstein (see my review of the book here) my memory ability has gone from “Dory forgetting her own name in Finding Nemo” to never forgetting what I had for breakfast again. Anki is

Military

EExplained: Aircraft Carriers

How big are aircraft carriers, anyway?

Aviation

Flight School Life: Living Arrangements

When you're moving every year, how do you figure out where and who to live with?

Aviation Featured

How to Succeed in Flight School

Whether you dream of becoming Top Stick at the Navy Fighter Weapons School or an international long-haul pilot for Delta Airlines, everyone starts somewhere. And that “somewhere” for most people is in flight school, being reminded by your instructor that you forgot the base leg radio call for the fifth

Books

Military Books: The Like Switch

⭐️4.8 out of 5 ⭐️ How can we get people to like us and accelerate relationship development?

OCS

10 Things You’ll Love About Navy OCS

What if I told you that there are some things you'll actually miss about Navy OCS?

Aviation

Top 8 Gift Ideas for Pilots

The ultimate gift guide for the pilot in your life!

Aviation

Navy Primary Flight Training: Contacts

Contacts Phase is the first phase of Navy Primary Flight Training. It’s where you learn the basics of flying the Navy way and where you can start your grades off on the right foot. Although under the Charlie syllabus Contacts is only worth 25%, it still provides a great

Aviation

Navy Primary Flight Training: Preparation

If you’re even vaguely familiar with the current state of Navy Flight School, you’re probably well aware of the various bottlenecks currently plaguing NIFE and Primary. While waiting to start training there’s definitely some ways you can spend your time to maximize your performance once the inaugural

Aviation

Back, Complete✈️

After six months of being in the blender, I can finally say I am Navy Primary Flight Training complete. I’m excited to be back writing again and have done my best to respond to all the emails I’ve gotten. My plan is to do a bunch of writing

Aviation

Navy Flight School: NIFE Phase 3

Phase 3: Flight Side In case you missed my write up of Phases 1 and 2, you can access them here [https://www.errantensign.com/navy-flight-school-nife-phase-1/] and here [https://www.errantensign.com/flight-school-nife-phase-2/]. What NIFE is doing (and really well—I might add) is providing a great example of what

Books

Military Books: Moonwalking With Einstein

⭐️4.5 out of 5⭐️ Why is it so damn hard to remember some things and so easy to recall others? The key, it turns out, is the Memory Palace.

Fitness

The MAF Method: Maxing Out the Navy PRT

Running has never been something I’ve excelled at, which probably explains why I never do great on that portion of the Navy PRT. I’ve always thought of myself as a below-average runner and on a scale from things I love to things I hate, I would put my

Military Finances: Navy OCS and Beyond

My experience with military finances so far has been a lot like when that one neighbor asks you to dog-sit for the week while they’re on vacation: you are happy to do it, not sure how much exactly you’ll get paid, and worry they’ve completely forgotten to

Aviation

Navy Flight School: NIFE Phase 2

In case you missed it from my first post covering Phase I [https://errantensign.com/navy-flight-school-nife-phase-1/], the US Navy moved from the old program known as API and is now using NIFE (Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation) as the first stop in the journey to becoming a Naval Aviator / Flight Officer.

Navy OCS CandiO Boxes: The World Is Not Enough

CandiO boxes are a much-anticipated aspect of the Navy OCS experience, where at times you think your family couldn’t possibly send you enough chocolate to ease your addiction withdrawals. Although everyone quickly becomes familiar with what they are when they arrive at Newport, it was made clear to me

OCS

The Real FEMALE Navy OCS Packing List

Ever wondered what a female OCS graduate recommends you bring to Navy OCS?

Aviation

Navy Flight School: NIFE Phase 1

Congratulations on finally making it to Pensacola, Florida to start flight school. The cradle of Naval Aviation and home to hundreds of newly minted Ensigns buying brand new Tacomas and engagement rings. I’m kidding, obviously. Everyone knows if you’re smart you get legally married immediately for the BAH