Tie-Cutting Ceremony

LT Rack gave me a "Retired" Sticker for being one of the older Pilots in training.

LT Rack cutting the tie.

Me reading off the list of songs LT Rack liked to sing in the plane, i.e. Elton John- Tiny Dancer, James Taylor- Sweet Baby James, Poison- Every Rose Has its Thorn.

Oscar, the Skipper (Cdr. McGuire), and I all chummed up.

Me and my boy Oscar.

One of the cool traditions of becoming a Naval Aviator is the "Tie-Cutting". After you solo, your On-Wing (the instructor pilot assigned as your mentor and primary instructor) gets to cut your tie off with a big knife. LT Rack is the large bald man cutting my tie- and the coolest on-wing ever. The story behind the ceremony is that back when aviators wore scarfs, the instructor in the back would reach forward and yank on it to get the student's attention. So by "Cutting the tie" the instructor pilot doesn't have anything to grab on to in order to get the student's attention to yell at... well at least he has to try a lot harder. It was a great ceremony, and I even had my roommate and the Taylor's come out to support me. On to Aerobatics! More pics to come!!

JR... out.