Brian Howley

Brian Howley, a plane captain for Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251, prepares to conduct a final check on a Thunderbolt F/A- 18 Hornet before it launches from the deck of the USS Enterprise.Howley, a native of Seymore, Conn., has only been a plane captain for five months, but excels daily according to his peers and superiors.
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Brian Howley, a T-Bolt plane captain, assists in pre-launching jets daily and conducting debriefs with pilots after sorties primarily, but also assists in the maintenance efforts before and after the daily flight schedule.Howley has mastered approximately 64 hand-and-arm signals that allow him to communicate with the pilots, despite the constant roar of jet engines.
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Howley, I know he has looked over the jet to his best ability and in his opinion, there is nothing wrong with it and we'll be ready for the launch."

Howley, a native of Seymore, Conn., knew he wanted to join the service and joined the Marine Corps Dec. 27, 2004, in the aviation field.On Aug. 24 of last year, Howley joined the Thunderbolt team, assigned to the powerlines section.Howley has since qualified to be a plane captain, a job he has held for the past five months.

"Sometimes it's stressful working within the squadron and other times it's not," said Howley."VMFA-251 is a good, hard-working squadron with great pilots and maintainers."

Howley enjoys working with his shop just as much as he does with the entire squadron itself.

"Powerlines is a good shop and the non-commissioned officers are dedicated to their job," said Howley."They teach young Marines - such as myself - very well.They are constantly pushing you to keep learning more about the aircraft and being consistent with your job."

According to McCroy, working with Howley has been a unique experience.
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Despite his relatively junior rank, Howley has proven himself to be the shop's go-to guy.
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According to Berzack, Howley is the most motivated and professional plane captain on the flight deck.
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"All of our plane captains are awesome, but Howley for some reason does that little extra.His sense of urgency, his attention to detail, and his motivation getting the jets ready and prepped in time has always impressed me."

Howley does not only leave a good impression on the pilots he works for, but he receives the same feelings from the Marines who work alongside of him.
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Although being on an aircraft carrier does not leave much free time, Howley is known to still conduct himself as a professional Marine on and off the job.