About CAVU
CAVU Military Aviation Media Consulting is the only military media consulting firm founded and run by a twenty-eight year military veteran of two branches of the armed services whose education and experience also give him an insider's understanding of the entertainment industry. Beyond his own considerable experience, Lt. Col. Day has extensive contacts in the military community that he can leverage and deploy in support of your project. When you retain CAVU Military Aviation Media Consulting, you can be confident that you are receiving the expert help you need to ensure authenticity and facilitate storytelling, coordinated and delivered in a comprehensive and timely manner by a professional who understands the unique demands of the industry.
LT. COL. (RET) PATRICK DAY ("D-DAY")
Military Career
Lt. Col. Day entered Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School in September of 1989.
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Upon his winging in 1991, he spent 18 months as a T-2C Buckeye instructor before reporting to A-6 Fleet Replacement training in 1993.
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He flew the A-6E SWIP Intruder from 1994 to 1997 with the VA-75 Sunday Punchers at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, including two six-month carrier deployments to the Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf.
When the A-6 was retired in 1997 he was fortunate enough to earn an Air Force exchange tour as an instructor in the A/OA-10 Warthog, assigned to the 358th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson Arizona.
On completion of his exchange tour in 1999, he transitioned from the Navy to the Air Force Reserve, where he flew the A/OA-10 with the 706th Fighter Squadron Cajuns at Joint Reserve Base New Orleans from 1999 to 2003. He also flew for United Airlines for 18 months from 2000 until October 2001.
During his tenure, the Cajuns deployed to Operations Northern Watch (Turkey) and Southern Watch (Kuwait), and were activated in 2002 to provide fighter assets to Operation Enduring Freedom at Bagram AB in Afghanistan.
While at Bagram, in furtherance of his lifelong interest in film, he applied and was accepted to the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. He started the program in 2003, interning at New Line Cinema, and graduated in 2005.
While attending film school, he was a Reserve Air Operations Planner for the Korean theater with the 701st Combat Operations Squadron at March Air Reserve Base. Following film school, Lt. Col. Day worked as a Development Executive for Seven Arrows Multimedia while maintaining his Air Force reserve status. However, with the expansion of the war in Afghanistan and the concomitant need for qualified pilots to support Operation Enduring Freedom, Lt. Col. Day returned to full-time military service in 2008 flying the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).
He has flown over 1700 hours in the MQ-9, supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Freedom Sentinel in Afghanistan including three Kandahar deployments, Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn in Iraq, Inherent Resolve in Syria, and Odyssey Dawn, Juniper Lotus, and Unified Protector in Libya. He also flew operational test missions with the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron as the Headquarters Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Division Chief of RPA Support. He retired at the end of 2017 after 28 years of service as a combat and operational test pilot with two Meritorious Service Medals, one Air Force Commendation Medal, multiple Strike Flight Air Medals and numerous theater and service medals and decorations.
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A CAREER BY THE NUMBERS:
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28 years of service
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11 aircraft flown
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T-34C, T-2C Buckeye, TA-4J Skyhawk, A-6E Intruder, A/O-10A Warthog, MQ-9 Reaper, F-18 Hornet, SH-3, SH-60, UH-1, and Boeing 727
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2 aircraft carrier deployments
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USS Eisenhower and USS Enterprise
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321 aircraft carrier landings
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including 114 night carrier landings
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1700+ MQ-9 Reaper flight hours
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11 total overseas deployments
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Afghanistan, Turkey (Northern Watch), Kuwait, and Iraq (Southern Watch), and Korea
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Operations in 15 foreign countries
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Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Libya, Azores, Korea, Bosnia, Italy, and Germany
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Film Education and Experience
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Lt. Col. Day's interest in film dates back to college. He graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 1989 with a B.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in aerospace materials, composites, and ceramics, and a minor in Film and Media Studies.
In 2003 Lt. Col. Day entered the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. While simultaneously serving as a member of the United States Air Force Reserves, Lt. Col. Day completed the Stark Program. He received his M.F.A. in Film and Television Production from USC in 2005 and was awarded the Peter Stark Program Top Scholar award for academic excellence as well as the Mary Pickford and Preuss scholarships.
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Following film school, Lt. Col. Day worked as a Development Executive for Seven Arrows Multimedia while maintaining his Air Force reserve status. However, with the expansion of the war in Afghanistan Lt. Col. Day returned to full-time military service in 2008 flying the MQ-9 Reaper.
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Lt. Col. Day has consulted on film and television projects, including on the films Terminator Salvation and Snakes on a Plane. His Stark background and nearly three decades of experience as a combat and operational test pilot in both the United States Navy and Air Force, render him uniquely qualified to provide technical and production assistance for all of your military-related entertainment projects.
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