He received his wings on September 3, 1931, and was assigned to the as a member of Observation Squadron 4B (VO-4B). In June 1934, he transferred to Bombing Squadron 5B on board the aircraft carrier , and soon thereafter, to VB-2B attached to . From July 1935 until May 1937, he served in the Panama Canal Zone and flew patrols from Coco Solo with Patrol Squadron 2F (VP-2F). The following June, Van Voorhis returned to carrier-based aviation and served first in , then in , and finally back to "Enterprise". In June 1940, Van Voorhis joined the aviation unit assigned to the light cruiser where he served for a year. In July 1941, he reported for duty at the Naval Air Station, Anacostia, where he served until November 1942.