Published by : Jun 01 2022 Posted by : admin
When you hear the words “fighter pilot,” what image comes to mind? Is it the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels and their machine-like precision, or is it Tom Cruise living the rock star life in Top Gun; flying high performance jets, drinking beer, chasing women into bathrooms, singing in piano bars, playing volleyball and riding his crotch rocket?
The truth is while the life of a fighter pilot might seem very adventurous and full of fun, a lot of planning and preparation goes into being a fighter pilot. As the old saying goes, not everything is as it seems and Hollywood has certainly not helped. Sure, Top Gun helped military aviation recruitment, but there is a lot more to being a fighter pilot than just rocking cool sunglasses and a patch-covered jacket.
By definition, a fighter pilot is a military aviator who flies tactical aircraft, normally jets, in order to engage in air-to-air or air-to-ground combat. A fighter pilot can also fly electronic warfare fighter aircraft.
The truth is while the life of a fighter pilot might seem very adventurous and full of fun, a lot of planning and preparation goes into being a fighter pilot. As the old saying goes, not everything is as it seems and Hollywood has certainly not helped. Sure, Top Gun helped military aviation recruitment, but there is a lot more to being a fighter pilot than just rocking cool sunglasses and a patch-covered jacket.
The U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps all have fighter pilots that fly a variety of aircraft. Naval and Marine Corps aviators are trained to land on an aircraft carrier. A fighter pilot from those three branches of service receives training in dogfighting and in ground attack. Any fighter pilot, regardless of service, who kills five aircraft in aerial combat is considered an ace.
While the U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard do have pilots (U.S. Space Force does not operate aircraft at the moment), the pilots fly helicopters and fixed wing non-fighter jets and propeller aircraft.
There is a certain amount of rest a fighter pilot must get before they fly because most duty days for fighter pilots are at least 12 hours long when they are scheduled to fly. Much of the mission isn’t spent in the air, but on the ground.
According to Air Force fighter pilots, 90 percent of the job is preparation. They show up at their units and prepare for the flight by studying or examining mission boards so every fighter pilot is on the same sheet of music.
The mission will get briefed about two-and-a-half hours prior to takeoff. Mission briefs can take about an hour to complete depending on the complexity of the mission. Coordinates, weather and other particulars are covered.
A fighter pilot then will go to the aircrew flight equipment room to put on their gear. From there, they head out to the aircraft where they conduct preflight checks and talk with support staff about the aircraft. This can take about an hour or so.
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