Still goin' after all these years...
"Here's what it takes to be a military pilot:
1) You don't mind leaving your wife for 6 months at a time.
2) You don't mind missing your little baby growing up."
I realize this quote was written toungue in cheek but trust me, most of us military guys HATE being away from our wives and kids 6 months at a time (or longer) and really REALLY miss watching our baby(s) grow up.
My personal experience was missing the first four birthdays of my only child, then missing the last three out of five Christmas's and finally, getting the call, while in Afghanistan on a four month deployment four years ago, that my only child had been killed in a car crash while I was half way around the world. This is the reality of being a fighter pilot! It's not all Maverick, Goose and Top Gun!
I started flying military jets at 23 and was lucky enough to get fighters. I have been actively flying pointy jets in the military now for 23 years and in fact flew two sorties in a supersonic two seater today. I've amassed 4,000 military hours, an hour at a time generally, and have over 1200 hours as an instructor in fighter type aircraft. So, what does it take? Could an old dude, my age now, make a new transition into fighter flying and be an asset to his squadron?????
NO!
As someone mentioned in an earlier post, flying fighters hurts, in fact quite a lot depending on the mission flown. Last year I flew an F-16 sortie, like my Bro Smokey flies, and it was a Basic Fighter Maneuver (dog fight) sortie and most turns were 9 Gs X seven engagements. Today I flew an advanced maneuver sortie and most maneuvers were at or above 5-6 Gs. Now when I say Gs, it is not like at airshows where Sean Tucker does a 10 G instantaneous turn or Mike Guilian does a 8 G bump, but rather these are sustained for 30 seconds or longer, where blood capillaries are bursting and you land daily with blood blisters, or 'measles' because your body is saying OUCH! Where you ar at a constant threat of passing out from blood rushing out of your brain. But with modern fighters, this is day to day stuff. If you would check your local veteran cemetary, you will see an alarming amount of former fighter pilots dying in there 50's and 60's because this business is hard on your body. At my current age, before I strap in I literally do some stretching excerises by the jet, and yes, my young LTs laughs but so what, I don't want to end up like some of my buds with fuzed vertebrae in their neck and backs and off flying status, at least not in fighters. And I'm smarter when I move my head under G now, and use other forms of trickery instead of just brute 23 year old force!
Besides the punishing physical aspect of fighters, the biggest hindrance I would see with an experienced civilian pilot transition to military flying has also been alluded to. Once you are a 'licensed' pilot, you get the IT'S GOOD ENOUGH syndrome, or the TLAR-That's about right- attitude. When you're flying X-C, its throttle at 2500 RPM/25 in. MP and fly at what ever airspeed that gives you. And the altitude is where there are the least amount of bumps/clouds. Not so in the military. In my current jet it is either 300 KIAS or 350 KIAS in cruise, NOT 351, or 299. And the alitude MUST be spot on. And when you are doing a loop. it is 5 Gs until the proper AOA is achieved. Why? Because when you are dropping that bomb, it MUST be at a 30 degree dive angle, it MUST be at .98 G at release, and it MUST be at the exact airspeed/altitude called for or it will go long, or short and miss that **** bad guy and maybe hit the school bus full of kids you're trying to save. You MUST be exact, and all military figher flying must be exact to keep you in that mindset. Because you are flying for you life, your wingmans life, the life of those on the ground, and your country!
Ever heard the saying lose sight lose fight? It is still real, even with the modern jets. Except for maybe the first day of Beyond Visual Range war, visual ID is still real and required. The guy who can call BANDIT BANDIT BANDIT first will be the first with missiles in the air and will continue to live. If you are fumbling with your bifocals to read the Rules of Engagement, you are done.
Finally, I as a 46 year old am one of aprox four old guys in the squadron. Most my peers are either retired or doing staff jobs, usually not by choice. This is a young mans game for many reasons and only a few of us are lucky enough to carry the standard forward to these young guys who will then carry it forward with them to another batch of yung guys. Can an older guy fly a fighter, you bet. There is an outfit in Santa Fe, New Mexico that thrives on teaching these fighter pilot wannabe guys. Can a high time non-military experienced guy be an asset to our country, where each sortie, such as in my last unit, costs $24,000 an hour to fly? NO! By the time he is old the guy better be a walking encyclopedia of knowlwedge and tactics and better know how to teach it to his wingman because he is taking up sorties that could be used for training new guys, who are less afraid, easier to train, and can fight NOW and when is needed and for many years to come.
Flying fighters really has little to do with 'flying'. We expect the pilot to be able to fly in all attitudes and formations. We call that the 'motherhood' and spend maybe 10 minutes in the brief to cover all the flying areas. The meat of the mission and the majority of every brief is the employment of the fighter, whether it be bombs or bullets or missiles or search and rescue, or close are support, or counter air, deep strike, interdiction, recce, BFM, ACM, DACT, LANTIRN, LL etc. We don't have time to teach an old guy, the old guy MUST be the teacher and be able to teach or he is GONE!!!!
So, there you have it. The reason I have two RVs and a YAK is I realize the limitations of military flying and know that while I enjoy it and like teaching it and hope to do it a couple more years, when I want a smile on my face and a true relaxing, RV grin flight, hangin' out with the bro's and flying anywhere and anyway I like, it's going to happen on the weekend with a pair of jeans, tennis shoes and a T shirt on. Like you're probably doing now!
Enjoy it, it's almost like flying fighters!!!!