Originally Posted by
JollyF15
The 4 yrs I did spend as a WSO were some of my best years in the AF. I learned more about flying with some of those crusty old fighter pilots then I ever did in UPT, and by the time I got to UPT I already knew how to fly a jet and was familiar with the rules, regs, and environment. It made UPT a lot of fun and gave me a huge advantage over my classmates when it came time for class rankings.
Same in my UPT class (Webb, 72-05). The #1 graduate was an F-4 backseater who had his choice of F-4, RF-4, or F-106. He took the RF-4, to the surprise of some, but presumably knew just what he was doing.