Albief15

For the record, I rather agree with MikeF16. Had a guy in my UPT class get sent home from Gulf 1 for "personal issues", but the consensus of most was the biggest personal issue was he was afraid of getting killed in combat. He used his rank in UPT and a host of excuses to avoid PT, and was about the worst example of leadership, being a bro, and being an officer I ever saw. At some point we won't just being doing CAS over a low threat arena, but will be fighting guys who shoot back again. Some of us will die in those efforts. To prevent that, we have to be good at killing them first. You better know what you are doing. The military is not a stepping stone for the airlines or NASA, but rather a full time commitment that once met might open opportunities in other places. They have a habit of scheduling wars and deployments at times that aren't always best for one's career goals.

I help a lot of guys prepare for ANG pilot slot interviews. One area I spend a lot of time on is "how do you feel about killing?" This job isn't for everyone, and its not just another flying career opportunity. It in a 24/7 commitment to throw away your entire personal agenda and surrender yourself into combat where you might be killed and will certainly help kill others.

Mike has probably buried a few friends in the business. I know I have. I don't want folks who come in thinking its not deadly serious.

That Gulf 1 pilot didn't get kicked out of the AF, but languished and was passed over. He later went to work for well known international cargo outfit, and was fired there a few years later for some integrity issues. Some patterns don't change.

DCA A321 FO

What's wrong with you 2loud? MikeF16 is trying to be slightly humorous but his post is 100% correct. He didn't say he liked killing people, but at the end of the day, because our politicians cannot figure stuff out, that's what we do.

In the gulf the Russian helicopter guys would fly by wearing shorts and wave, seemed like cool guys. None of us would want to shoot them down, but if we had to, we would.

UAL T38 Phlyer

Concur.

Too many think being a military pilot is a "safe zone, non-offensive EO Federal job program."

There was a girl from the base I taught UPT who got an F-16. finished the B-course, and had a 3-week LANTIRN course.

During that course, she went to the Commander and said "I have a problem dropping bombs on people."

She quit. 2 years and 2 million down the drain that a deserving individual could have used.

Another girl got her top choice---F-15C---because "she didn't want to kill anyone..."

(Not picking on females; these are just the only two cases I know of. For the record, they were not my students).

After that, I started giving a fire and brimstone speech to every new class that if they didn't think this job was about killing people, they were wrong. Quit now.

No one did. And no one had second thoughts, later.

Albief15

At roll calls or warrior calls I would sometimes share with my F-15 students what it felt like to advance into Iraq in an M113 over a largely vanquished enemy who was largely whipped. I pointed out that they had been bombed for weeks, and thus while some still fought hard many were eager for the battle to be over. It is important that you not only shoot down an enemies planes or tanks, but that you instill terror into their psyche. There were some A-10 pilots at Myrtle Beach famous for making strafing reattacks on the "runners" after destroying a tank. Some guys did that, some did not. It was flight lead perogrative. After the war, I found one of the more notoriously bloodthristy pilots and personally thanked him for helping save my life. The fact he was so ruthless helped me roll across those same desert fields a few weeks later and survive to get home to my family. Destroying the vessel they are in is not enough...they can return with the lessons learned to fight again soon after with a renewed confidence. No--what you need to do is swiftly kill and destroy anyone who challenges you on the field, so that there isn't an "after action report" for them to review, but instead the realization that Ivan/Muhammad was here yesterday, but now he is gone...and they may be next. That is why I think keeping the gun on 4th generation fighters was so important, and BFM skills were still critical. You want the enemy to know if he somehow, miraculously ends up surviving to the merge where he can actually see that Eagle/Viper/Raptor/Hornet, he is about 90-120 seconds from getting his brains gunned out with 20mm. When an American fighter pilot shows up at a merge, he is generally not worried about dying but instead wondering if he will be the next Bong, Cunningham, Gabreski, or the first ace of the 4th generation fighter world. Not only that, but I espoused the idea that if you did pop a guy with heater I hoped you would close in for a gun burst before the guy would eject, aiming specifically for the canopy. That way, when the enemy found the wreckage, they would realize the pilot that shot them down not only wanted to destroy the aircraft, but kill the pilot as well. THAT would be what would give the enemy pilots nightmares at night. ISIS promotes their violence with the hopes of intimidating the west. Terror is tool that cuts both ways, and the most effective warriors will embrace it and use it to their advantage. When you merge with a live bandit, second place in air to air combat is dead. Having them terrified before they show up is important, and we need warriors who will instill that kind of terror.

2loud

You have a reading comprehension problem? I think I know the mission, thank you, after two decades in the service.

Scraggly Heron

Another option for the OP: go to school and get your undergrad in engineering. Get a PPL along the way. If you end up liking both engineering and flying, consider pursuing a job as a test pilot.

While there are a lot of people that go from the military into the test pilot career field, it's not the only way. My boss went the civilian route to become a test pilot; it's a great job, generally pays well, and is both fun and mentally engaging.

UAL T38 Phlyer

Mike's post was edited for profanity, and not by him.

As for his sentiment: what he posted is a standard credo in any fighter squadron I've been in....or TRAINING squadron, if that training leads to the possibility of a direct combat aircraft.

At my base, they (rightfully) started to point out on assigment night and graduation that Everyone....the fighter, attack, bomber, or tanker and cargo guys, to the Amn who screws up your travel voucher, is there to support ONE mission:

Kill as many of the bad guys as possible, as cheaply and safely as possible.

DCA A321 FO

Did you fuel aircraft for 20 years? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

badflaps

NYC and the 717 turned him mean, he is in Georgia now, a year of grits and greens will leave him fat and complacent.

2loud

You're a tool and you still have a reading comprehension problem. To answer your question, no I did not. You trying to start a fighter pilot vs. xx pilot thread?