Flying 500' and 500 knots, or 100' and 300 knots, or 50,000-60,000' and Mach 2.0+. Sound like fun? IT IS! And, there's nothing like it in the world.
All this can be yours for the measely price of 12 hour days, a few 90 day deployments, about one every other year, but usually only if it's important, and a LOT of studying.
But, as one wise person said, if you don't love your job every day, why are you doing it? Ask any fighter pilot if they love flying, and I doubt you'll find more than one that says they don't. The 'queep' (paperwork and side duties) is sometimes dreary, but again, a small price to pay.
And, the camraderie, tradition, and purpose for being when you have a true mission, well, that makes it the best job in the world...
2 comments:
I have a pilot slot, but I have not had much fun flying the DA-20 Katana in our AFS program here at school and have therefore considered going to a non-rated AFSC. I've began to wonder if i would really enjoy flying since that program was such a bore. Do most pilots enjoy every kind of flying, regardless of the airplane? Or how much different is flying opperationally compared to flying private aircraft?
Eric,
Good Question, and unfortunately there isn't a universal answer. If I understand your concern, you find private license, bug smashing kind of flying boring...and wonder if AF flying will be similar.
I have 550+ hours of general aviation aircraft flying and love it. I also loved flying fighters, T-34C, and the 737--I truly do enjoy flying. But, there is definitely a difference between having an operational mission to fly and just flying from point A to B, shooting a nice approach, and then trying to grease the landing. AF flying is exciting because of what you do between takeoff and landing, whereas, civilian flying is often just transporting yourself from one place to another and enjoying the view along the way, then the challenging part is instrument approach and making a sweet landing.
I had classmates that didn't care for AFS...or UPT for that matter because it is fast paced and stressful...but then they loved the operational flying. It's cool to be part of the mission and know you're doing your part to help achieve objectives and protect freedom on a daily basis. I think you'd enjoy the operational flying and wouldn't get bored. If you're an adrenaline junkie and don't get fighters, then try to get into Special Ops flying one of the C-130s or go for helicopters. Hope that helps!
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