So, you wanna be a Fighter Pilot.

Occasionally I like to pull a pint or two for pilots. I like pilots. I quite admire them whether they fly props or rotors, passenger jets or fighters. Especially Fighters. Only the very best get to become the modern Knights, climbing into steeds of steel that charge so fast that you do not hear them coming. And I also get some stick for lauding those few ladies that fly and even manage to join the few chaps that are on Squadrons. They have all passed through some rigorous training and selection. Most that start out get chopped. Those that graduate as fighter pilots at the end of a very long and intense process are worth a free pint. Or three.

So today we had some chattering in the Tavern about it, and I shall focus here on the early stages and managed in various countries of note. 

First up, a personal note. I have selected youngsters for aircrew roles. I know a little about it although it was a while ago. Most who get through to being qualified fighter pilots have a 'boyishness' about them that is carefully nurtured.

In my very old days there were few old Knights. Bold lads tried and some were of 'the right stuff', just like today.  But many who tried were farmboys and stayed as squires.  The 'chop rate' was high and real life! The modern fighter pilot's boyishness remains until old age, refined and developed and put to use, but never eradicated by 'over-adulthood'.  The boldness of youth, though is curtailed by precision. There are no old, bold fighter pilots.

They have drive, energy, dedication, curiosity and enthusiasm. They aspire. They have 'acendancy'. They have aggression and desire. They want to be more than they are now: they want to be the best.

The process of turning a raw boy into a fighter pilot is long, arduous and expensive.  Training each RAF fast jet pilot, for instance, can cost up to £4 million (around Au$7 mil) and only the very best candidates need apply. To qualify as an RAF fighter pilot takes four years with 300 hours’ flying on various aircraft.

But this is what you get to do. Well, the French ones here.... a quick look.....

Once candidates have completed their elementary flying training, they are streamed to fly fast jets, multi-engine aircraft or helicopters but only a tiny proportion of those achieve the dream of flying a Typhoon or Tornado. 

They then undergo specific training geared towards their chosen discipline before eventually flying the aircraft they will use in operations.

Despite the rigorous selection process, it is not an excessively lucrative career path, with average pay around £35,000 after training. (About Au$65k, which is below the national average wage). And they cannot even get treasure booty ! But it is a fabulous career.

Phil Frawley is a human who was truly born to fly. As a young boy he spent countless hours building model airplanes and dreaming of the day when he would get to control an aircraft. Phil’s hard work, determination and perseverance finally paid off when, after five years as an aircraft technician, he was accepted into the Royal Australian Air Force 92 Pilots Course in July 1974. 

Now 44 years later, Phil is still flying for the RAAF. He is currently a Squadron Leader flying the Hawk 127 and so he is still an active fighter pilot. In fact he even holds a Guinness World Record to prove it - The oldest active fighter pilot aged 65 years 146 days at 76 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown as of 1 August 2017. He said:

I have had the pleasure of mentoring a number of young men in their attempts to become RAAF pilots and I have enjoyed a reasonable level of success over the years. There are a number of attributes that the RAAF look for during the recruiting process and I am often asked what these attributes are and how to improve the chances of success for someone. I have also received requests and pressures to write a blog outlining the list of attributes and give some insight into the process.

Firstly the best advice I can give is to have a backup plan for your life as success in achieving a placement on a pilot course is not guaranteed.

So he did write about it. 

http://fighterjet.com.au/2016/08/12/becoming-raaf-pilot/

He said: (I put just a bit here)

Let’s get into what is required. The first attribute you need is to achieve the highest possible education standard that you are able to achieve. This indicates your ability to study along with your dedication to task. If you are unable to settle in to a rigorous study routine you will not pass the course and the recruiters know this.

Next is motivation, this is measured by your interest in aviation and your knowledge of the RAAF aircraft and the roles that they are capable of performing.  If you have aviation experience this will also help. Basically this flying experience will give you some confidence in your ability to operate an aircraft making you more competitive with your application. 

Physical fitness and ability in sports is important to your cause. Eye hand coordination plays a big part of the recruiting process and it will be tested in a special machine.  You must be physically fit and your aircrew medical will show any shortcomings.

Leadership is an important attribute required of a potential pilot as you will become a commissioned RAAF officer on graduation and this carries a lot of responsibility. Recruiting will look for evidence of your leadership qualities. 

Personal confidence is a necessary attribute, you must have self confidence in your ability as a person and you must be able to speak with confidence to anyone. 

Aptitude for training will be tested during the recruiting process by way of a series of exams and unfortunately there is no real way of preparing for this part of the process. It comes down to you either have it or you don’t. 

As part of this, if you show promise, you will be sent to BAE Systems training facility at Tamworth, known as the Basic Flying Training School (BFTS) for ‘flight screening’ where your aptitude will be further tested to ensure you have what it takes. Flight screening is conducted on the CT-4B Airtrainer and is designed to test your ability to show improvement in training environments. 

RAAF pilot training is like no other training that you will experience. You have to continually self critique your own performance and make the necessary improvements to progress. You must improve at a constant rate otherwise you will fall behind. The course has specific pressure points along the way, mostly progress flight tests with senior instructors but there are others.

You can be chopped at any point if you do not measure up. 

Naturally there is a lot of academics with associated examinations, some of which have pass marks as high as 80% with emergency exams requiring 100%. On the plus side the camaraderie with your fellow course mates will bond you all together forever.

Having achieved a position on a pilot course be prepared for a very different experience in life. Firstly you will be sent to Officer Training School (OTS) at Point Cook for 17 weeks where you will receive intensive training in General Service Knowledge, Defence Force Law, Customs of the Service, Leadership, Service writing and of course Drill and Ceremonial (marching). These are the main subjects, there are a lot more.

Once OTS is completed you will return to Tamworth for six months to complete basic flying training. You will fly approximately 65 hours on the CT-4B Airtrainer. Following BFTS you will be sent to No2 Flying Training School (2FTS) at RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia where you will train on the Pilatus PC-9. Here you will complete about 125 hours of advanced flying training before graduation as a RAAF pilot.

There are a lot of fun times to be had as well so if you are prepared to put in the hard yards and fulfil your dreams you will never look back. There is no feeling in the world like having a very senior RAAF officer pin a set of pilot wings on your chest at your graduation parade in front of your family and friends.

 The USAF has similarly rigorous selection.

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree.

Step 2: Meet Officer Qualifications.

Step 3: Attend Officer Training School. 


Step 4: Pass Initial Flight Training.

Step 5: Complete Undergraduate Pilot Training. 

Step 6: Advance Your Career in the United States Air Force.

America differs a little in the initial education requirements. That may (?) have something to do with American schooling and qualification comparisons to other countries.  All services have a 'College' that provides degree level education. The RAF and RAAF send youngsters to their colleges but also take direct entry lads and lasses without degrees. First they have to become Commissioned Officers though and that weeds out many. But that apart what can young men (and women) expect in the USAF training system?  Let us take a look. 

Someone I know very well, knows this place very well.

Of course, at this point, when complete, you are simply a pilot, albeit with a bare smattering of knowledge about the real world of warfare. There are many stirrups to put your feet in yet.  It is off to 'advanced flying training' for you. 

In the RAF that means Valley, usually. I know it well ! More intense work, and even the Instructors have to do check rides !  The first rung is under you and there are many more to go. 

More ground school. More 'sims'. More demands on skill and application. More books. More lectures. More intense navigation, planning, tactical operation. More hours in the air with someone watching every move. Then.... solo. 

And that is just the early career. 

After graduation it is off to an OCU - An Operational Conversion Unit - where a lad will get his hands on a fighting aircraft. Whether he will graduate from that, we shall see at another time.

Meanwhile we shall join the first Solo lad and raise a glass to him.

What can he aspire to?

Taylor Chop Fox who has written a book on his experiences in joining the USAF and becoming a fighter pilot in that system gave us a glimpse.

It’s a clear January night in 2015 and I am walking out to my F-16 with the Las Vegas strip providing a jarring contrast to the F-15s, F-15Es, F-22s and Eurofighters I am about to fight with and against.

 www.combatreadypilot.com

There is a loud high-pitched whistle from adjacent idling jets as I inspect the missiles and six live 500 lb bombs I will be dropping tonight.

This mission is a part of Red Flag, the world’s largest advanced aerial combat exercise. Tonight there will be over one hundred and forty jets fighting in one airspace and the job of my four ship (formation of four F-16s) is to put bombs on a surface-to-air missile site.

After deeming the jet airworthy and starting the engine, I go through a variety of checks to make sure all of the sensors, cameras, flight controls and weapons are ready for the mission. I organize my target photos and stow my NVGs (night vision goggles) to the side, waiting for my flight lead to taxi our four ship out to the runway.

Over the radio I hear the other pilots say, “Lobo check,” “2,” “3,” and I respond with “4.”

“Nellis ground, Lobo 1, taxi four Vipers from the Red Flag ramp, information Juliet.” With that, our mission begins. We have a precise takeoff time as we only have a five-minute window to drop our bombs, about forty-five minutes from now. We have been preparing this mission to get those bombs on target within that window of time for twenty-four hours. After being cleared for takeoff, I watch three 30’ flames roar down the runway in twenty second intervals, before I follow in my F-16. I push the power up, checking the engine gauges before throwing the throttle full forward into max afterburner. A second or two later, I feel a kick and the rapid acceleration begins. The big flame has lit and 29,000 lbs of thrust is hurtling me down the runway. At 155 knots I pull back on the stick and the rumble of the imperfect runway gives way to the perfect calm air of the night sky. After raising the gear, I am accelerating through 350 knots and locking #3 up with my radar to follow them to the fight airspace.

There is complete darkness over the uninhabited desert so I throw on my night vision goggles. I now see the world, the mountains and desert landscape, through a fuzzy green filter. I am setting up the infrared camera, ensuring the bombs are ready, flying in the proper formation and listening to updates of the war over the radio and via text messages sent to the jet.

Tonight our four ship is staying low, hugging mountains to hide from SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) and keeping out of the chaotic air-to-air war that will undoubtedly unfold above. Other jets should be providing an escort cover so we can focus on our bombing but we have heat-seeking and radar-guided missiles to attack enemy aircraft as well.

As we change to the fight radio frequency, the war is well underway. There isn’t a second of quiet time as guys are shooting and getting shot, and the air battle manager is trying to help everyone understand what’s going on. Through my NVGs, I see hundreds of lights flashing and airplanes expending fireballs, called flares, all across the sky. It is chaos. About that time my flight lead signals us all to drop it down to the floor and push west toward the enemy targets. It now feels like a surreal dream as I am screaming through mountains at 600 mph while keeping track of three other jets in my formation, at times upside down to stay as close to the mountain peaks as we legally can through these NVGs. Without them on, I can’t see anything.

As we cross into enemy territory, I get a terrible beeping in my headset and despite my best efforts to go unnoticed by enemy SAMs, they are tracking me. I push the throttle forward to light the afterburner and begin a maneuver I hope will defeat the radar tracking me and if he shoots, defeat the missile as well. I let the entire war know of my situation, “Lobo 4, Mud 2 bearing 260, Bullseye 080 for 60!” Hopefully someone will kill it before it kills me. This is a high G-force maneuver with a lot of turning and I need to make sure I don’t smack into the side of a mountain. Instead I use the mountain to hide from where I think the SAM is and the warning goes away. I am safe, for now.

We continue to press west with everyone in my flight getting tracked by different SAMs but no aircraft have targeted us. The F-15s and F-22s above have been doing a great job shooting down the enemy airplanes before they threaten us but they are running out of missiles.  We have been aggressively flying low for almost fifteen minutes and are just 15 miles from the target when we hear two enemy aircraft are headed our way. We pop up to gain a few thousand feet to put our cameras on the target. I am supposed to put all six of my bombs on one missile-launching site and I am frantically searching in the 4x4-inch camera screen to find it in this complex of structures. If I can’t, we will have to start circling the target area to find it, making ourselves an easy target for the enemy and tonight, that almost certainly means death. I am now four miles from dropping, making sure I don’t run into my wingman, when I get another warning of a SAM tracking me. I don’t care. I need to find this damn target and I am struggling. The entire success of the mission rests on finding this tiny missile silo and because we are low, it is hard to see with other structures blocking the view.  With fifteen seconds to release, the sweat pouring down my face, I am blinded and my NVGs go white temporarily before quickly recovering. I look to the right and see four mushroom clouds of explosions from the flight of four F-15Es next to us, lighting up the entire sky. Holy shit, that was awesome, but I have no time to enjoy the view.

At ten seconds to release, I think I see the target. Unfortunately, “I think” is not good enough. I am about to consent to 3,000 lbs of explosives coming off my jet. I am about to choose who lives or dies with the red button under my right thumb and I have to be 100% confident before I hit it. Based on the target picture on my lap, the concrete slab under the launcher looks like a T but I can’t see it yet. I start lining my jet up with that object, hoping I will see this confirming feature at the last second as mission success rests on it. 

At three seconds to release, the concrete T in the camera pod emerges and I hear Lobo 1 and 2 release their weapons. I let out a sigh of relief, continue to refine the steering to the target and hit the red button.  I feel the six bombs ripple off my wings and then aggressively maneuver back east. I briefly lift the NVGs and roll up to 90 degrees of bank so I can watch the six, near instantaneous explosions create a fireball where the target once was right below my jet. The adrenaline is pumping now. 

The mission is a success and I can’t help but smile. 

This is awesome.

It certainly is. You won't get this experience sitting in an office.

Drink up 



Pax