When you start your flight training, it pretty much goes without saying that it would bode well for you memorize your emergency procedures. I talk often a couple of critical ones that literally saved my life, but what I haven’t stressed for a while is the concept of pushing the clock. What the … [Read more...] about The Importance of Pushing the Clock
Changing Enemies, Changing Roles
In the Korean War, there was a lot of emphasis on air-to-air combat as the F-100 Super Sabre was developed in response to the Soviet Union's MiG-15. Then in Vietnam, more emphasis started to be placed on the fighter jet's air-to-ground role in support of the troops. By the time we got to the … [Read more...] about Changing Enemies, Changing Roles
Having Faith in the Team
One of the biggest nightmares I ever had in my life was spinning out of control in an F/A-18. Actually, it happened to me twice! That is NOT a bragging point! Allowing myself to get into that situation two times is not something that looks good in a pilot's logbook. I did manage to save the … [Read more...] about Having Faith in the Team
Staying Sharp
You already know that hard work is par for the course in your road to becoming a fighter pilot, but when you finally do make it into the cockpit of your dream jet (and armed with the right information with implementation, it's only a matter of time before you do), you'll find that the real work is … [Read more...] about Staying Sharp
Sharing Information with the Formation
"One of the trickiest things I found coming to the F-22 from the Typhoon was thinking fifth-gen. I didn't appreciate that until I started flying the F-22. I'd worked with the Raptor on numerous occasions in the past on joint exercises and I had a good appreciation of how they worked. However, what I … [Read more...] about Sharing Information with the Formation