Becoming A Fighter Pilot: An Introduction to Your Next Career

Transcription

1 Introduction Ed Rush Presents Becoming A Fighter Pilot: An Introduction to Your Next Career 1) How and why Future Ace got started in the first place a. Lots of bad / inaccurate information out there some examples: i. You need 20/20 vision to be a fighter pilot. ii. You need perfect grades to be a fighter pilot iii. It s easier to get jets in this service. iv. Etc b. My Story i. I had no solid reference ii. Just like me, many people walk into a recruiters office blind and then leave with only information about one program and one service c. My Goal: To be the single-source and un-biased resource for those who dream of becoming fighter pilots. Some Introductory Thoughts Everyone who becomes a fighter pilot takes each of these steps and makes each of these decisions (consciously or unconsciously). A mistake at one of these can be costly. Information will be your strongest ally. o But don t hoard it! Solicit advice in the process o Parents o School counselors o Church leaders o Friends, etc

2 Steps to Becoming a Fighter Pilot 1) Answering the following question: Is this something I really want to do? a. Some advantages to becoming a fighter pilot i. Prestige ii. Exhilaration iii. Training iv. Travel v. Challenges vi. Missions vii. Flying jets like this b. Some disadvantages to becoming a fighter pilot i. Work ii. Deployments iii. May not get jets 2) Gathering Information a. Make a binder b. Sift through all of the info. c. Keep notes, contacts, s, websites, etc d. Consult the Afterburner Club Forum at the Member Site 3) Decide on a Service a. Many Advantages and Disadvantages b. Have a backup plan 4) Decide on a Program a. Will likely depend on: i. Age / college experience ii. What you want to do in college 5) Decide on a Service Specific Program a. Plan is almost complete 6) Make final preparations to walk into the recruiters / admissions office 7) Execute the Plan. How to make the most out of Future Ace 1) Skip / skim sections as necessary 2) Anchor on Ch 5 3) Use it as a launching Pad 4) Updates things change all of the time 5) Check back often

3 Becoming A Fighter Pilot: An Introduction to Your Next Career Note: I always appreciate it when you are able to provide a link to one of my pages on your own webpages, personal pages (i.e. MySpace), or blogs. Afterburner Club Forum A great place to post, ask, and answer questions to a large crowd of folks just like you is located at: User Name and Password Are Updated Via

4 Fighter Pilot Medical Requirements: What You Need to Pass Your Physical With Flying Colors Overall Considerations 2) Are the medical regulations hard and fast or flexible? a. The answer is both b. Some Unofficial Historical Examples c. Be the example of a future officer. This means being: i. Courteous ii. Cordial iii. Well-groomed iv. And saying something like: This is something I have always wanted to do without hamming it up. 3) Overall guidelines that the medical examiner is considering. They want to make sure that you meet some big picture qualifications: a. Low risk of incapacitation b. Low risk of Performance decrement c. Stable under stress d. No big probability of recurrence of past problems e. Will not need major procedures, tests, follow up, etc f. Must be able to sustain flying ops 4) Two Physicals a. Entrance b. Pre-Flying 5) Yes / No sheet a. Be honest, but don t over answer 6) What happens if you get turned down? 7) Updates and rule changes happen all of the time a. E.g. PRK 8) Other resources to find out information: a. Three documents b. Fighter Pilot Forum c. Other candidates

5 Detailed Physical / Medical Standards ** This is by no means an exhaustive list.** **This list simply covers some of the most prevalent standards.** 1) Allergies no record of problems after age 12 2) Nasal, Throat, Mouth, Sinuses a. Valsalva 3) Self-Balance Test 4) Labs a. Urinalysis b. HIV 5) EKG 6) Blood Pressure 7) Pulse Rate 8) Eyesight Standards Fighter Pilot vision requirements generally fall into 1 of 5 categories: 1. Distant Vision 2. Near Vision 3. Field of Vision 4. Color Vision 5. Night Vision 6. Depth Perception Air Force Vision Requirements Distant Vision: 20/70, correctable to 20/20. Near Vision: 20/20 Navy / Marine Corps Vision Requirements: Distant Vision: 20/40, correctable to 20/20. Near Vision: 20/20 Category #1: If your eyesight is within standards or close, you need to make sure to maintain or improve your vision all the way until you get into the cockpit. There are two ways to do this: 1. Avoid or minimize exposure to the most common ways that deteriorate your vision. They are:

6 1. Wearing glasses or contacts. 2. Reading. 3. Aging (ok, you can t avoid it, but try). 4. Computer use (but don t stop just yet!) 5. Lack of proper nutrients. 6. Squinting or straining to see. 7. Not exercising your eyes. (For more detail on these, see the vision article on my site: 2. Invest in an eye exercise program to improve or maintain your vision. I recommend the Vision for Life program Category #2: if your eyesight is well outside of requirements, there is one more option for vision improvement. You may be able to get your vision fixed with the PRK procedure. According to the FDA, PRK is photorefractive keratectomy which is a procedure involving the removal of the surface layer of the cornea (epithelium) by gentle scraping and use of a computer-controlled excimer laser to reshape the stroma. PRK is waiverable See the link at 9) Hearing 10) Anthropometric Height and Weight a. Navy / Marine Corps (measurement waivers down to 5 3 and up to 6 5 ) lbs. (waivers for and ) b. Air Force Sitting Height lbs. (240 lbs. max. for T-38) 11) Dental 12) Airsickness a. Tough to determine if you ll have problems b. Treatment is available if needed c. Don t worry of you puke on your first flight d. Do worry if you are still puking on your 10 th flight.

7 13) Medication 14) General Physical Fitness Chest Abdomen Breathing Head Feet Skin Blood Other Neurological Psychiatric Arthritis History of Decompression Sickness Overall Keep in mind the intro you still probably have a shot even though you may not think that you do. Keep a positive attitude and keep up the motivation and things will probably go very well.

8 Fighter Pilot Medical Requirements: What You Need to Pass Your Physical With Flying Colors Links Medical documentation - Vision Improvement Article - Vision Improvement Program Note: If you like any of the pages above (especially the first one ), I always appreciate a link to them from your webpage, MySpace, or blogs. Afterburner Club Forum A great place to post, ask, and answer questions to a large crowd of folks just like you is located at: User Name and Password Are Updated Via

9 Introduction Rush Hour Seminars Presents How to Excel in Flight School What airplane you will end up flying is based on: o Your Performance in Flight School and o The Needs of Your Service The advice in this course will help you increase your chances. Don t need to apply it all at once but be creative Flight School Overview 9) Ground School a. Two Versions of Ground School i. Pre-Flight Training 1. Aerodynamics 2. Weather 3. Basic Flight Rules 4. Physiology 5. Computer Based Training (CBT) 6. Swimming / Physical Standards ii. Pre-Flying 1. Specific Aircraft Systems Basics 10) Flight School Airplanes a. Primary Flight Training Airplanes i. T-6 Texan /sys/ac/t-6.htm ii. T-37 Tweet - actsheet.asp?fsid=125 iii. T-34C Turbo Mentor -

10 b. Advanced Flight Training Airplanes i. T ii. AT c. Each has it s own set of ground schools 11) Primary Flight School a. Simulators ( Sims ) i. Switches Simulator 1. Basic trainer used to teach where all the controls and switches are, but will not have electronics. ii. Cockpit Procedure Trainer 1. Basic procedures and emergency training. iii. Full Motion Simulator 1. Just like the real thing or pretty close. b. Familiarization /Contact Stage Takeoff, flying, landing, etc c. Solo d. Aerobatics Loops, rolls, more g e. Basic Instruments f. Night Flying g. Formation Flying 2 Ship h. Cross Country Flying i. Low Level Navigation 12) Advanced Flight School a. Instruments (again) b. Familiarization Similar to primary, but much, much faster c. Advanced Formation d. Basic Bombing e. Tactical Formations f. Low Level Navigation g. Basic Dogfighting h. Carrier Landings (Navy / Marine Corps)

11 Flight School Tips Do these and you will increase your chances Overall Considerations 1) You are a student act like one a. Pretend you are paying $1,000 for every flight. Or b. At least act like you are trying to hold down a job you are. 2) Time Management a. Will have more time in flight school than anywhere else trust me. b. What s important i. Family ii. Flying, studying 3) Priorities a. Distractions include: i. The opposite sex ii. Beer iii. Cars iv. Finances 4) What to do on Friday night a. Work hard / Play hard 5) Living Arrangements a. Out in town vs. On base b. Avoid living near major distractions i. Example: MTV Beach House c. Find a place to study that is free of distractions i. If Barnes and Noble works for you, ok. If not, find a place that does. ii. And then don t bring any of your own in with you iii. Your mind needs to be quiet 6) Take one day off a. And bust your butt on the other 6! 7) What it means to get the gouge a. Good gouge v. Bad gouge b. Why this distinction is so important c. Sharing the gouge will help you learn d. If you can teach, it will reinforce your own learning e. Owning mindset vs. Sharing mindset

12 Performing Well in Ground School 1) Taking notes 2) Avoid falling asleep in class a. i.e. Get some sleep the night before 3) Study each night on each class and re-do notes 4) Find out what are the learning objectives 5) Foot stompers 6) Ask questions 7) Talk to classes ahead of you 8) Studying together 9) Taking tests and the lowest common denominator Performing Well in the Simulator 1) Why this is becoming much more important 2) But I haven t even flown this airplane yet! 3) Using your imagination 4) Beginning to learn to multi-task 5) Continuing to take notes 6) Use sim. when it is not in use Performing Well in the Airplane 1) Multi-Tasking and The Multi-Tasking Myth a. Training b. Habits c. Discipline 2) Muscle memory a. Right Hand b. Left Hand c. Feet d. Eyeballs 3) Procedure memorization a. e.g. T-34 Engine failure b. Practice memorizing skills now i. Infinite capacity ii. Think of it as lifting for the brain iii. Examples 1. Bible passages

13 2. Hamlet iv. Reciting out loud v. Flash Cards 4) Flight Briefing a. Practice asking questions, quizzing your friends b. Be on your feet c. Don t be afraid to say I don t know d. Ask questions get the instructor talking 5) Chair-flying a. What it is b. Other ways to chair fly i. Lawnmower ii. Models 6) Rest 7) Relax 8) Enjoy the flying 9) Never stop thinking in the airplane! a. Be a duck. b. Practice with your driving now i. Keep track of all the cars ii. Keep track of your instruments iii. No cruise constant speed / distance 10) The Rule of Three Part Corrections 11) Flying is never perfect, but can get closer and closer as you get better 12) Large deviations v. Small / Unnoticeable deviations Final Thought Take one step at a time and work your way to success.

14 Rush Hour Seminars Presents How to Excel in Flight School Links Becoming A Fighter Pilot T-6 Texan - T-37 Tweet - T-34C Turbo Mentor - T AT Note: If you like any of the pages above (especially the first one ), please feel free to provide a link to them on your webpages, personal pages, or blogs. Afterburner Club Forum A great place to post, ask, and answer questions to a large crowd of folks just like you is located at: User Name and Password Are Updated Via

15 Rush Hour Seminars Presents Marching to Mach: Your Fighter Pilot Career at a Glance 1) Information Gathering 2) Service Decision a. Chapter 2 in Future Ace: The Complete Guide to Becoming A Fighter Pilot 3) Program Decision a. Chapter 3 in Future Ace: The Complete Guide to Becoming A Fighter Pilot 4) Preparation / Execution a. Read i. Non-fiction, war books, fighter pilot books ii. Service History iii. Customs and Courtesies b. Work-Out i. Running, Pull-Ups, Sit-Ups, etc c. Stay Qualified i. Drugs, Law ii. Eyesight 5) Boot Camp / OCS a. TBS additional school for Marines. 6) Flight School a. Primary Flight Training i. T-6 Texan - ii. T-37 Tweet - iii. T-34 Turbo Mentor - b. Advanced i. T ii. AT iii. USAF Replacement Training Unit (RTU) iv. Navy / USMC Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) 7) The Squadron a. Two ears, and one (or no) mouth 8) Secondary Jobs a. Some involve flying; some don t 9) 2 nd Tour in The Squadron 10) Some Others a. Test Pilots b. Blue Angels / Thunderbirds c. Weapons School Instructor d. Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) School 11) The Career Decision

16 Rush Hour Seminars Presents Marching to Mach: Your Fighter Pilot Career at a Glance Links Improving Your Vision Naturally T-6 II T-34 T-37 T-45 T-38 Note: If you like any of the pages above (especially the first three ), please feel free to provide a link to them on your webpages, personal pages, or blogs. Afterburner Club Forum A great place to post, ask, and answer questions to a large crowd of folks just like you is located at: User Name and Password Are Updated Via

17 Fighter Pilot Missions Introduction 1) Spring 1991 Desert Storm a. First true Strike Fighter Missions in combat (FA-18) 2) What fighter missions are: a. Taking it to the enemy b. Fencing in c. Going tactical 3) What fighter missions are not: a. Administrative portions of the flight Takeoff, landing, tanking, etc b. The basics bombing, strafing, low altitude tactics, etc c. These are all basic building blocks to get you to the mission 4) Who does each mission? a. Multi-Role Aircraft v. Single Role i. FA-18 / F-16 multi role ii. EA-6B single role iii. FA-15C single role iv. Etc 5) How does training take place? a. Basics build to more complicated b. Air-to-Air c. Air-to-Ground d. Simulation

18 The only excuse for aviation in any service is its usefulness to the man on the ground. Alfred A. Cunningham, The Marine Corps 1 st Aviator Air-to-Air Missions 1) Defensive Counter Air (DCA) a. Point Defense b. Area Defense 2) Offensive Counter Air (OCA) a. Sweep b. Screen c. Close Escort d. Self-Escort Strike Air-to-Ground Missions 1) Service differences apply in missions a. History i. Army Air Corps vs. ii. Air Force b. More attractive missions c. Where are we now 2) Deep Air Support (DAS) a. AI / Deep Strike b. Armed Recce / Time Sensitive Targeting (TST) i. e.g. Scud Hunting c. Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance (SCAR) 3) Close Air Support (CAS) a. Forward Air Control Airborne (FACA) 4) Escort a. Helicopter Escort b. Convoy Escort 5) Intelligence / Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) 6) Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD)

19 What missions you will be flying (and some links to additional pages on each aircraft): F F-15C - F-15E - A U-2 / SR FA-18 C/D/E/F/G - F AV-8B - F F-35 A/B/C Rush Hour Seminars Presents Fighter Pilot Missions Links Afterburner Club Forum A great place to post, ask, and answer questions to a large crowd of folks just like you is located at: User Name and Password Are Updated Via