#Fighter pilot requirements how to#
#Fighter pilot requirements full#

There are many roles in a flying unit that a fighter pilot can fill that are not related to flying, but in addition to being a fighter pilot, there are also aviation related roles that a fighter pilot can fill depending on the fighter pilot’s rank and tenure. Every branch of service has monthly, quarterly and yearly requirements for its personnel and a fighter pilot is not immune to this.

#Fighter pilot requirements how to#

A fighter pilot is trained not just on how to fly, but how to lead, manage resources and behave while in and out of uniform. In addition, as an officer, there will be required training that a fighter pilot must attend in order to satisfy requirements from his or her service and the U.S. Maybe they won’t serve as the unit PAO, but they serve as a liaison for outreach and communications. Public affairs officer (PAO) might also be an additional duty that a fighter pilot might fill. While a unit may have a human resources specialist, as an officer, a fighter pilot might have to evaluate and rate other junior members of the unit. Personnel functions are required of a fighter pilot.

They will need orders to travel to training schools and they will be decorated for their service. In order to function, there are many other functions and operations that need to be tended to by unit members.įor example, members of a flying unit will need to be evaluated on their performance. A unit doesn’t just have air and maintenance crews. When they aren’t flying, a fighter pilot will have additional or ancillary duties. By now, the fighter pilot has spent nearly half, if not more, of his or her time on the ground in pre- and post-mission meetings concerning the mission. Upon returning from a mission, there is a mission debrief that can last for a couple of hours. Like most professions in the military, once earned, a fighter pilot must actively perform to keep his or her rating. In order to maintain his or her flight status, a fighter pilot must log requisite hours in the cockpit. Most flight missions are normally conducted to keep the fighter pilot proficient and to improve the skill of the fighter pilot.Ī fighter pilot does not just go to flight school, learn to fly and then just fly when needed. This can take about an hour or so.įinally, they get in, fire up their aircraft and take off. From there, they head out to the aircraft where they conduct preflight checks and talk with support staff about the aircraft.

Coordinates, weather and other particulars are covered.Ī fighter pilot then will go to the aircrew flight equipment room to put on their gear. Mission briefs can take about an hour to complete depending on the complexity of the mission. The mission will get briefed about two-and-a-half hours prior to takeoff. They show up at their units and prepare for the flight by studying or examining mission boards so every fighter pilot is on the same sheet of music. Much of the mission isn’t spent in the air, but on the ground.Īccording to Air Force fighter pilots, 90 percent of the job is preparation. There is a certain amount of rest a fighter pilot must get before they fly because most duty days for fighter pilots are at least 12 hours long when they are scheduled to fly.

Space Force does not operate aircraft at the moment), the pilots fly helicopters and fixed wing non-fighter jets and propeller aircraft. Any fighter pilot, regardless of service, who kills five aircraft in aerial combat is considered an ace. A fighter pilot from those three branches of service receives training in dogfighting and in ground attack. Naval and Marine Corps aviators are trained to land on an aircraft carrier. Marine Corps all have fighter pilots that fly a variety of aircraft. A fighter pilot can also fly electronic warfare fighter aircraft. Sure, Top Gun helped military aviation recruitment, but there is a lot more to being a fighter pilot than just rocking cool sunglasses and a patch-covered jacket.īy definition, a fighter pilot is a military aviator who flies tactical aircraft, normally jets, in order to engage in air-to-air or air-to-ground combat. As the old saying goes, not everything is as it seems and Hollywood has certainly not helped.

#Fighter pilot requirements full#

The truth is while the life of a fighter pilot might seem very adventurous and full of fun, a lot of planning and preparation goes into being a fighter pilot. When you hear the words “fighter pilot,” what image comes to mind? Is it the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels and their machine-like precision, or is it Tom Cruise living the rock star life in Top Gun flying high performance jets, drinking beer, chasing women into bathrooms, singing in piano bars, playing volleyball and riding his crotch rocket?