Tag Archives: acronym

The Language of the Fighter Pilot: YGBSM

Much of the fighter pilot lexicon is not suitable for the ears of Mom or the kids.  When translated, this is one of those terms.

YGBSM is short for “You Gotta Be Sh-tting Me,” which is obviously a term of shock, disbelief, or resignation at a realization of institutional stupidity.  Where did it come from, and why is it so popular in the fighter pilot community?

Lt Col Allen Lamb, USAF (ret.), wrote a first person account about being one of the Air Force’s (the world’s) first SAM-killers, otherwise known as “Wild Weasels:”   Read more