Tag Archives: pilot training

Israeli Fighter Pilot Killed in Crash

Various news outlets (including CNN and Fox) reported that Israeli Defense Force Lt. Assaf Ramon died in an F-16 crash on Sunday.  (The Lieutenant was posthumously promoted to Captain.)  The Israel National News reports speculation that sounds much like a G-LOC.  The aircraft was an F-16A, an older version of the American-made fighter; the crash appears to have occurred during his F-16 training, just a few months after he received his wings from basic pilot training.

Ramon was reported as being either 20 or 21 years old, both of which are young by American standards.  Based on entering college Read more

Flying to Resume at Vance AFB

According to reports, the labor union on strike at Vance AFB has reached an agreement with its parent contractor that will enable them to resume support of pilot training operations.

Part of the reason given for contracting maintenance, rather than having active duty military duty do it, is the cost savings to the military.  Given the recent events–which included having to bring in support from other bases for life-saving functions and sending aircrew to other bases to accomplish their training–one wonders if the military saved much money (or if the contractor will cover the bill for not fulfilling its contract over the two week strike).

The contractors will now have to prepare aircraft for flying that have been sitting idle for two weeks.  This is unlikely to be a pleasant endeavor for either them or the aircrew, as aircraft are notorious for not liking being idle for so long.

Afghan Pilot Finishes USAF Training

An Afghan military officer completed the US Air Force’s Aviation Leadership Program and was awarded his wings.  Lt. Faiz Mohammed Ramaki was selected to attend the training last year.  It appears Lt Ramaki finished the program by flying the T-6, rather than the T-38 or T-1 that USAF pilots fly.  Lt Ramaki is said to be going to fly the C-27 Spartan for the Afghan Air Force.

UAV Trainees Outnumber Combat Pilot Trainees

According to the Air Force Times, the Air Force will train more UAV pilots than fighter/bomber pilots this year.  While the current number of fighter and bomber pilots still dwarfs the number of UAV pilots, the Air Force will train 240 UAV pilots, though only 214 fighter and bomber pilots, this year.

The article does not distinguish between Predator and Global Hawk UAVs, which might be a similar distinction between fighter/bomber and airlift/tanker pilots.

Youngest Predator Operators Graduate

The first pilot training graduates to go straight to Unmanned Air Vehicle training for the Predator (as noted previously) have recently graduated from the Predator training course.

Some have described the actions as necessary given the high demand for UAV missions in the ongoing conflicts.  Others have worried that removing pilots from their pilot role (of actual aircraft) when they have little to no experience may doom their ability to return to the cockpit after 3 to 4 years of the non-flying tour.

“How do I become a fighter pilot…?”

While ChristianFighterPilot.com has seen recognition among jurists, activists, soldiers, civilians, Christians and atheists from all points of view, it also remains a source of information for those asking some more basic questions:

How do I become a fighter pilot in the Air Force/Navy/Marines?

Questions on becoming a fighter pilot, from medical qualifications to the pilot lifestyle, remain one of the most often addressed topics (as are questions on fighter pilot lingo).  Much of the answer is available in the FAQ (and new questions are added as they are asked).  Believe it or not, there are actually few reliable sources of information on how to become a fighter pilot.  Even the official military sites can be confusing, incomplete, or contradictory, often because the information changes faster than the websites.

An internet search for “become a fighter pilot” will likely find the website of Marine fighter pilot Ed Rush, who has made a virtual living answering this question. His website, http://www.becomefighterpilot.com/, features teases of dramatic “top secret” ways to virtually guarantee being selected as a fighter pilot.  He sells a “fighter pilot power pack” (the “current” price is $97) that claims to have the “tips and tricks” to give his customers an advantage over everyone else. Read more

Raptor Lieutenants Graduate

While one UPT graduate became the first assigned directly to a Predator, the first class of pilot training students assigned directly to Raptors (after a short detour in F-16s) has graduated from the F-22 basic course.

Like the much cheaper and rugged A-10, there are no 2-seat F-22s; unlike the $30 million F-16, when new pilots climb into the $140 million Raptor for the first time, they do so solo.

UPT Grad Assigned to UAVs

The Air Force Times has an article on one of the first pilot training graduates to be assigned to a UAV rather than an aircraft.  He displays an admirable perspective:

The Air Force is bigger than me. The Air Force doesn’t exist to serve my needs, I exist to serve the needs of the Air Force.

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