bladerunner
Banned Idiot
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Pilots Taining Duration
- Thread starter Delbert
- Start date
vesicles
Colonel
Two of my colleagues in grad school took flying lessons and got their licenses. It was actually pretty easy. I know this because another labmate of mine was at the time dating a pilot in the Air Force (I think he flies C-17) who were in school getting his Master's. And while in school, he used those small propeller planes to keep up his flying skills 3 times a week. Still, once a week, he had to go down to Ellignton Field (an Air National Guard base south of Houston) to fly the actual military planes (he won't tell us what type of plane he was actually flying there).
And this pilot laughed at those two guys who were bragging about their new licenses and their potential to fly military planes. He basically said some of the main part of the training include familiarity with instruments and combat formations, none of which was covered in private pilot training. No Air Force still uses those old propeller planes with WWII era instruments. And of course, they won't teach combat formation. According to his words, private pilot training only teaches you to fly straight from point A to point B. In a comparison, he suggested that to compare private pilot training with actual combat flying is like comparing passing driving school to driving at Indy 500, entirely two different kinds of beasts. And what about driving a tank? We all know how to drive a car. Does that mean we are a step ahead in terms of learning how to operate a modern tank?
The planes used in WWII were vastly different from the planes we use today in combat. While basic planes used in private lessons were pretty similar to the ones used in combat in WWII, they look nothing alike nowadays. I bet even the most avid recreational pilot would be equally clueless when he/she sits inside an F-15. Plus, no one actually flies frequent enough to gain the kind of familiarity with planes to maintain the kind of advantage over someone who has never flown before. Someone with no previous flying experience can make up that deficit and becomes a "shaky" pilot just like majority of those with some private piloting lessons in no time.
And this pilot laughed at those two guys who were bragging about their new licenses and their potential to fly military planes. He basically said some of the main part of the training include familiarity with instruments and combat formations, none of which was covered in private pilot training. No Air Force still uses those old propeller planes with WWII era instruments. And of course, they won't teach combat formation. According to his words, private pilot training only teaches you to fly straight from point A to point B. In a comparison, he suggested that to compare private pilot training with actual combat flying is like comparing passing driving school to driving at Indy 500, entirely two different kinds of beasts. And what about driving a tank? We all know how to drive a car. Does that mean we are a step ahead in terms of learning how to operate a modern tank?
The planes used in WWII were vastly different from the planes we use today in combat. While basic planes used in private lessons were pretty similar to the ones used in combat in WWII, they look nothing alike nowadays. I bet even the most avid recreational pilot would be equally clueless when he/she sits inside an F-15. Plus, no one actually flies frequent enough to gain the kind of familiarity with planes to maintain the kind of advantage over someone who has never flown before. Someone with no previous flying experience can make up that deficit and becomes a "shaky" pilot just like majority of those with some private piloting lessons in no time.
bladerunner
Banned Idiot
Im in agreement with most aspects in what youve pointed out however However steping into a prop plane and flying around can determine whether one has the right aptitude. I was told one time that landing by auto pilot was not the norm nor encouraged, I dont know if its true or not, but its something about the auto placing the plane around the same spot of the runway continuously wasnt good for that part of the runway.
I know many people who have taken off, flown from point a to b. as you say, but try as they might they cant get the hang of landing.Finding that out before joining the airforce would help.and not everyone who joins the airforce become fighter pilots. I Some just end up flying turboprop transport aircraft for instance.
Private pilots license is just the first stage. In my day one could progress futher in learning to fly on instruments for night flying, getting their commercial licence, so they can fly for commercial airlines by coming up through the grades. Some even do aerobatics for the fun of it.
When I was flying I had a friend who progressed on to become helicopter pilot in the states, the last I heard he ferries people around New York
AS i said it can also become a good source of people to fly drones.
By the way Ill call him my neigbour though he lives about 20miles away but we belong to the same aero club owns a Mig which he flies around the place and he started with a P.P. Weve often joked that because NZ airfoce does not have any fighters or attack aircraft he could get some nutions and declare war on NZ
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vesicles
Colonel
what kind of Mig? He can make his own munition (home-made bombs) and practice bomb runs. I bet that would be fun... Better yet, use some water balloons as munitions and "bomb" someone's house...
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bladerunner
Banned Idiot
Mig21 / J7? he bought it off the Czechs, though it had to be okeyd by the Russians.
One has to be careful not to be doing a mid level pass over the neigbours and breaking the sound barrier
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Lol you're joking right?
If not then I just have to quickly say there aren't too many realistic flight simulators for modern combat aircraft. For example, in the Ace Combat series you can load a plane with a hundred missiles...
And there's the whole complexity in actually pressing the buttons in a real plane as well rather than pressing, x, circle, square or triangle to fire guns, missiles, or change target lol.
The only help playing those games may help in is possibly understanding the basic HUD of a fighter plane as they're kind of similar.
But you're joking right?
you didnt get my point...i didnt mean playing just games with warplanes in it, these games improves your hand-eye coordination and reflexes (or so do some experts say), so kids that have experience with these games are prolly quicker at learning those stuff than kids grow up reading and watching tv like me. i am pretty damn sure if i joined the airforce with a bunch of kids that play PS3 (which is pretty much any kid now), i'd be the last one to master the operation of the jet. its just an idea...
I couldn't agree with u on this. True playing PS3, xbox and Wii, might (and I emphasis on the word 'might') improve on your hand and eye coordination, but really it is not actually everything in flying aircrafts, and I don't believe that it will put these kids at an advantage over other people.
If your logic stands, then those young monks in Shaolin temple or young kids that had been learning martial arts (Taekwondo, karate, etc) would automatically have better chance in picking up flying easier.
vesicles
Colonel
Well, people do say that these kids will have an advantage in terms of being UAV controllers because of their "training" on monitors and joysticks.
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