Thunderbirds Commander Relieved

[mscard88]

This was the scene where Chuck and Ridley were watching Gus get pulled out of the water. Ridley says something like "He screwed the pooch plain and simple. Pull that in flight test and it's over pard."

Yeah yeah, I remember now. Thanks.

 

[Zeldman]

Nope I haven't been to Alaska yet haha.

Yea I understand what your saying. Just hard to come to terms with it I guess. I am a pretty competitive person and I like to be great at everything I do. So when someone tells me "hey you can't do this, you have asthma" it really takes the wind out of your sails.

When you get to Soldotna, be sure to go down to Homer. Visit the Salty Dawg Saloon on the spit.

I understand where your coming from. I was very competitive when I was young(er) and full of pizz and vinegar. When I was told I could not do something, I enjoyed proving that person wrong. However, I am no longer full of vinegar so I am mellowing out a bit. I would have loved to have been a military flyer, but it wasn't in the cards. C'est la vie

 

[mscard88]

When you get to Soldotna, be sure to go down to Homer. Visit the Salty Dawg Saloon on the spit.

I understand where your coming from. I was very competitive when I was young(er) and full of pizz and vinegar. When I was told I could not do something, I enjoyed proving that person wrong. However, I am no longer full of vinegar so I am mellowing out a bit. I would have loved to have been a military flyer, but it wasn't in the cards. C'est la vie

So you're still full of pizz though correct?

 

[Zeldman]

I don’t agree with this part. The military doesn’t hold a monopoly on all the best pilots, but they do receive some of the best training. Certainly not everyone can do it. And, not everyone who can do it is equal.

Washouts happen all the way through the military training process, even after you’re fully qualified in the aircraft. I’ve known students who completed all the training but couldn’t land on the carrier, so washed out and had to go fly helicopters. Or, completed training with too low of the military equivalent of a GPA and were done. I’ve also known pilots with 1500 hours in fighters lose their wings and get sent packing because the could not longer perform at the required level. Sometimes it’s not even skill, it’s just confidence that causes them fail. It’s a combination of factors that’s required to be a successful military pilot (on the fighter side at least), and they have to stay aligned.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t other types of flying that can be equally challenging or pilots who will always be less because they didn’t get their training in the military. But not everyone can be a military pilot.

I certainly agree with you. Not everyone can be a military pilot. I had a bone injury that kept me out. I could have re-injured that bone in combat instead of being shot through the head. Some folks can't perform under pressure. Doesn't mean they are a bad pilot, just that they do not measure up to the rigid military standards.

I should have said anyone can fly just about any aircraft with training.

I was recruited to be an instructor at the military pre-flight training facility in Hondo, TX. I thought it was pretty funny that I was not given a chance to be a military flyer, but was wanted to train hopeful military flyers. I declined and instead went to Alaska. I think it was called Doss Aviation.

A friend of mine was a test pilot for Bell. He asked me if I wanted to be an instructor for the Osprey. I told him I do not know how to fly an Osprey. He said, "No one does..!!! It's not flying yet.!!" He told me I would be working with him and others developing a training syllabus. I declined because that thing looked too Buck Rogers in the 25th Century to me. I was so smart back then that I thought it would never go into service. If I had any regrets in life, not working on the training syllabus and learning to fly the Osprey would be a big one.

Washouts happen in the 135/121 world as well, even on recurrency rides. I watched a guy, 74 years old, have a bad day on a 135 recurrency ride. He did a few practice approaches, then decided to end a 50 year flying career. I think he had lost confidence in himself.

But like I said, I agree not everyone is cut out to be a military flyer. Those that do make it are the best of those that volunteered.