Over the holidays, we came across an article on BBC News on a study done in the UK to show that fighter pilots’ performance was due to higher connection levels in the right hemispheres of their brains as compared to other healthy people who are not pilots.

They believe that it is this level of right-brain activity that gives fighter pilots their ability to respond quickly and accurately to a target even in spite of distractions.

(All this time, I thought we got our abilities from the earth’s yellow sun.)

All kidding aside, the debate now is whether or not this is a “nature or nurture” thing. Is this a quality that we are born with or is it the result of training?

I personally am inclined to think the latter. Training is definitely what gives us our edge in performance against our adversaries in combat. Many people have asked me over the years how I’m able to multi-task in the cockpit of a fighter jet and I always tell them that the answer can be summed up in five words: training, training, and more training!

Having said that however, maybe there is something that people like you and I are born with that makes us good pilots; that quality that gives you the desire to become a fighter pilot in the first place. Some people might call it the “flying bug”. Others call it the “right stuff” (hence the title of Tom Wolfe’s book.)

What ever that quality is, if you’re reading this, you very likely have it. All you need is the training.

On the Afterburner Club, a lot of young people just like you are getting a head start on their training to become the next generation of America’s top-notch fighter pilots. They are learning how they can get into the service with a flight guarantee and select the jet of their choice.

If you’re not already a member, take the initiative and click here to start your training.

Do you think you are born with what it takes to be a great fighter pilot? Do you think you can become a great fighter pilot through training? Or do you think it is a combination of both?