When I hear someone being critical of the F-22 Raptor, it’s always regarding the COST of the plane and how “unnecessary” it is when we already have planes like the F-15 and F/A-18 that already have the ability to pretty much dominate over anything else in the sky. NO ONE ever seems to contest the fact that the F-22 is one mega-cool airplane. And with good reason…because it is!
You hear stories like a sortie the Air Force flew back in 2003 where five F-15s were pitted against one Raptor and all five Eagles bit the dust, and it’s easy to think to yourself, “Man! When I get into the cockpit in one of THOSE babies, I’m gonna be the king of the sky! No one will ever be able to touch me.”
And yet…we still continue to develop new weapons systems for the F-22 and other reigning aircraft. And F-22 pilots are still forced to memorize their emergency procedures like every other fighter pilot. There’s a really good reason for this too…
They don’t want to be a hare.
What do I mean by a hare? I’m talking about the story of the tortoise and the hare. You know the one, where the fast-as-lightning hare and a slower-than-molasses-in-January tortoise are pitted against each other in a race. The hare knows he’s got it made in the shade, so guess what…he decides to take that LITERALLY for a little bit and park himself under the shade of a tree towards the finish line with his shades and take a nap. He figures he’s got such a wide lead and is so close to the finish line that the tortoise will still be way behind by the time he wakes up.
You know how THAT turned out!
F-22 pilots may be like the hare in that they’re hot stuff and they know it, but part of knowing it is staying on top of their technological systems and procedures. How embarrassing would it be to get into a freak accident in an F-22 and lose the aircraft because the pilot never thought that this could happen in an F-22 and didn’t stay sharp on his emergency procedures!
Pursuing your career as a fighter pilot with the Afterburner Club is the same way. With information this good and the knowledge you gain on the various ways to can zig-zag your way into the cockpit of your dreams like a heat-seeking missile and access to information on fighter aircraft systems and components with which you could BREEZE your way through flight school, you might actually feel like the hare the first time you go through it when you realize just how attainable the goal of being a fighter pilot really is.
The trick is to implement! Too many people who know that they have what it take to become a fighter pilot sit on the information they have, knowing that they have it “made in the shade”, and then get it completely snagged by someone else who they didn’t even know had the same booksmarts that they had, but were smart enough to KEEP RACING and not stop until AFTER they cross the finish line. Then, they study up and train for the NEXT race!
You don’t be the hare in “The Tortoise and the Hare.” If you want to be an F-22 pilot, then be LIKE an F-22 pilot! Join the Afterburner Club and arm yourself with the tools that when implemented properly, will guarantee success!