One of the biggest nightmares I ever had in my life was spinning out of control in an F/A-18. Actually, it happened to me twice! That is NOT a bragging point! Allowing myself to get into that situation two times is not something that looks good in a pilot’s logbook.
I did manage to save the aircraft both times without ejecting though. Again, this is not a bragging point. Even though I was the only one in the cockpit and the only one who could do anything to save the aircraft, I still can’t take credit for it.
Why?
Because steps were taken by my fellow team members (in this case, the designers of the F/A-18 and the instructors who drilled the out-of-control procedure in my head to where I have it memorized to this day) that insured my safety.
The very first steps of the out-of-control procedure are to release the controls and take your feet off of the pedals. That may sound like the LAST thing you should do when you’re out of control and you feel that you will be dead in seconds if you don’t do something.
But you ARE doing something. You’re airplane will be the most advanced in the air, which means your team members who designed and built it were some pretty smart people. Believe it or not, the airplane itself knows how to right itself way better than you do, and releasing the controls almost always gets you out of the situation you put it in. And for the times when it doesn’t, there’s the rest of the procedure.
It might seem like an awfully simplistic solution to put any faith in the designers of my plane and my instructors who drilled that procedure into my head. But that procedure saved my life! Twice! So when I say you can trust your team and support personnel to the point of literally putting your life in their hands, I know what I’m talking about.
Find out more about just how remarkable modern military aircraft are and get a head start on memorizing the procedures for your dream jet today! Yes, you will find all of this here at the Afterburner Club, your one-stop resource to find out everything you need to know about becoming and being a fighter pilot. It’s all here!