The Art of War, written by Sun Tzu, is a book that has carried on quite the legacy throughout the years, and throughout all cultures. Sun Tzu was a strategic military general who wanted to simplify tactics of warfare. It has been translated and reworked all over the world.
He must have been on to something if people are still talking about him thousands of years later!
Did you know that The Art of War is listed on the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program, it is recommended reading for all United States Military Intelligence personnel or that it is required reading for all CIA officers?
So what are the main themes of this book, and how do they apply to flying fighters?
“So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss. If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose. If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.”
Pretty interesting stuff, right?
If you think about it, this can apply to any situation in life. Now we don’t necessarily mean to say that everyone is your enemy! What we mean is that knowing yourself and your surroundings is key!
This links back to the previous post about Situational Awareness. It’s about thinking quick and always being ahead of the game. In flying, this is ESSENTIAL.
Say you’re in a dog fight with a MiG, and he’s hot on your tail?! What should you do?!
- First know everything you can about your aircraft and the opposing aircraft. Say the MiG starts to lose agility at 20,000 feet of altitude? What should you do? Push the MiG beyond 20,000 feet, that’s what! It is vital that you know your weak points, and more importantly what is going to test the limits of your adversary.
- Calculate! Study what you are doing, and all the possible outcomes of different situations. What if the MiG pulls 5 G’s and disappears out of sight? When you know what you’re getting into, you’ll be MUCH better off than going in blind.
- Jump on opportunities when you come across them. How many of you have said no to something and then kicked yourself for doing it? I have!! Sometimes we don’t speak up, or don’t want to be judged or don’t want to shoot for something we want. Guess what? If you don’t take an opportunity, someone else surely will.
- Be flexible. Learn to roll with the punches. You’ll stay more relaxed and keep a clear head!
These are just someone of the important keys fundamentals to winning in any situation.
Just a suggestion; if you get bored and feel like taking on a challenge, read the book. Not only is it a classic, but you’ll be well more informed than the people you’ll run into in flight training!
emmanuel says
hi sir am glad to read ur materials it real makes me happy coz am realy runing crayz when i found any materials about fighter pilots
Jonathan Tee says
This is especially what I love to hear about: the Art of War. The basic art of war by Sun Tzu: Knowing your enemy and knowing yourself will result in 100 victories. Not knowing your enemy but not knowing yourself, will end up in 100 defeats. Speaking of this situation of going against the MIG, there can be many other ways just to take down this guy. Let’s say it’s a more elusive Sukhoi Su-35 that is the enemy, and I am flying an F-22. The Raptor has things that the Sukhoi does not have such as stealth, B.V.R. capability, nor speed. The Sukhoi however, has extreme maneuverability (at any altitude) and has an anti-stealth radar able to track down a Raptor that is in close range. Therefore, it is best that if I were the Raptor pilot, I would first try to take the Sukhoi down from 136 miles before he could spot me on his radar range of around 90 km. I have studied the general basics about dogfighting and capabilities of different aircraft from books and documentaries. However, I believe there is a lot more to dogfighting than these basics alone; I will keep pushing to learn more about what it is like to be a fighter pilot.