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Answer from Ron Wagner, former USAF pilot in the Presidential Wing at Andrews AFB:
Becoming an Air Force pilot such a fabulous experience that it taints all the other great moments in life that will come later because you'll have set the bar very high at a very young age.
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There were so many exceptional experiences that I will relate only a few, in the order I remember them.
SEEING MY WINGS: On my first day of class, the building's main hallway was lined with glass cases of U.S. Air Force wings. One case for each class. One set of wings for each student. The first case was for the class that would graduate in a few weeks. It had a lot of empty spaces, which showed all the students who'd washed out. Each succeeding case had fewer empty slots. The last case was my class, which still held every set. Seeing my name under those wings gave me a chill. And when we graduated, those were the very ones they'd pin on us that day—if we were still there.
FIRST SOLO: Few things will ever compare to finally going solo in a jet and looking out across the wing and seeing "U.S. Air Force" written across the top. And it's yours! And the country has spent a lot of money to give you the honor of savoring that moment. I got chills again!
FIRST T-38 FLIGHT: The Talon is the most beloved plane of all time (IMHO) and you'll almost wet yourself the first time you take off in one and realize that all this money, this whole base, all this stuff, was to get you up and flying in one of these. And the really amazing part is that you're BEING PAID to do this. How can that be?
T-38 SOLO FLIGHTS: You'll get lots of solo time in the Talon and every single one will be a special moment you'll always remember. You can go on and fly Raptors, or whatever, but nothing will compare to the innocent joy of being a young student, free to go upside down, straight up, and every which way but loose, all on your own. And, again, you are being PAID to do this. It's a job!
VERTICAL ROLLS: Have you seen a Thunderbird air show? During the "bomb burst" at the end, just after the four-ship breaks in four different directions, a solo pilot blasts up through the middle, going straight-up, spinning wildly doing vertical aileron rolls.
Oh my God! I had to do some of those myself. Don't try this now, with all the computerized radar and such. And there is a LOT more air traffic than back then. But back in the early 1970s, radar was crappy, transponders were prone to dropping their signal regularly, and the West Texas skies were empty. So I cheated. We'd typically get a block of altitude from 15,000 to 35,000 to practice aerobatics. Sounds big, but that's less than four miles vertically, which goes by quickly at 500 knots. I wanted to double it.
So, I'd dive down and turn off my transponder, clearing like crazy for other traffic. Then I'd bust through the bottom, down to about 10,000 feet, slam the throttles into full burner as I pulled it vertical and then started rolling, vertically. The Earth spun wildly about me. I was a solo Thunderbird!
Passing 40,000 feet, I'd let it arc over the top, rounding out at 50,000 where the sky had turned a dark purple. Then I'd pull it down and turn on the transponder at about 40,000, knowing that center wouldn't pick it up until I was back below 35,000. It took less than a minute to climb from 10,000 to 50,000, but it was incredible. With radar drop-outs being normal on a plane with fast-changing altitude, there was no way the controllers would notice. And there was nothing to hit. (Did I say do NOT try this today. Not with computerized, reliable radar, and biz jets that routinely cruise in the 40,000-foot range!)
That "mental video" is burned into my brain. There is nothing as cool as lying on your back watching the Earth spin around you as the rumbling afterburners rocket you straight up and you watch a blue sky turn dark purple on a bright sunny day. (Did I say "OMG!" already?) I still get chills every time I see the bomb burst at the end of a Thunderbird show—because I know how it feels!
T-38 FORMATION: Another OMG! The first time you fly a T-38 formation ride you might wet your flight suit again because for the first time you'll be able to see exactly how beautiful you have been on all of your previous flights. You'll sit there, with only three feet of wing-tip separation from a gorgeous T-38, in awe-stuck amazement of the beauty of that other plane and then it hits you: That's how you look!
PINNING ON THE WINGS: The day they pulled them out of our case (21 were left out of the 37 we saw on our first day), our squadron commander told us that for every 2,000 people who contact the Air Force wanting to be a pilot, ONE pins on wings.
After pinning them on, for years you will look down at your own uniform and go "Holy shit, those are mine!"
What is it like to become an Air Force pilot? originally appeared on Quora—the knowledge-sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions:
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