Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 10/18/2010

Question
Hello!
My name is Aline Lin, and I am from Bucklands Beach Intermediate. We are currently doing a project on our desired future occupations, and I chose that I would quite like to be an airforce pilot. We are required to interview people in the current occupation for our answers relating to the job, therefore prohibiting the use of the internet for info searches. It would be great if you can answer some of my interview questions about  air force pilots!! Thanks! The questions are as follows:
1)   What is the exact purpose, in your opinion, of an airforce pilot?
2)   What did you find difficult when you were studying to become an airforce pilot?
3)   How did flying/aerodynamic technology change over the years?
4)   Where would’ve been the greatest turning point for flying/aerodynamic technology?
5)   How would you rate and explain an airforce pilot's working hours?
6)   What academic abilities are most needed for becoming an airforce pilot?
7)   What kind of daily routine does an airforce pilot  have?
8)   How do the flying skills and qualifications required now differ from a few years ago?
9)    What are the most important personality traits for an airforce pilot?
10)   When might there be another change in flying/aerodynamic technique/technology, and how often do these changes happen?
I'm sorry to bother you with so many questions, and if you are rushed, then it would still be good if you can just write down facts. Thank you again, and So sorry to bother you!
Aline  

Answer
Aline,
I see you're from New Zealand.  I know just about where your school is.  I used to visit a friend who lived at Half Moon Bay.

I'll be glad to help you with your assignment.  All of my answers are geared toward the military use of the airplane, since that’s what my profession is.  I cannot speak for the civilian aircraft sector.

1.  The purpose of a military pilot is to use his aircraft to gain air superiority over an enemy.  Regardless of the type of aircraft he pilots, his efforts ultimately aid the war effort.

2.  Personally, my most difficult part of the training was studying weather.  You have to be able to read a weather report and understand not just what the weather is currently at your departure point, but what the weather is, and is expected to be, at your destination, and all along the way.  Because weather can change rapidly during your flight, you have to be able to "read" the clouds and your instruments and understand what changes in temperature and barometric pressure mean to your safety.  Basically, every pilot is an airborne weatherman.

Also, piloting a plane is easy, but employing it as a weapon is very difficult.  It requires a variety of maneuvers to hit a target, whether it be on the ground or in the air, and egress safely from the target area.  It’s hard to concentrate on eliminating an enemy and flying the aircraft at the same time.  Some aircraft have a navigator whose job is to know their exact location, with reference to the ground, at all times.  However, a single seat aircraft such as a fighter jet does not have the luxury of having a navigator.  So then the pilot must act as a pilot, navigator, gunner, bombardier, Electronic Warfare Officer, and radioman simultaneously.  Sometimes after an intense dogfight, a fighter pilot has to climb, take a minute to settle his nerves, and then determine where he is and which way is home.

3.  That’s a tough one to answer without confining the answer to specific years.  Generally the military breaks down aviation into groups associated with wars – the pre-war era, WWI, WWII, the period between the wars, post WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, 20th century Conflicts& Operations.  I’ll try to briefly sum it up for you.
Mankind has always been fascinated with flight.  The earliest known record of military flying comes from around 200 B.C. when a Chinese General flew a kite over enemy territory to calculate the length of tunnel required to enter the region.   Then came manned gliders, and later balloons.  Hot air balloons were used in the American Civil War as observation platforms to discover enemy troop locations.  Next was the Wright brothers’ flyer.   The years between WW I and WW II saw great advancements in aircraft technology.   Airplanes evolved from low-powered biplanes made from wood and fabric to sleek, high-powered monoplanes made of aluminum.  The age of the big slow balloons and dirigibles was over.  WW II saw an increase in the speed of aircraft development and production.  All countries involved in the war stepped up development and production of aircraft and flight- based weapon delivery systems, such as the first long range bomber.  Also air combat tactics and doctrines changed…large scale strategic bombing campaigns were launched, fighter escorts introduced and the more flexible aircraft and weapons allowed more precise attacks on small targets for effective ground support.  New technologies like radar also allowed more coordinated and controlled deployment of fighter aircraft. Shortly after the Air Force was formed independent of the Army, their doctrine changed from strategic bombing to tactical fighter aircraft.  Then came jet powered aircraft and the breaking of the sound barrier.  In 1955, most Western countries agreed that the guided missile age had arrived.  Aircraft advancement slowed as money and interest shifted to missiles, which would give “more bang for the buck.”  In the beginning of the 21st century, subsonic military aviation focused on eliminating the pilot in favor of remotely operated l unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  First used for photo reconnaissance, UAVs are now capable of carrying bombs.  Currently under development are completely autonomous vehicles.  Helicopters that think for themselves and require no human input whatsoever have already been flown but are not yet in production.
4.  Widely recognized throughout military aviation as the “greatest turning point for flying/aerodynamic technology” was the invention of the synchronized machine gun.  Early in WWI pilots were armed with only a pistol for self-defense or suicide if a crash was imminent.  Airplanes were used mainly as airborne observation platforms to detect enemy troop movements on the ground.  When pilots decided they could inflict damage to the enemy by mounting a machine gun on the plane, the guns had to be mounted near the windshield so the pilot could see what he was shooting.  However, they quickly discovered that firing the machine gun also shot off their own propeller, resulting in a crash.  Midway through WWI, European engineers designed a machine gun that was synchronized with the engine’s camshaft to fire between the propeller blades while the blades were turning.  Thus Germany was the first to use this design in war.  Sole possession of a working synchronized machine gun enabled Germany to quickly dominate the skies.
Initially lacking a synchronizer, the British relied on pusher aircraft in which the propeller was behind the pilot, and therefore out of the way of forward firing guns.  Germany was protective of the synchronizer system, instructing pilots not to venture over enemy territory in case they were forced down and the secret revealed, but the basic principles involved were already common knowledge, and within a year the British created their own synchronized machine guns on aircraft.
The usefulness of synchronized machine guns disappeared altogether when jet engines eliminated the propeller, at least in fighter aircraft.  Machine guns on jets were mounted along the wings, thus allowing multiple guns delivering much more firepower.

Rapid advancements in weapon technology meant that by 1918 tanks and planes were commonplace.  The synchronized machine gun on aircraft hastened the end of the war.

5.  An Air Force pilot has some really crazy hours.  Up before dawn, trying to sleep during daylight hours in strange locations, and sometimes flying all night.  A lot depends upon the type of aircraft flown.  Cargo transports that fly missions across the oceans, have safety rules similar to a long-haul truck driver.  He can only fly a maximum of 8 hours in one day and then he has mandatory crew rest (sleep).  However, he may have 6 or more landings within that 8 hour period to deliver cargo.  Takeoffs and landings are the most stressful parts of flying.

On the other hand, a fighter pilot may spend most of his day on the ground planning his mission,
performing a pre-flight check on his aircraft, reviewing aircraft maintenance forms, doing a basic maintenance inspection on the aircraft, and ensuring the right information has been inputted into the pilot's flying schedule.  Once that is done, he's free to fly his mission. He'll probably spend one or two hours flying his mission.  Then when he lands he'll typically do a post-flight inspection of the aircraft and report any maintenance issues to the crew chief. From there, the pilot would go back to his command and give a report on his mission and status.  He'll probably receive feedback on his flying and then be told when his next mission begins.  Then it’s ground training until his next mission.

6.  The academic abilities most needed for becoming an AF pilot are mathematics and physics.  A degree in aeronautical engineering is highly desirable but not mandatory.  All AF pilots that attended the Air Force Academy are required to earn a degree in aeronautical engineering.

7.  As for an AF pilot’s daily routine, I think my answer to #5 pretty well answers it.  Again, a lot depends upon the type of aircraft flown.

8.  Flying skills and qualifications required now are somewhat different from a few years ago.    The tactics of flying are still basically the same, but advanced navigation techniques and advanced instrumentation require much more skill.  Also newer airplanes are more forgiving, by which I mean mistakes on the part of pilot, or deliberate excursions to the edges of the flight envelope, are less likely to be alarming than in older airplanes.  For routine flying - normal take-off, landing, and enroute flying - the handling is very similar. It's the flying outside of normal straight and level where the differences seem to show up.

As the years have gone by there were continual, small improvements that make piloting an airplane easier. By the 1950's the layout of certain particularly useful instruments on the panel were standardized. Older designs had gauges and levers and taps all over wherever the designer could fit them in and some were illogical to operate or hard to get move or remain in place.  By the 1960's tricycle gear became much more common, reducing the incidence of ground loops, taxi accidents, and made take-offs and landings in crosswinds less of a chore or risk.  In 1970-80 there were fewer windows with more reliance on instrument flight, but that trend has reversed, to the point that airplanes since 1990 have more and more windows allowing for better visibility during flight.  Seats also seem to have gotten better over time, at least from the standpoint of comfort.

Airplanes have become lighter and more fuel efficient, which reduces hourly operating costs.
Cockpit layouts have received increased attention in recent years.  Many older analog instruments have been combined into a single digital touch-screen instrument.  You can view multiple readings simply by switching modes.  This is referred to as a “glass cockpit.”  Navigation has also become hi-tech thanks to more sophisticated instrumentation like a GPS receiver.

9.  The most important personality traits for an AF pilot would have to be confidence, courage, and decisiveness.

Confidence in yourself and your abilities, in your entire ground crew (such as your aircraft mechanic, fuels technician, avionics technician, communications specialist, intelligence, etc.)

Courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death.  Courage to overcome your personal fears for the greater good of all.  Moral courage to do what’s right despite peer pressure or public opinion.  Courage to demonstrate your knowledge and competence.

Decisive.  Being able to make a quick, effective decision, and have the resolve to see it through.

This is entirely my opinion and others may disagree, but you’re interviewing me.

10.  The basics of aerodynamic flight have remained the same for centuries.  It is unforeseeable that it will change significantly in the near future.   Look how far we’ve progressed since the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903.  Yet the physics of flight have remained the same since Da Vinci’s helicopter design in the fifteenth century.

What definitely will change is the cockpit.  The rule of thumb for modern computing technology is that “technology refreshes itself every three years.”  Meaning the systems we install in the cockpit today will need replacing in about three years.

What needs to change is an aircraft’s propulsion system.  Systems like solar, laser, and plasma-based propulsion are currently being studied.  They promise high speed, high reliability, quietness, and low operating costs.

Necessity is the motherhood of invention.  So when our desires become an absolute, like in time of war, then necessity will force our government to create new aircraft.

I hope this is what you need and I hope we get the highest grade.
If you ever need anything else just ask.
Colonel Howell