Fighter Pilot Answers the Internet's 10 Most-Asked Questions
What the internet wants to know about fighter pilots
Q: How much do fighter pilots make?
A: A classic answer for a lot of things in the military: it depends. It depends on rank, time in service, and if you live in a high-cost-of-living area like San Diego or in a cheaper one like Kingsville, Texas. In general, you’ll start off making around $60,000 per year and, after about four years, be just above $100,000.
Q: How do you become a fighter pilot?
A: The path to becoming a fighter is long and challenging regardless of whether it’s with the Air Force, Marine Corps, or Navy. You’ll need to earn a four-year college degree and commission (Naval Academy, ROTC, or OCS), get accepted to a branch’s flight program, and crush flight school all the way through earning your wings.
Q: What kind of jets do fighter pilots fly?
A: You can read about some of the common jets flown in the Navy and Air Force here. A summary: the Navy flies F/A-18 Rhinos, the Air Force mostly flies F-15s, 16s, 22s, and Marines fly the F/A-18 Hornets. All three branches also fly the Joint Strike Fighter—the F-35A/B/C.
Q: What’s the difference between Navy and Air Force fighter pilots?
A: Both branches make exceptional pilots, but in my very short experience I’d say Air Force pilots are more technically sound and specialized while Navy pilots are more flexible and able to adjust to a variety of scenarios. Purely opinion…
Q: How long does it take to become a fighter pilot?
A: It took me roughly three years from the day I commissioned in the Navy. The Marines go through the same schooling as us except they also take about six months longer due to TBS (a ground-focused training for all Marines before attending flight school). It’s probably similar in the Air Force but I can’t say for sure.
Q: Do fighter pilots experience G-force? How do they handle it?
A: Yes, fighter pilots often maximize the capabilities of their jet—that can mean upwards of 9 G’s depending on the type of mission. Through compression pants called a G-suit, specific body posture, and physical exercise when not flying, pilots train themselves to sustain these intense forces.
Q: How do fighter pilots handle high-stress situations or emergencies?
A: Practice! It sounds a bit strange to say we “practice emergencies” but it’s 100% true. We use both high-tech simulators and basic planning to practice what we would do in an emergency as well as how to prevent them in the first place.
Q: Can women be fighter pilots?
A: Absolutely! Since 1993 women have been allowed to fly fighters in combat. And today they even do Super Bowl Flyovers!
Q: What do fighter pilots do when they’re not flying?
A: To every fighter pilot’s dismay, we also have a job outside of flying. Typically called a “ground job”, it’s something we have to learn to balance our time around. Usually administrative or paperwork-related, flying a desk isn’t nearly as exciting.
Q: What happens if a fighter pilot ejects?
A: Well, first of all, hopefully the pilot survives. The Navy uses the NACES by Martin Baker and although it can safely eject in all kinds of parameters and one has never failed to successfully eject, that doesn’t necessarily mean the pilot always survives the countless other issues that arise post-ejection. Rapid decompression, power lines, and wild animals are all potential hazards pilots might face.
Q: What qualities make a good fighter pilot?
A: A desire to be better than you were yesterday, to learn something from every flight, and to have the humility to share your mistakes with others. Aviation has made massive strides in safety over the last decades and this can largely be attributed to incremental improvements and sharing best practices—sometimes learned the hard way.