Fighter pilot

Military combat aviator


File:Ilmari Juutilainen 26.6.1942.jpg
Ilmari Juutilainen, a Finnish WWII fighter pilot with Brewster BW-364 "Orange 4" on 26 June 1942 during the Continuation War.[1]

A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting (close range aerial combat). A fighter pilot with at least five air-to-air kills becomes known as an ace.

Recruitment

Fighter pilots are one of the most highly regarded and desirable positions of any air force. Selection processes only accept the elite out of all the potential candidates. An individual who possesses an exceptional academic record, physical fitness, healthy well-being, and a strong mental drive will have a higher chance of being selected for pilot training. Candidates are also expected to exhibit strong leadership and teamwork abilities. As such, in nearly all air forces, fighter pilots, as are pilots of most other aircraft, are commissioned officers.

Fitness

File:F-15 Eagle female pilots, 3rd Wing.jpg
Female USAF fighter pilots heading to their jets before takeoff (2006)

Fighter pilots must be in optimal health to handle the physical demands of modern aerial warfare. Excellent heart condition is required, as the increased "G's" a pilot experiences in a turn can cause stress on the cardiovascular system. One "G" is equal to the force of gravity experienced under normal conditions, two "G"s would be twice the force of normal gravity. Some fighter aircraft can accelerate to up to 9 G’s. Fighter pilots also require strong muscle tissue along the extremities and abdomen, for performing an anti-G straining maneuver (AGSM, see below) when performing tight turns and other highly accelerated maneuvers. Better-than-average visual acuity is also a highly desirable and valuable trait.

Tactics

Offensive

Modern medium and long range active radar homing and semi-active radar homing missiles can be fired at targets outside or beyond visual range. However, when a pilot is dogfighting at short-range, his position relative to the opponent is decidedly important. Outperformance of another pilot and that pilot's aircraft is critical to maintain the upper-hand. A common saying for dogfighting is "lose sight, lose fight".

If one pilot had a greater missile range than the other, he would choose to fire his missile first, before being in range of the enemy's missile. Normally, the facts of an enemy's weapon payload is unknown, and are revealed as the fight progresses.

Some air combat maneuvers form the basis for the sport of aerobatics:

Defensive

Pilots are trained to employ specific tactics and maneuvers when they are under attack. Attacks from missiles are usually countered with electronic countermeasures, Flares and chaff. Missiles like the AIM-120 AMRAAM, however, can actively home in on jamming signals.[citation needed]

Dogfighting at 1 to 4 miles (1,600 to 6,400 m) is considered "close". Pilots perform stressful maneuvers to gain advantage in the dogfight. Pilots need to be in good shape in order to handle the high G-forces caused by aerial combat. Pilots flex their legs and torso to keep blood from draining out of the head. This is known as the AGSM or the M1 or, sometimes, as the "grunt".[citation needed]

Defense against missiles

Many early air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles had very simple infrared homing ("heat seeking") guidance systems with a narrow field of view. These missiles could be avoided by simply turning sharply, which essentially caused the missile to lose sight of the target aircraft. Another tactic was to exploit a missile's limited range by performing evasive maneuvers until the missiles had run out of fuel.

Modern infrared missiles, like the AIM-9 Sidewinder, have a more advanced guidance system. Supercooled infrared detectors help the missile find a possible exhaust source, and software assists the missile in flying towards its target. Pilots normally drop flares to confuse or decoy these missiles by creating more multiple heat signatures hotter than that of the aircraft for the missile to lock onto and guide away from the defending aircraft.[2]

Radar homing missiles could sometimes be confused by surface objects or geographical features causing clutter for the guidance system of either the missile or ground station guiding it. Chaff is another option in the case that the aircraft is too high up to use geographical obstructions. Pilots have to be aware of the potential threats and learn to distinguish between the two where possible. They use the radar warning receiver (RWR) to discern the types of signals hitting their aircraft.

G-force

Main article: g-force

When maneuvering fiercely during engagements, pilots are subjected to high G-force. G-forces express the magnitude of gravity, with 1G being equivalent to Earth's normal pull of gravity. Because modern jet aircraft are highly agile and have the capacity to make very sharp turns, the pilot's body is often pushed to the limit.

When executing a "positive G" maneuver like turning upwards the force pushes the pilot down. The most serious consequence of this is that the blood in the pilot's body is also pulled down and into their extremities. If the forces are great enough and over a sufficient period of time this can lead to blackouts (called G-induced loss of consciousness or G-LOC), because not enough blood is reaching the pilot's brain. To counteract this effect pilots are trained to tense their legs and abdominal muscles to restrict the "downward" flow of blood. This is known as the "grunt" or the "Hick maneuver". Both names allude to the sounds the pilot makes, and is the primary method of resisting G-LOCs. Modern flight suits, called G-suits, are worn by pilots to contract around the extremities exerting pressure, providing about 1G of extra tolerance.

Notable fighter pilots

Some notable fighter pilots, including some for being flying aces and others who went on to non-fighter pilot notoriety (record breaking test pilots, astronauts and cosmonauts, politicians, business leaders, etc.): Template:Divcol

Female fighter pilots

File:Sabiha Breguet 19.jpg
Sabiha Gökçen in front of a Breguet 19. circa 1937.

Until the early 1990s, women were disqualified from becoming fighter pilots in most of the air forces throughout the world. The exceptions being Turkey where Sabiha Gökçen became the first female fighter pilot in history in 1936 and went on to fly fast jets well into the 1950s,[3] and the USSR during the Second World War 1942–1945 where many women were trained as fighter pilots in the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment including Lilya Litvyak who became the top scoring woman ace of all time with 12 kills and Katya Budanova a close second with 11 kills, although both were killed in combat.[4] During the 1990s, a number of air forces removed the bar on women becoming fighter pilots:

  •  Bulgaria – On 30 October 1912 Rayna Kasabova has become the world's first woman in the world who participated in a military flight on a Voisin aircraft above Edirne during the First Balkan War.[5]
  •  France – Marie Marvingt was a record-breaking balloonist, an aviator, and during World War I she became the first female combat pilot. Marie Marvingt received a pilot's license from the Aéro-Club de France (Aero Club of France) on 8 November 1910.[6] Licensed No. 281, she was the third Frenchwoman to be registered after Raymonde de Laroche (No. 36) and Marthe Niel (No. 226). In her first 900 flights she never "broke wood" in a crash, a record unequaled at that time. Marie flew in a number of air meets, bombed a German airbase twice as an unofficial pilot in World War I, flew on reconnaissance missions in the "pacification" of North Africa, and was the only woman to hold four pilot's licenses simultaneously: balloon, airplane, hydroplane and helicopter. In 1915 Marvingt became the first woman in the world to fly combat missions when she became a volunteer pilot flying bombing missions over German-held territory and she received the Croix de guerre (Military Cross) for her aerial bombing of a German military base in Metz.[7]
  •  Turkey – In 1936 Sabiha Gökçen became world's first female combat pilot while in 1958 Leman Altınçekiç was first female accredited jet pilot in NATO.[3][8]
  •  Soviet Union - Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory. She was the first female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft, the first of two female fighter pilots who have earned the title of fighter ace and the holder of the record for the greatest number of kills by a female fighter pilot. She was shot down near Orel during the Battle of Kursk as she attacked a formation of German aircraft. She was nicknamed the “White Lily of Stalingrad”.
  •  Soviet Union - Yekaterina "Katya" Budanova was another fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II and along with Lydia Litvyak, she is often considered one of the world's two female fighter aces credited with five or more aerial victories,[9] She was shot down by either Luftwaffe ace Georg Schwientek of JG 52 or ace Emil Bitsch, of JG 3.
  •  Soviet Union - Mariya Kuznetsova was a Soviet fighter pilot who originally flew with the women's 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment but was later transferred to the 437th Fighter Aviation Regiment with Yekaterina Budanova, Lydia Litvyak, and several other members of the unit in September 1942. She flew over 100 sorties.
  •  Soviet Union - Raisa Belyaeva was one of the first Russian female fighter pilots. She fought alongside Lydia Litvyak and was credited with up to three aerial victories. She died in combat in a crash on 19 July 1943.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  •  Soviet Union - Mariya Tolstova a Soviet flight commander in the 175th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment, and one of the few women to fly the Il-2.
  •  Soviet Union - Tamara Kazarinova was a Soviet pilot and the commander of the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment during the Second World War.
  •  Soviet Union - Olga Yamshchikova was Soviet fighter pilot squadron commander, credited with three shootdowns during World War II who became a test pilot after the war.[10][11] During her postwar aviation career she became the first woman to fly the MiG-19.[12]
  •  Soviet Union - Tamara Konstantinova was Ilyushin Il-2 pilot and deputy squadron commander in the Soviet Air Force during the Second World War.
  •  Soviet Union - Lidiya Shulaykina was one of the few women Ilyushin Il-2 pilots and the only female ground-attack pilot in naval aviation during the Second World War.
File:Cochrane with Yeager.jpg
Cochran in her record-setting F-86, talking with Charles E. Yeager[13]
File:DF-SC-97-01114.jpeg
Maj. General (then-1st Lt.) Jeannie Leavitt
File:Air Force's first African American female fighter pilot 080317-F-XX000-064.jpg
Lt. Col. Shawna Kimbrell, US Air Force's first African American female fighter pilot

.

File:Lt Col Nicole Malachowski, USAF Female F-15E Fighter Pilot and The First Lady of Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron.webm
Nicole Malachowski, The First Lady Pilot of Thunderbirds Airshow Team
File:Virginie-Guyot.jpg
Virginie Guyot leader Patrouille de France
File:Ajeng Tresna Dwi Wijayanti.jpg
2nd Lt. Ajeng Tresna Dwi Wijayanti, Indonesia's first female fighter pilot – 2020

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
  2. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error: not enough memory.
  4. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
  5. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
  6. ↑ "Liste Numérique des Brevets des Pilotes Aviateurs délivrés avant le 2 aout 1914" (List of Pilots’ Licences issued before 2 August 1914). http://www.vieillestiges.com/Historique/html/BrevetsPA-01.html Retrieved 9 April 2013
  7. ↑ Historic Wings – Online Magazine; Article on Hélène Dutrieu Coupe Femina and Marie Marvingt:, Published on December 21, 2012: http://fly.historicwings.com/2012/12/helene-dutrieux-and-the-coupe-femina Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  8. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
  9. ↑ Jackson 2003, p. 57.
  10. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
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  13. ↑ "Jacqueline Cochran." U.S. Air Force.. Retrieved: July 27, 2009.
  14. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
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  16. ↑ Pelletier 2012, p. 149.
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  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 Lua error: not enough memory.
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  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 Lua error: not enough memory.
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  83. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
  84. ↑ ISIS Fight: Mariam Al Mansouri Is First Woman Fighter Pilot for U.A.E. Erin McClam September 25, 2014 Charlene Gubash and Ayman Mohyeldin NBC News 2014
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  98. ↑ Female pilots Royal Australian Air Force Retrieved September 12, 2021
  99. ↑ Lua error: not enough memory.
  100. ↑ Japan sees first woman qualify as fighter jet pilot August 24, 2018 Japan Times Retrieved December 12, 2018
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  105. ↑ [1] Kompas Retrieved November 30, 2020
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Lua error: not enough memory.

Works cited

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Further reading

Non-fiction

  • Amir, Amos. Brig Gen.Fire in the Sky : Flying in Defence of Israel. Pen & Sword Aviation (2005). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Franks, Norman, Bailey, Frank, and Guest, Russell. Above the Lines : A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914–1918. Grub Street (1994). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Bell, Ken. 100 Missions North : A Fighter Pilots Story of the Vietnam War. Brassey's, Inc (1993). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Lewis, Cecil Sagittarius Rising. Warner Books (1936). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • O'Grady, Scott with Coplan, Jeff. Return with Honour. Harper (1995). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Olynk, Frank.Stars & Bars : A Tribute to the American Fighter Ace 1920–1973. Grub Street (1995). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Romm, Giora. Major Gen. Solitary: The Crash, Captivity and Comeback of an Ace Fighter Pilot. Black Irish (2014). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Shores, Christopher and Williams, Clive. Aces High : A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII. Grub Street (1994). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Shores, Christopher, Franks, Norman, and Guest, Russell. Above the Trenches : A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. Grub Street (1990). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Spector, Iftach. Brig Gen. Loud and Clear : The Memoir of an Israeli Fighter Pilot. Zenith Press (2009). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Toliver, Raymond F and Constable, Trevor J. Horrido : Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe. Arthur Barker Ltd (1968). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Toliver, Raymond F and Constable, Trevor J. The Blonde Knight of Germany : A Biography of Erich Hartmann. TAB Aero (1970). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Jackson, Robert. Fighter : The Story of Air Combat 1936–1945. Arthur Baker Ltd (1979). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Olds, Robin with Olds, Christina, and Rasimus, Ed. Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds. St Martins Press (2010). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Rosenkranz, Keith.Diary of a Gulf War Fighter Pilot. McGraw Hill (2002). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Polak, Tomas with Shores, Christopher.Stalins Falcons : The Aces of the Red Star. Grub Street (1999). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Ward, Nigel 'Sharkey'.Sea Harrier Over the Falklands. Orion (1992). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Yeager, Chuck with Janos, Leo.Yeager : An Autobiography. Century Huitchinson (1985). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Chesire, John Flitetime: A U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot Autobiography, by John Chesire

Fiction

  • Berent, Mark. Eagle Station. G P Putnam's Sons (1992). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Berent, Mark. Phantom Leader. Jove Books (1991). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Berent, Mark. Rolling Thunder. Corgi Books (1989). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Berent, Mark. Steel Tiger. Jove Books (1990). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Berent, Mark. Storm Flight. G P Putnam's Sons (1993). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Deighton, Len. Goodbye, Mickey Mouse. Hutchinson and Co (1982). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Robinson, Derek. A Good Clean Fight. HarperCollins (1993). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Robinson, Derek. A Splendid Little War. Maclehose Press (2013). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Robinson, Derek. Goshawk Squadron. Maclehose Press (1971). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Robinson, Derek. Hornet's Sting. The Harvill Press (1999). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Robinson, Derek. Piece of Cake. Pan (1983). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Robinson, Derek. War Story. Pan (1987). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Salter, James. The Hunters. Vintage International (1956). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.
  • Smith, Frederick E. A Killing for the Hawks. Harrap (1966) ISBN B0000CN76J
  • Yeates, V M. Winged Victory. Jonathon Cape (1934). Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.Lua error: not enough memory.

External links

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Template:Aerial warfare

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