Journey to the Cockpit

 AGM65 Maverick Hello everyone, So this week I challenged myself to learn the AGM65 Maverick which is an air to ground missile which can lock onto targets optically, infrared, laser, and other variations. It is widely used by many aircraft in many different roles. Often times this is the close air support role done by A-10 Warthog. The brevity code that is called when firing a Maverick is "Rifle." For those who don't know, brevity codes are the short codewords used to describe or state something in shorter amount of time than it would traditionally be said. It is actually one of the more enjoyable parts to learning through the simulator, as you are sitting you can audibly call out brevity codes as fit.  Night Ops The next thing I decided I would try and attempt for the first time is Night Ops, which are considerably more difficult because your ability to use visual information is severely hindered by the lack of light. Thi...

A Hotwash? A somewhat rare occurrence happened this week in the form of what is called a "Hotwash." See in certain organizations there is supported opportunities where members, or in my case, cadets have the option to speak to each other about their strengths and weaknesses from an outside perspective. This week the cadets including myself went through with one of these following a Physical Training session. These are a total no-judgement situation where in which we all can find out where we can improve ourselves. It is fairly often people may make mistakes without even realizing it was a mistake until someone else points it out. That is the goal of Hotwash, which are relatively commonplace in the military.  What was I told? Well I was pleasantly surprised that even being a relative newcomer compared to the vast majority of my peers, I was told that they believed I had acclimated very quickly and that I should continue to put in the...

Some Backstory First So as a kid growing up I was exposed quite heavily to the military and military aircraft especially as my dad was a maintainer for F-16's for the majority of his professional career. From that time I always had that dream to fly, but when I was about 10 I started believe that I wouldn't be good enough to do it, and sometimes that fear still resides within me. However, in college I decided I wouldn't give up on that dream and that I would prove that I AM capable and that I am more than capable of being a fighter pilot for the world's greatest Air Force. I still have very limited experience in physically flying having actually only flown an aircraft once, however that little time that I did have was enough for me to know that it absolutely is my passion and that I will fight for that passion. Surprisingly, at this point in the pipeline to that goal, there isn't actually much flight related things happening. Mostly its just making sure that I make...

A Normal Week? Nothing major has really happened in my journey this week physically. Mostly just a standard week of studying and learning essential information like inspirational quotes from past military leaders or major command bases. So there really isn't much to talk about (at least until big stuff starts happening hopefully soon). Something New... On a high note however, in my endeavors of teaching myself through a sim I actually decided to invest some time in another aircraft which the United States Air Force flies. The A-10c II, which is a ground attack aircraft designed to carry a large munitions payload and loiter on a battlefield for a long time. I decided to start flying it because I wanted to challenge myself to be able to fly as much as possible so that I can stay flexible so that when I fly IRL I can have a wider understanding on concepts I may not see in the F-16. In tomorrows update, I plan to talk quite extensively about the details of the new airplane and its capa...

About That Flight Simulator... As I briefly mentioned in the first post, I recently put together a computer to use as a flight simulator to help teach me to fly and concepts of air combat. It is a program called DCS (Digital Combat Simulator), where I fly an F-16 Viper which is pictured below. It currently takes the place as the USAF's most flown fighter with over 700 in active duty, making it's systems the most applicable to specifics I need in learning. What I'm Teaching Myself For my own personal entertainment, I feel like this is segment I might do on a fairly regular basis. For obvious reason's learning to fly a full fidelity F-16 simulator is no easy task, so you are constantly being forced to learn new systems and tactics to employ those systems appropriately. This week I've been learning several Air-to-Ground systems my favorite of which is the HARM (High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile) which is used to destroy SAM sites (Surface to Air Missile). It is very in...

Where am I now? I doubt any of you know me already, but my name is Tyler. I'm currently in the daunting journey of becoming a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. For those of you who don't know this is an EXTREMELY difficult occupation to attain. At the present time I am a cadet in AFROTC, applying and learning the skills necessary to commission as a Second Lieutenant, and hopefully, get selected for a pilot slot. What does all of that mean? Well as a present cadet there are many challenges I face every day, such as acquiring medical clearance, working out multiple times a week while I am being analyzed and challenged by those more experienced than me. I go through drill, face the mental challenge of knowing I'm being "stacked" against my peers. Essentially this means that only a certain amount of us will move on to the next rank. What is this blog? Well, through this blog I found that I would a passion for speaking on my passion and the journey to it. S...