Originally Posted By: ArrestMeRedZ
To answer the original question, your premise is not too far off base. 24 is pretty close to the lower limit for a qualified Air Force fighter pilot that graduates college or the service academy and is commissioned at late 21/early 22 years old. Approximately 1.5+ years in flight training and an aircraft specific Replacement Training Unit (RTU) if that's what they are still called. That includes time to move between bases and get ancillary training like survival training. I would imagine the Navy adds a bit of time for carrier qualification, but would guess the time line isn't too far off. Astro might provide some better information on that.
If said pilot is fortunate, and goes to a front line or remote unit (like bases in Korea) he gets great training, and becomes truly mission ready pretty quickly. If he goes to a stateside unit that is on the bottom tier for funding and the unit is sitting on a lot of broken aircraft, it may take him a couple of years before he is really qualified.
I've flown with some great Major and Lt Col fighter pilots, which would put them in the 33-37 year old category. Some manage to maintain their skills after that, but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule. I've also seen a very few General officers that were excellent sticks, but if I were king, I would forbid every officer above the rank of Colonel to sit in a single seat fighter or in the front seat of a dual seat fighter. The reason for that is some of them start to lose judgement, nobody can tell them no, and they think the rules don't apply to them (effectively they don't). There have been some spectacular accidents with senior officers involved, yet somehow they never seem to be at fault.
Pretty close to what I was going to say.
I started during the good years, joined at 23, got my wings as an Ensign (O-1, 2nd LT), age 25. First flight in the F-14 at 25. Got to my operational squadron after RTU (we call it "RAG") at 26. Combat deployment at 27.
Instructor tour in the F-14 at age 29. Second operational tour at 31. More combat missions (Bosnia) on my 32nd Birthday, when I was a seasoned, second tour fighter pilot with nearly 2,000 hours in the F-14.
Left flying for the airlines at 34.
Now, I AM that airline Captain that you're describing...and I'm not far off, sadly,, grey, and thinning, and on my second marriage...but the ticker is OK...
A couple of caveats/clarifications.
1. During the lean years, it took four or more years to get wings. Guys were showing up for F-14 training at 27 and not flying their first deployment sorties until nearly 30.
2. There's about twice as many first tour pilots as second or subsequent tour pilots. Skews the average.
3. In the USN, senior officers don't just show up and fly. Ever.
Squadron CO's fly. Wing commanders fly. CO would be 38-42 depending on how long it took to get wings, other assignments, etc. and a CAG about four years older than that. You've got to be on "DIFOPS" orders - Duty involving flying, operational status - to get in a cockpit.
Other rated pilots, who are on staff/shore or ship assignments are on "DIFDEN" orders. Duty involving flying, denied. The CVN CO is always a pilot. They don't fly any more.
It is a young man's game...but a 40 year old who's seen it all, flown in every circumstance, has experience that makes him formidable in a way that a young buck, who can take higher G and is full of adrenaline and aggression, simply can't match.
Case in point: my first CO. Marty "Streak" Chanik. At the ancient age of 40, he was our CO.
He was one of the first group of LTs to get Tomcat orders. First shore tour was as staff instructor at TOPGUN. Then back to sea as a department head in the F-14. He did test and evaluation flying with VX-4 in the Hornet and Tomcat and then did an exchange tour with the USAF 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron (Google that group, much of it is now declassified).
I watched the Skipper beat up F-16s with regularity. The F-16N had all the advantages in power, thrust/weight, handling, roll rate, all the advantages. But Streak used to fly that jet when he was a TOP GUN instructor. He knew what to expect, knew how to capitalize on the little mistakes and press the advantages he had. He should've lost every time if you only compared airplane performance, but he WON...over and over... it was beautiful to see his HUD tape with the gun pipper held steadily on the canopy of the F-16 that was his prey.
Another example: I did an air to air guns sortie one day in Key West on the Skipper's wing. We shot at a banner, towed by an A-4, at 180-200 KIAS. We fired at 400 KIAS, and a range of 1,200-1,000 yards. We had painted bullets, so each pilot's hits could be scored.
We counted hits, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself when I found out that I had something like 65 hits while Streak only had 50. Then, I found out that his HUD had failed!! NO GUN SIGHT. That guy just hit a 1,000 yard set of gun shots, with no sights, because, "I knew about where the airplane needed to be, and I just put it there and fired".
Like hitting 100 yard bullesyes with a rifle without using the sights.
So, while flying fighters is for the young, there are some of the "older" guys, like Robin Olds, or Streak, who were unbeatable despite their age, because of their experience
