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MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho - Some kids want to be a
firefighter when they grow up. Others: a cop. But me? I wanted to be
pilot.
My fascination with flying started at an early age.
Watching old war movies and documentaries on the history channel, I
always felt pilots had the dream job. I mean honestly, who wouldn't
want to break the sound barrier or experience what a g-force feels
like?
So, when I was told I could operate a flight simulator
used by actual pilots ... I jumped on it. And in it.
The
thrill of sitting in an exact replica of an F-15E Strike Eagle
cockpit was simply a dream come true.
Not everyone gets to fly an F-15E, even if it's "just" a
simulator. And I couldn't wait to see what I could do, which
in my mind was barrel rolls for days. But, before I took my
seat in the cockpit, I thought it would be wise to get a
little advice and information on what I was getting myself
into. So, I contacted someone who flies for a living, Maj.
Aaron "Bull's-eye" Ruona, 391st Fighter Squadron weapons
system officer.
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F-15Es of the 366th Operations Group
from Mountain Home Air
Force Base in a low-level training mission over the Sawtooth Range
in Idaho on December 31, 1999. (Image created by USA Patriotism!
from U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)
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He explained the simulator does
everything from dropping ordnance, to air-to-air combat and
even the finer details of replicating the training location
and time of day. Ruona then went on to explain these
simulators can connect with other simulators around the
world -- he compared it to connecting with other players
while playing a game console.
Once I found out I'd be
getting a bird's-eye view of Mountain Home Air Force Base --
and where the base conducts exercises -- it was time to get
myself mentally prepared. I was going to experience what
pilots experience on daily basis.
The day had finally
come. The countdown had dwindled down from weeks to days,
days to hours, hours to minute after long minute. It was
hard to contain my excitement; masking a grin stretching
from ear-to-ear is no easy task.
As I pulled into the
parking lot the butterflies set in. I began thinking about
the worst case scenarios like crashing or being shot down,
but I put the negatives aside and focused on the main
objective: just having fun and learning about the F-15E.
Then the briefings began. I met with pilots who would be
guiding us through the mission. It was difficult trying to
concentrate on what needed to be done to succeed. It was
time and I was ready!
I sat down in the pilot's seat
-- the tune "Danger Zone" from the movie "Top Gun" blasting
through my head -- I was flying an F-15E.
Sitting in
the cockpit was amazingly realistic; you have a 360 degree
view. To your left and right you can see other "aircraft"
that are on your team. It was amazing how exact everything
looked while "flying" over base. I could see my office, the
gym; even the building I was sitting in at that very moment.
We started out in a dog-fight with four enemy aircraft
straight ahead: 1st Lt. Nicholas "Sonic" Votipka, 391st
Fighter Squadron pilot, leaned in and said, "full throttle,
FIRE." With a grin on my face and adrenaline raging through
me I pressed a red button located on the joystick -- a
digital cloud of white smoke came from our aircraft and a
countdown began. As the timer hit zero we saw a cloud of
black smoke in the distance -- we took out an enemy
aircraft. On the outside I kept calm; on the inside I was
jumping with joy.
After we destroyed all enemy
aircraft we had a little time to try some maneuvers --
hopefully without crashing. Votipka asked me if I wanted to
fly low, which without hesitation I said yes. We were
cruising at about 160 feet above ground when he challenged
me to try and perform a 180 degree turn without rising above
400 feet - challenge accepted!
I pulled the joystick
to the left and straight back to try and perform the turn.
Then I heard Sonic calmly say, "We're about to crash. Pull
up. Level out. If we lose speed we're going down." He may
have been calm, but those four words put me in panic mode.
Don't worry I didn't crash! But I did get shot down.
Twice. And both were by a "friendly," not an "enemy": one of
the jokesters in my office, who was also attending the
training.
My time as a pilot was up; it was now time
to switch seats and test my mettle as a WSO. It was my duty
to mark targets, which is easier said than done. The amount
of things a WSO has to cycle through to lock on to a target
is overwhelming. Luckily, I had Ruona talking me through
every step.
"Flick that button down," said Ruona.
"This one?" I asked with uncertainty.
"No, the
other one," he said as he pointed to a control littered with
buttons.
This happened about five or six times before
I finally got it.
As we circled the skies in search
of a target, we spotted an anti-aircraft tank approximately
seven clicks ahead of us -- just enough time to lock on to
my target. All of Ruona's coaching ran through my mind, and
a flurry of buttons later ... target locked. As we
approached, the countdown began.
Three clicks.
Two clicks.
One click.
BOMBS AWAY! Our
mission was a success.
We headed for the landing
strip and made our final approach. Ruona flipped some
switches to drop the landing gear and controlled the flaps
for landing. We came in hot and a little sideways, but my
pilot was able to land us safely, or so I thought. Just as
we started to slow down, our screen turned red. I
frantically looked at Ruona, thinking I did something wrong.
He shook his head and laughed, "Someone shot us -- again."
That was my third strike. I was out.
As
complicated as that cockpit was, it was way easier having a
seasoned WSO, Ruona; and pilot, Votipka, coaching me through
every step of the way. That being said, I still struggled
with what pilots go through every day. Fortunately, with the
simulator, if you screw up you can always try again. But in
real life, there is no reset button. That's why this is left
to the professionals.
It didn't last long. But my
dream of being a pilot finally came true-if only for 45
minutes.
By U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jeremy Mosier
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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