Having Integrity and Becoming a Fighter Pilot; What those two things have in common? The word integrity, as defined by people smarter than I am, is the state or condition of being whole and complete; perfect; sound; lacking no component parts. So this goes back to the basic component of someone’s word. What does your [...]

It appears as if the last of the F-22 Raptors has been built for the US Air Force. December 13, 2011 marks a historic day in military aviation. The last F-22, tail number 4195 is the last of the 187 F-22s that have been produced, starting in 1997, at the Lockheed Martin production plant in [...]

The Art of War, written by Sun Tzu, is a book that has carried on quite the legacy throughout the years, and throughout all cultures. Sun Tzu was a strategic military general who wanted to simplify tactics of warfare. It has been translated and reworked all over the world. He must have been on to [...]

EVERYONE operates from fear. Every single person. It’s about pushing through them. Easier said than done, right? Everyone creates excuses for why they can’t do certain things. I’m not smart enough, I’m too old, my family wouldn’t approve. It’s human nature. You have to dig deeper and get in touch with WHY. People typically operate [...]

Have you ever heard of the term Situational Awareness or “SA”? Pilots tend to use this term when describing their orientation to the world as they are flying. So the definition seems easy enough, right? Situational awareness involves being aware of what is happening around you, which includes your environment (essentially all external information) and [...]

In the midst of asking questions on the Afterburner Club Forum and on Facebook, people have expressed some interest in learning more about the reserves. I was fortunate to meet some F-16 guys based out of Fresno recently, who all spoke highly of their experience with the Air National Guard with the Air Force. One, [...]

Networking: Getting in touch with people in military aviation. 1.  Military Air Shows I go to as many air shows as I can every year, and I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met. I’d say 95% of the pilots love to talk about their experience, and are more than happy to dish what [...]