What Are All the "Live Drivers" Going To Do?

                                      

We were reading through Defensetech.org yesterday and came across a post titled, "Top Gun (Sans Top Gunners)."  

In it was an interesting comment that touched on a possible growth "avenue" for manned, military jet fighter/attack pilots in the future.  This was a concept we had not considered before.  Below is the comment in its entirety: 

" UAVs support the teams on the ground in Afghanistan.

A UAV gets shot down, you don't have to waste time sending a rescue team out to recover the guy/gal.

UAVs can loiter (and loiter some more). Theoretically, fresh flight crews on the ground can rotate at thecontrols until the UAV's fuel runs out (Years in case of Global Hawk, which is recon only).

Teams on the ground don't need to roll the dice calling in some "live driver" who's been amped on Dexedrine for the last 12 hours and who'll "hopefully" miss the friendlies.

US and allied Combat fighter/attack pilots certainly rock and are a highly skilled elite. But these days their `only peer competition is basically... themselves.

As such, civilians probably view fighter pilots/planes these days as kind of like an NFL team in a  League of 1: "Yeah its fun to hear of their "practices" and "scrimmages," but the last air-to-air "game day" was, what, 1990-91?

My advice to fighter/attack pilots, all the military, fast-moving, "live drivers" in combat jets: Go in to business manufacturing one and two seat super-sonic jets for the civilian market-place. That's where you'll see renewed appreciation for your skills and know-how. "

Posted by: Barnacle Bob at June 10, 2009 12:34 AM"

We don't know how accurate the statements in this "Barnacle Bob's" post were, but the point about developing one and two seat super-sonic jets for civilian use is a rather interesting concept.   Perhaps that is the evolution of military fighter/attack jet technology:  It is reconfigured for a civilian market-place as are its former operators. 

Who knows, In 20 years maybe it'll be common-place to go to Malibu Beach on a weekend and watch as dozens of  privately-owned "sports-jet" air-craft contest in air-to-air combat over the Pacific Ocean for million dollar purses?  Maybe you'll have a future in which 1000s of people buy and fly civilian, super-sonic jet aircraft that are vastly updated versions of this Bede BD-5 Micro:

   

                                        

                                               

We here at remotepilot.com certainly do believe that as UAVs, to some extent, push manned military air-craft aside in certain applications, that we will see said "push" cause a corresponding over-flow of some of the technology from (And love of) the aforementioned manned military air-craft in to the civilian market-place.  

After all, we'll just have too many fighter/attack-jocks on the street that need a new home.  And the public will certainly want to put these well-liked, highly trained pilots to work doing something new and interesting ;-)

Comments

[Cheap Jordans Canada]

I thought I would write about something I did a few weeks ago on the line of graduations.

Me and another church group leader decorated the doors of the girls graduating from High School in our youth hfggroup. We waited until they left for graduation so that when they came home they would come home to their house being all decked out.

[True Religion Outlet]

Thank you Phil for the coverage. It would indeed be great to meet on Tuesday evening and discuss your experience.
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