1. anyone willing to risk their lives
   only suicidal fools
2. the best of the best

Fighter pilots are the best of the best pilots on Earth. They have keen minds and ultra-fast reflexes, along with superior reasoning skills that make them extraordinary pilots.

1. in front of you
   to your left
2. behind you

Attack with the sun behind you. It'll make it harder for enemy pilots to spot your speeding war bird.

1. a Jedi warplane trick
   the forces a pilot endures during high-speed maneuvering
2. warp capability

G-forces are gravitational forces, and because modern aircraft have the power and agility to turn quickly, pilots are subjected to insanely dangerous g-forces. Their bodies can only take so much abuse before they malfunction.

1. a high-speed turn
   a cloaking device
2. surface-to-air missile

A SAM is a surface-to-air missile. Modern SAMs can blast unwary fighter pilots right out of the sky from miles away.

1. stall the aircraft
   look behind you
2. slow down

Think the hour hand on an analog clock. If you need to "check your six," you should look behind you … and do it fast, before you get shot down.

1. a mechanic who inspects the wings after every flight
   a pilot who flies by your side
2. a character in "Top Gun"

When you fly into battle, you want a dependable and skilled wingman by your side. The wingman is the pilot who coordinates with you during a combat mission.

1. speed
   payload
2. taxpayers

The Immelmann turn is also called a roll-off-the-top, and it was popularized during WWI. In this maneuver, pilots rapidly climb and then turn fast, diving in the other direction … but it costs significant speed.

1. awareness
   Tom Cruise
2. nuclear bombs

In the frantic, high-speed engagements of modern air combat, awareness is a pilot's best defense. All the high-tech gadgets in the world can't save a pilot who doesn't see an enemy swooping in from behind.

1. 2
   7
2. 10

You get two chances to the pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test. Fail both times and you'll never be a fighter pilot.

1. carrier takeoffs
   dogfighting
2. landing

If you engage in a dogfight with an enemy fighter, keep him in your field of vision. "Lose sight, lose fight" is a reminder that if you lose visual contact with the enemy, you may already be in his sights ... and your spouse may soon be collecting benefits.

1. You wind up in front of it.
   You crash right into him.
2. You use all of your bullets shoot him to pieces.

Pilots must be aware of their angle of attack, lest they overshoot the enemy plane they're pursuing. If you overshoot, you accidentally wind up right in front of the plane you're chasing … and the results may be disastrous.

1. fiesta
   dogfight
2. catfight

When fighters start shooting at each other, it's a dogfight. Given the speed and lethality of these warplanes, modern dogfights rarely last more than a few minutes.

1. to trap an enemy fighter
   to pair a missile with .50-caliber bullets
2. lunch

In a sandwich, an enemy fighter drops onto the tail of one of a pair of fighters flying side by side. The besieged fighters turn 90 degrees simultaneously … allowing one fighter to drop in right behind the pursuer.

1. He is eating lunch while flying.
   He's taking evasive action.
2. He's out of ammo.

Jinking is often a last bit of desperate evasive maneuvering, as a defender changes direction and speed in hopes of losing an enemy pursuer.

1. barrel rolls
   air-to-air combat
2. movie cameos

Fighter pilots learn skills meant for air-to-air combat. They can take on other enemy fighters over the hills or engage bombers at high altitude.

1. kills
   defenders
2. offenders

In a dogfight, pilots do everything they can to gain positional advantage over their enemies. But when they are the ones under attack, they're called defenders, and they must perform evasive maneuvers, or wind up as fireballs.

1. aerial crash monitors
   air combat maneuvering
2. airplane control module

Fighter pilots must master ACM, or air combat maneuvering. It's also known as dogfighting.

1. 5
   19
2. 35

With five air victories, or kills, a U.S. fighter pilot becomes an ace. Aces are legendary for their high-flying abilities.

1. a method of attaching rockets to a jet
   a fancy plane maneuver
2. when the wings fall off of the jet

A wingover is a maneuver in which the pilot guides the jet into rapid, quick turns and dives, and then goes the other way, leveling out without rolling the aircraft.

1. pulling hard on the throttle
   disengaging from combat
2. firing rockets simultaneously

The split-s is generally used when pilots are removing themselves from combat. In a split-s, they perform a half roll, followed by a descending half-loop, which quickly turns the plane around into the other direction.

1. a basic attack formation
   a variety of weapons from which the pilot chooses
2. a pre-flight meal

A combat spread is a basic fighter formation. Two fighters separate, with one at a slightly higher altitude, in hopes of sucking enemy planes into a trap.

1. air-to-ground combat
   close-range combat
2. low-altitude combat

BVR stands for beyond visual range, and it predominates modern fighter combat. Close-range combat is now rare, with BVR being the norm.

1. 5'4"
   5'10"
2. 6'0"

You do have to be able to see out of the cockpit, you know. The minimum height for fighter pilots is 5'4" and the max is 6'5".

1. a type of radar tracking
   loss of consciousness caused by g-forces
2. a hip hop artist who is popular with pilots

The dreaded G-LOC refers to G-induced Loss Of Consciousness. Fighter pilots must be in very good physical condition to withstand the g-forces of high-speed turns in combat.

1. full-frontal offensive
   defensive spiral
2. split-s

When defenders run out of airspeed, they can dive into a defensive spiral. This regains some airspeed and (hopefully) makes it hard for pursuers to lock on.

1. head on
   from behind
2. from below at a 45-degree angle

You don't want them to see you. Approach enemy fighters from behind so they can't take a shot at you. And keep in mind that many have rear-facing weapons.

1. 4 seconds
   20 seconds
2. 1 minute

It takes very little time for high g-forces to cause pilots to black out. To avoid this (rather dangerous) scenario, pilots should avoid high-g manuevers that last more than 4 seconds or so.

1. momentum
   specific energy
2. inertia

Fighter pilots know physics. A fighter's energy-to-weight ratio is its specific energy, and pilots must have a good grasp on this concept in order to maneuver during combat.

1. radar detection
   enemy missiles
2. g-forces

AGSM is the Anti-G Straining Maneuver. Fighter pilots may lose consciousness due to high g-forces (G-LOC), but by using the AGSM (or Hook maneuver), they can purposely control their breathing and blood flow to prevent G-LOC.

1. 24
   28
2. 34

In the U.S. Air Force, you must be at least 18 years old to start pilot training. And you can't be older than 34.