During World War II, the pilot losses were staggering. In some bombing raids, as many as 80% of the planes that left did not return.
I never dreamed to be a fighter pilot, because those guys are jerks.
We were all flying around up and down the coast near Dunkirk looking for enemy aircraft which seemed also to be milling around with no particular cohesion.
My grandfather was a general in the Nationalist Chinese Air Force during World War II, and I grew up hearing the pilot stories and seeing pictures of him in uniform.
I feel extremely fortunate that I can be a fighter pilot and not a female fighter pilot.
The German Luftwaffe always fought without any reserves. This is also the reason why we have pilots with extremely high numbers of victories.
For me, the making of a documentary to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain was an intensely personal journey. I was born in February 1940, so I was just six months old as the battle raged overhead.
According to Goering and the Luftwaffe High Command, they were supposed to be the fighter elite.
When 'Red Tails' came along, all I knew was that they were the first African-American fighter pilots in the U.S. Air Force. I had no idea how deep the story went or about all their amazing achievements. There were a few Tuskegee Airmen on the set to make sure everything was as authentic as possible.
I grew up in a family of fighter pilots, and I have a real kindred spirit to that kind of fast-moving aggression and momentum.
Fighter pilots and special operations forces guys have the same DNA.
Fighter pilots have ice in their veins. They don't have emotions. They think, anticipate. They know that fear and other concerns cloud your mind from what's going on and what you should be involved in.
Many pilots of the time were the opinion that a fighter pilot in a closed cockpit was an impossible thing, because you should smell the enemy. You could smell them because of the oil they were burning.
I belong to a group of men who fly alone. There is only one seat in the cockpit of a fighter airplane. There is no space alotted for another pilot to tune the radios in the weather or make the calls to air traffic control centers or to help with the emergency procedures or to call off the airspeed down final approach. There is no one else to break the solitude of a long cross-country flight. There is no one else to make decisions.
Fighter pilots rove in the area allotted to them in any way they like, and when they spot an enemy they attack and shoot them down.... Everything else is rubbish.
People with conservative temperaments don't become fighter pilots or presidential candidates - they're all that way to some extent.
I've met a lot of the astronauts, which was such an incredible experience. They're all very macho guys, like fighter pilots, but then there's a mysticism about them.
'Dogfight' holds a special place in my heart, and I try to sing the songs whenever I can.
I met lot of fighter pilots and heard their breathtaking experiences. They risk their lives for our well being. Not many understand the risks involved.
I've always been intrigued by fighter pilots and strategy because it occurs in like, milliseconds, you know.
