Originally Posted by
Vortex Hoop
So that is a ‘yes’ then!
Nope, that is hoop - they do the same ground-school followed by about 40 hours on a glass cockpit single engine, followed by a USAF Reaper Formal Training Unit, normally there is a live weapons event too, followed by a 54 Sqn OCU, then they get their wings, followed by LCR/CR - probably around 2 years since starting. They also get far more operational experience than others in their first tour - in fact, I can’t think of another platform that generates that exposure to ops so quickly. The mental strain is high, the physical strain can be bad too with odd shift patterns, and whilst you may not have your pink body on the line, there are a number of folks who would like to bump you off if they could find you. So it is different to the Lancaster Bomber crews of the 40s, but then again so is much of our live flying these days.
