Mmm, it's not that I don't have an interest in how it works, I just don't care to get too involved with it. I find the machines themselves fascinating, but I'd rather leave the technical problems I find insanely frustrating to someone else.
It's a multitude of reasons really. Firstly and obviously, it's the flying - can't imagine anything more amazing ( bar being an astronaut, but like that's ever gonna happen haha
). Second it's the teamwork - being part of a cohesive unit and a uniform, I really like that. I like to have close friends, rather than a bunch of mates you just do stuff with but are not that close to - no better place for that than the military.
I would like to have all my interests under one roof - so at an air force base, I can do my job, but I can also join the badminton club, and the skydiving club, and the gliding club, and so forth. It's all part of my life. I want to live one big life, rather than a work and a home life, if you catch my drift. It's all one.
Wanting to be something amazing also does factor in the equation I have to admit - when I'm old and grey, I want to look back and be able to say, I really made something of myself there, and I did something few others could, I was the best.
It's the whole thing, the flying, the uniform, the friends, I see it as my destiny. I know that sounds ridiculous given my circumstances, but I've had years to think and I can't imagine myself in any other position. Being paid to fly aircraft so awesome, and so expensive, that most people aren't allowed to even get in one, every day of my life - can there be anything cooler?
As it happens I like things in my life to have a purpose, so although it is not all fun and games and a stressful job at times as I am aware, rather than pointlessly flying around for the sake of it, I would be constantly improving, working towards a milestone, a goal, I would like that.
I am quite aware of the killing aspect yes, I have had more than enough time to ponder it. It's not something I relish - I have had the occasional bad dream about it actually - but at the end of the day, I would only be replacing someone else doing the exact same job so ultimately, any objections would be selfish, based on my conscience alone ( philosophical I know, but psychology IS an interest of mine
). I would have less ethical problems being a fighter pilot, IE. air-to-air, as every person in those aircraft knows what they are getting into, and they all know it's part of the job, so ultimately anyone who gets killed in combat in a fast jet aircraft brought it upon themselves (cruel as that sounds, I feel that it is true to an extent). If by some miracle it ever did happen, I'd press to get myself put in an air-to-air role. In the Falklands for example, it was tragic, it really was, but every Argentinian pilot who got killed knew that was a risk of the job. In a surreal way, it's like a big boys game. Though I must stress that I do think war is so insane that it gives you a headache trying to comprehend it, and it is the most vile of human acts, at the end of the day, I will never be able to stop war, and by participating in it at the pawn level, I am not doing any harm to society as a whole. You see where I'm coming from?
Flying is just too damn expensive for a college student to do for fun. I used to be in the air cadets a few years back before the !!!! hit the fan, so I did have some great experiences
Went in a bulldog a couple of times, a Vigilant a couple of times and a Chinook from Odiham...I remember that vividly. We played Ludo in the waiting room, hehe. I got the best seat in the heli, facing the hatch, I remember thinking how cool it was when we turned and I was directly facing the ground, but instead of falling out I was pushed into my seat
physics for ya. Sadly I left slightly too early to go in a Tutor
Those were good times though, definitely.
I'm going to get a motorbike, my parents are really good to me actually, they will fund that for me (running costs aside), I really can't complain about them, they rock. It's the second best thing to flying, awesome fun
but the line has to be drawn at flying. The bike has a practical use, so the expense has a justification...but the pleasure flying will have to wait until I'm earning. I sent a lengthy email to the UAS attached to the university I intend to go to, but they never replied, bah. They probably laughed reading it.
At some point I do want to be part of a skydiving group/team, or get into aerobatic flying somehow, although I don't know how I would go about that.
Originally Posted by Maximum
But remember - it's often easier to focus all your energies on something you know in your heart of hearts that you're not going to do, than to start right now getting on with the rest of your life.
Edit: pfft, no quote tags
'tis true. That's my problem. I just cannot get on with my life, I can't let it go, it's damn near impossible.