Originally Posted by MichaelJP59
The other example that occurred to me was all those young lads getting into Spitfires or Hurricanes for the first time in the 1940's. It must have been sink-or-swim being on their own and having so much power compared to their previous mounts!
When I was in my early twenties I was quite happy to leap into another type (gliders in those days). Moving between types that had no 2-seat equivalent, and a step change in performance was fantastic. I gave myself a few scares, like jettisoning the tail-chute when I thought I was deploying it
Now I'm an older and not so bold pilot (approaching mortality has that effect), self-preservation is of greater importance.
But you are right, given good preparation there is nothing to fear. Those poor kids who took their Spits up after courses on Tiger Moths and with less than 10 hours time were heroes - not because they were supermen, but because they did it relatively unprepared.