isaneng,
Is it fun? Was it EVER fun? You know, real fun as enjoyable and a pleasant way to spend your time?
I really do agree that this forum is full of tales of yore that really should be in Aviation history and nostalgia, and totally agree that anyone who WANTS to do it should certainly give it a go and it in no way was ever "so good back then!"
I have to be frank that I was bored by my second tour. I enjoyed the challenge of flying, but it was never fun, and you only got to do it for between 20 and 30 hours a MONTH (unless you were on an FTS, OCU or TWU, I'm talking front line FJ) anyway, so IT is not what defines your actual experience, Air Force rubbish and secondary duties and all that those things entail is your daily lot.
And even when I did do IT, you are dressed like a Michelin Tyre man, trussed up like a chicken, strapped tightly to a thoroughly uncomfortable and incredibly dangerous seat (never EVER felt comfortable about bang seats) placed in an ergonomic and thoroughly uncomfortable nightmare that is either too hot or too cold, and subjected to rather unpleasant G and negative G whilst trying to do mental sums and stay alive AND listen to that nagging voice in the back who was ALWAYS saying we were too late or too early, pointing in slightly the wrong direction or moaning about landing and taking off again constantly or not quite landing and repeating over and over.
Fun?
I had much better things to be doing that I classed as fun.
But it IS a challenge. Lord knows how often today you are allowed to do IT, unless you are someone like BV and flying a delight, 20 hours a month? That leaves a LOT of hours when you are NOT doing it.
But to anyone contemplating joining now, go for it, it was never better back in the day, but folk will always tell you it was, they were doing it in the late 60's...