Which are better air force pilots or navy aviators?

Question

Also which brach would be better for an aspiring helicopter or fighter jet pilot?

Answer 1

No offense but I would have to pick Navy pilots as far as general piloting skill goes.

Look at the pilots NASA uses, most of the good ones are Navy pilots. They are more used to having to deal with crazy situations that are unexpected and come up with complex solutions to flight problems.

I guess it just depends on the pilot, but as a rule of thumb, generally Navy fighter pilots are better.

Answer 2

Well said by lord_vanarous. I was a B52 Bomber Pilot while I was in the Air Force. I did hitch a ride on the USS JFK Aircraft Carrier. I watched those Navy guys get thrown from the deck on the catapult, sink out of view, and then lift into the sky. I also watched while the carrier was rocking in the waves, and the weather was pretty much like s**t, those same pilots come out of the sky and land on a postage stamp in the middle of the ocean. They are great pilots. When I flew the B-52 or Buff as it was known. It was 500,000 pounds at takeoff when fully loaded. It needed 11,000 feet of runway to take off. We had 8 engines, 10 tires, and a crew of six. The average mission lasted between 14 and 22 hours. Yes we got to eat sitting down, but the food was lousy in the sky. No stewardesses. If I ever had to fly my primary mission, which no one has ever done, I would have taken off loaded with nuclear weapons. If dropped they would have made me the single largest mass murderer in history. But, I digress. The fighters in both services are outstanding. The people I met in the Navy were the best. But I still have to go with the people who brought me to the dance, the United States Air Force.

Answer 3

USN pilots are carrier qualified and USAF pilots aren't, which is a pretty big difference. Landing a plane on a carrier at night in bad weather is the most difficult thing in the world that a pilot would have to do on a fairly frequent basis.

Then again, if you want to fly fighters, the USAF just put the F-22 Raptor into squadron service, and it is the best fighter in the world bar none. At least until the F-35 JSF enters service with the USN, RN, and USMC.

Helicopters? Depends on what type you want to fly. If you want to fly attack choppers you're looking at the Army or USMC, transport, ASW, etc, basically the USN.

Answer 4

There is no absolute answer to that question. I've heard some say that navy pilots are better because they can land on a carrier. But that is a single learned skilled that all average fighter pilots can learn if they practice it. Ask yourself this: What are Air Force pilots learning when their Navy counterparts are training to land on a ship. I believe the answer to that is combat and reconassaince techniques.

Then you have to take into consideration the fact that they are flying different planes with different capabilities and different missions. There is no apples to apples comparison so the "Who is better" part rest on the individual.

Answer 5

THE BY FAR ARE BETTER. ANY PILOT CAN LAND A PLAN ON A RUNWAY THAT DOESNT MOVE AND HAVE A MILE TO DO IT. BUT IT TAKES BALLS TO LAND A PLAN ON A SHIP THAT IS STILL DOING 30-50 KNOTS AND DOING ALLOT OF PITCH AND ROLL AT THE SAME TIME. WHAT I MEAN BY PITCH AND ROLL IS THAT THE SHIP IS MOVING WITH THE WAVES GOING UP AND DOWN AND ROLLING SIDE TO SIDE. PLUS AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER ONLY HS 4 AND A HALF FOOT BALL FEILDS OF SPACE ON IT. AND IF YOU LOOK AT PICTURES OF SHIPS DOING FLIGHT OPERATIONS. THERE IS ALMOST ALWAYS A GOOD 15 TO 40 AIRCRAFT ON THE SAME FLIGHT DECK THAT THEY ARE LANDING AND LAUNCHING PLANES. AND LIKE SOMEONE SAID EARLIER. LOOK WHO HAS THE MOST PILOTS IN NASA....

Answer 6

All our pilots receive the best training in the world. Air Force is crack in the big bombers, Army has good Heli pilots, Navy is ok, but the finest in close combat support are the Jarhead wing nuts!!

Answer 7

helicopter would be army. fighter jet would be air force or navy. The difference would be if you wouldn't care to be at sea for months at a time and landing on a flight deck in a rolling sea at night don't bother you, than the navy would be for you.

Answer 8

Helicoptors = US Army

Where are you going to get a job as a fighter pilot?

Answer 9

air force is better to me

Answer 10

I t depends on your aptitude and interests all are good.