2007-10-22 14:31:41 · 10 answers · asked by kpadr 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
A lot more than most people think. In general, the Air Force uses more sophisticated aircraft, such as the F22 and the F16, while the Navy uses aircraft that are small enough to fit on a carrier, but get the job done, such as the F18 variants.
Training wise, the Air Force is substantially harder. Both branches (sometimes) go through Red Flag, along with squadrons from all over the world, especially Britain, Germany and Canada. However, the Navy's Top Gun doesn't compare to the USAF's Special Aircraft Weapons Training program-
9 months of 18 to 20-hour days with 4-5 hours of sleep each night, and that's for the fighter pilots.
Bomber crews have between 22 and 40-hour sessions, but longer down-time between missions, plus they can eat their meals while flying.
Taking off is a LOT easier in the Navy (if you're on a carrier) but landing is more complicated (though not necessarily difficult) because of a smaller area to touch down in.
Landing is simpler in the Air Force (or Navy when you go through land bases) but not necessarily easier.
If you have a choice between the two, and are willing to go through about 20 different sessions of training that are believed more difficult than the ones used by the marines and army infantry, but balanced because it's more fun so people are driven harder, stick with the Air Force- better planes, better ordinance, and much better living conditions.
Both go through POW training, which is essentially a period of learning to resist all means of non-lethal torture, most famous being the ice-water dunking and being locked into a box roughly the size of a car seat while being transported on a truck with terrible suspension on a bad road.
A lot of people don't know that the simulators are actually an incredibly small part of the training- most of which is actually done in the real thing, even if it's in a two-seat instructor plane.
Hope this Helps you like it did my dad!
2007-10-22 14:50:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 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.
2007-10-22 20:42:07 · answer #2 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Air Force Aviators
2016-10-20 05:49:15 · answer #3 · answered by torralva 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the Navy, not only do you have to land on a moving, rocking target that is tiny compared to the Ocean, you also have to use a hook on you plane to catch a wire on the deck, and then come to a jolting stop that is better described as a controlled crash. I don't think many air force pilots can say that, although I have huge respect for anyone who flies a military plane. Thankyou
2015-04-23 13:01:29 · answer #4 · answered by Jack 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No big deal ..Navy aviator can land with his F/A-18 on aircraft carrier while the Air Force pilot cant .
2007-10-23 00:01:46 · answer #5 · answered by Peiper 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Navy pilot is equal to the Air Force pilot until the Navy pilot qualifies to land on carriers. Landing on a moving target takes more skill than just landing on a runway.
2007-10-22 14:56:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
Pilots land on concrete. Aviators land on ships. Or: Anyone can land on 12000' of concrete. Try that in BAD weather, less than minimum visibilitylow fuel light on, and a pitching deck. Then you are an aviator!
2016-11-27 11:29:21 · answer #7 · answered by Don 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Air Force pilots don't have to land on or take off from a carrier
at sea.
2007-10-22 17:10:14 · answer #8 · answered by wichitaor1 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I second Razor Jim with Carrier landing.
I will add that any commercial pilot rated to land in San Diego is a person with a steady hand too.
2007-10-22 15:10:15 · answer #9 · answered by Stand-up philosopher. It's good to be the King 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The Branch of the Armed Forces they serve. The planes they fly, and the ability to land on a moving deck in the middle of the ocean.
2007-10-22 14:35:22 · answer #10 · answered by booman17 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋