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Air Combat Simulation and Flights
I think just about everyone I know spent at least one day while growing up daydreaming about becoming a fighter pilot. While that dream didn't become a career for many of us, there are still ways to experience the thrills of aerial dogfights and fighter jets racing at each other. For the daring at heart, there are several niche companies out there that offer custom air combat simulations that can make even the bravest go pale with G forces.
Air Combat Option #1 : Climb into a Plane
Go Airborne to experience real dogfights
For the Purists, nothing less than the most realistic fighter pilot experience will do. In these aerial combat programs you actually participate in an abbreviated training program before being taken up in one plane while your partner is taken up in another. Many of the Dogfighting campaigns that people fly have realistic tracking and 'kill' software that allows you to determine who 'won' each dogfight.After landing, there is also a debriefing process where your performance is reviewed by expert fighter pilots.
These 'real-deal' fighter pilot experiences can come at a bit of a price but surprisingly less than you may think. Many air combat simulation programs range from one to two thousand dollars, which is often well worth it for the once in a lifetime experience.
Aerial Dogfighting at it's best
A video of a dogfight between fighter pilots
FINAL FANTASY XII - an AERIAL dogfight
FF12 Aerial Dogfight MOVIE
Runtime: 4:18 | 994 views | 5 Comments
Stories from Fighter Pilots
Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
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Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot (Reprint ed.)
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Sinking the Rising Sun: Dog Fighting & Dive Bombing in World War II: A Navy Fighter Pilot's Story
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Rupert Red Two: A Fighter Pilot's Life From Thunderbolts to Thunderchiefs
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Fighter Pilot Simulation Option #2 : Stay Grounded
High end flight Simulators can simulate Air Combat
The second option for those looking to experience the life of a fighter pilot is through a simulator. Don't get me wrong, a flight simulator is no video game. Going through a simulated dogfight in a military grade flight simulator is almost the same as being right there in a real dogfight. Complete with flight suits, realistic controls, and dogfights, flight simulation can certainly get your heart pumping.Perhaps the most thrilling part of simulating an aerial dogfight instead of going up in an actual plane is the price. Instead of a few thousand dollars, some simulation flights run less than $100 a piece which is certainly within the budgets of many people.
Is Air Combat in a Real Plane worth it?
Where to find Fighter Pilot Vacations
- Xperience Days | Aerial Combat
- Xperience Days is the best place I have found for finding aerial combat classes in a wide array of geographic locations.
Have you been a Fighter Pilot for a day?
Tell your Aerial Combat experiences
Have you been on a simulator or up in the sky on a fighter pilot combat experience? Tell us about how it was!
