Here’s What Every Fighter Pilot Remembers About Their First Air Support Mission

Orvelin Valle
Feb 5, 2020 7:02 PM PST
1 minute read
Fixed Wing photo

SUMMARY

Opening fire on the wrong target could mean death for the good guys. It’s called friendly fire, and it’s every fighter pilot’s worse nightmare. Also Read:

Opening fire on the wrong target could mean death for the good guys. It's called friendly fire, and it's every fighter pilot's worse nightmare.


Also Read: 32 Terms Only Airmen Will Understand

Answering an air support call for the first time is a gut wrenching experience, and it's something fighter pilots will never forget. All of the flight hours and training boils down to their first life and death test, a test that will become routine on deployment. 1st Lt. Bart "Lefty" Smith describes his first time:

I mean that's something that I heard about that people talk about, but something that you never know until you've actually felt it. Till you hear gunfire going off in the background over this guy's radio, and you drop a bomb and it stops. And, he picks up and they get their stuff together and they're like, 'okay, we're going to get on with the exfil.' That's a feeling that people have talked about, but having felt that is pretty amazing.

The video is over 14 minutes long, but the first four minutes sums up the stressful experience.

Check it out:

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