"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 7 Jul 2006 18:56:52 -0500, "Dan Luke"
wrote:


"Duke" Cunningham is living proof that a profoundly stupid man can be a
fighter pilot and get elected to high office.

That's news?

Lemme see, is that a reference to the incumbent president? The one who
spent three times as long in military service and qualified to fly
single-seat, single-engine jets? The one with the Yale degree and the
Harvard MBA?

Or, is that somehow implying that flying military fighters is a simple
task? In combat?

I've encountered some unsophisticated tactical aviators along the way,
and even some folks populating fighter cockpits who were in no way,
shape or form, qualified to carry the title, Fighter Pilot. But I
don't know a single one that I would characterize as "profoundly
stupid".

You got any experience in that line?

I do a simple comparison for my students:

80,000 and change -- number of carrier aviators since Wilbur and Orville,
all nations
500,000 -- number of combat forces, all US services
700,000 -- number of MD's in the U.S.
1,000,000+ -- number of lawyers in the U.S. .... How hard can it be?

A combat aviator must combine quick reactions, extraordinary spatial
awareness, exceptional hand/eye coordination, mastery of a significant body
of knowledge, and superior decision making skills. More like a surgeon than
a dumb jock. Big difference? When the surgeon screws up, the patient dies.
When the aviator screws up, it's HIS (sometimes her) family that gets to
attend a funeral/memorial service.

R / John