wrote

In my Father's era (late 50's) no college degree was required for the
USAF Aviation Cadet program. Although he lacked a college degree,
he was still sharp as a tack and as many a college educated test pilot
or rip snortin' WW2 or Korea-era ace, or Vietnamese ground pounder
found out, he was one_bad_sumbitch in the air -- sheepskin or no.

Sure, Sure... But he couldn't work his way into a classroom of a
bunch of 19 year old kids :-)

my ol' man or any other self-respecting
fighter pilot (as opposed to "pilot who flew fighters") wouldn't scoff
at what's available in civilian programs.

Pilots who flew fighters are called fighter pilots.

I think if he were still
alive today, the notion of women flying combat would make him go
"straight up and break left"

He was probably a red-neck, and the thought of darkies holding the
stick probably scared him more than women.

and he'd spit on the current crop of
fighter pilots not because they aren't any good, but because of
political correctness.

Who gives a ****. He's dead now. Only the worms know what he's
thinking now.