What’s it like to fly in a fighter jet? Join us as we pull Gs with a Dutch instructor pilot at the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program.
Synopsis
What’s it like to fly in a high-performance fighter jet? Join NATO video producer, Rob Kunzig, as he gets airborne with a Dutch instructor pilot at the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program (ENJJPT).
Founded in the 1980s, this training programme was created to help Allies share the cost of training fighter pilots and ensure that working together became part of the DNA of Allied air operations. Today, 14 Allies send students and instructors to the programme, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The instructors are exhaustive in their feedback because the difference between success and failure could be the difference between life and death. As our video producer finds out, this isn’t a job for the faint of heart (or stomach).
Transcript
—SOUNDBITES IN ENGLISH —
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“I’m Rob Kunzig, I’m a video producer for NATO, and today…I get to fly in a fighter jet.”
TEXT ON SCREEN
FLYING IN A FIGHTER JET
—SOUNDBITES IN ENGLISH —
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“I’m here at the EURO-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.
Fourteen NATO Allies train students and instructors here, making it one of the most multinational programmes in NATO.
Now, I’ve never been in a fighter jet before, so I have no idea what to expect. So we’re going to talk to the instructor, the guy who’s going to be in the front seat flying the aircraft.
Thanks for the ride.”
Major “Homer”
Royal Netherlands Air Force
“You ready for this?”
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“We’ll find out. What can I expect while I’m up there?”
Major “Homer”
Royal Netherlands Air Force
“You’re going to feel some negative Gs, you’re going to feel some good rolls, you’re going to feel some positive Gs when we’re making the hard turns.”
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“Should I be worried about getting sick on this, or…”
Major “Homer”
Royal Netherlands Air Force
“I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s not going to make a difference.”
Major “Homer”
Royal Netherlands Air Force
“Ten seconds until brake release.”
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“Wow.
Alright, taking visor off. Now I can see better. Very good.
That is a beautiful picture.
Could you maybe do a roll over the top?”
Major “Homer”
Royal Netherlands Air Force
“Sure. Here we go. You ready?”
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“Yep, I’m ready. Do it.
Ooh.
I do think I felt my stomach jump a little bit on that one.”
Major “Homer”
Royal Netherlands Air Force
“It was scary for me too.”
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“So how long have you been flying?”
Major “Homer”
Royal Netherlands Air Force
“Since 1992.”
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“Since ’92?
Wow.”
Major “Homer”
Royal Netherlands Air Force
“Three, two, one. Go.”
Rob Kunzig
NATO Video Producer
“That looked great.
Thought the nausea would subside a bit. It’s still there.
What’s amazing to me after being up with those guys and seeing how NATO’s fighter pilots are trained, is the amount of physical strain involved with the job. I have…I seriously have no idea how they do it.
For the men and women here from the 14 NATO Allies that make up this programme, the reason why they’re here is because flight, for them, is a dream. But that dream is tempered by the fact that should they be called upon to defend the Alliance, they’re going to have to do this for real. Should NATO have to defend itself, a big part of that effort will be air power. And that’s them. They are the air power.”
Usage rights
This media asset is free for editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is restricted for use for other purposes. Some footage courtesy of the US Department of Defense and the French Air and Space Force.
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