I got a chance to use one of these today at the base. My wife actually pulled some strings to get me a seat. It was a blast. They give you a mission brief beforehand of what the HUD looks like, and how to operate the stick, and then they sit you in the cockpit and a real pilot stands behind you and talks you through it. My "mission" consisted of identifying an SU-27 out of a 4 ship formation and shooting it down. Once that was done, I had to fly back to Langley and land. Before I got to Langley though, I did a low flyby of my house, LOL, then we did a loop...straight up in the air and back down. My landing was good, I almost had to touch and go but I got her down the first time.
I couldn't believe how sensitive the stick was. When I was flying it I could barely keep level and straight, but it was really cool to do it. I have a totally newfound respect for those pilots.
I couldn't believe how sensitive the stick was. When I was flying it I could barely keep level and straight, but it was really cool to do it. I have a totally newfound respect for those pilots.