If you want to Go to page Soar into the wild blue yonderAir Force Pilot5 Battle it out in cyberspaceArmy Cyber Officer9 Perform daring rescues at seaCoast Guard Rescue Swimmer 13 Push important papers at the Pentagon Deputy Secretary of Defense 17 Respond to tense military situations overseas Marine Raider21 Dive deep for opportunitiesNavy Submarine Sonar Technician 25 Imagine a future in the nation’s armed forces Write a Fun Career Adventure 29 Get help with tricky wordsGlossary31 Find specific information in this book Index32 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4
Air Force officer with both eyes on the sky needed to fly sleek fighter jets or heavies used to move cargo and troops and to fuel jets in mid-air Must have perfect eyesight excellent motor coordination and ability to safely operate very complex machinery Cool calm and collected response to stress required Willingness to travel overseas on a minute’s notice especially appreciated Ready to take on this challenge Turn to page 6 Want to explore a career as an Army Cyber Officer instead Go to page 9 Rather consider other choices Return to page 4 Find out how things fly at http howthingsfly si edu AIR FORCE PILOT 5
Up Up and Away You are sitting in the cockpit of an F-22 Raptor fighter jet waiting for clearance to take off You are an Air Force pilot assigned to the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada Your job is to train the trainers who teach elite pilots to fly one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world It goes without saying that you are one of the best pilots the Air Force has to offer The F-22s are known for speed and stealth They can travel at twice the speed of sound and are hard to spot on radar They can be flown night or day in all types of weather at altitudes of up to 65,000 feet 19,812 meters This fighter is armed with heat seeking missiles radar-guided missiles and radar-guided bombs F-22 Rapors can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions In other words you do not want to mess with this jet anytime or anywhere Top Gun Training The only crew aboard this very expensive aircraft is you a well trained pilot Your training began as a cadet at the U S Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs Colorado After graduating as an Air Force officer it was on to flight training assignments in this country and overseas more training and lots of time in the air 6
Now years later you are taking your place on the runway and getting ready to lead a flight test sortie of four F-22s The other pilots are instructors you have spent months training They are tough well-prepared and totally focused on the mission at hand just like you That’s a good thing since you will be flying at speeds of more than 1,000 miles 1,609 kilometers per hour in tight formation One false move and you are toast As flight commander you aim for a completely successful mission Your team has poured over flight plans and practiced on flight simulators You all know what to expect from beginning to end You have also prepared for many emergency situations just in case Throughout the flight your radio commands will guide your wingman and the other pilots through every maneuver You are confident that your students are ready to train combat mission ready pilots to fly the world’s most powerful and expensive fighter jets You have the right stuff Now it’s time to prove it 7
