How to fly a jet fighter without being fighter pilot

Fly fighters has been the dream of my life. Somehow, however, I had other interests when I was at the age at which one should prepare for becoming a pilot. The fascination for military aircraft and the wish to fly military aircraft has never vanished. When I grew older and made career, I often thought how it would be when I had chosen another way and became s pilot. Would I be luckier in the morning when driving to the airport to fly airplanes to fly to destinations far away? Would I have a better life as a fighter pilot, would I feel happier when I have to fly a military aircraft instead of driving to my office every morning? Would it make a big difference to fly airplanes as pilot instead of flying quite often on a business class seat?

One thing is for sure: When I had to choose, I would rather fly fighters than passenger airplanes. Flying fighter is just far more thrilling, fly a jet fighter at supersonic speed and high G-Forces must be one of the best things you can experience. When using the afterburner for a short time, you are the fastest man on earth. Isn’t that cool?

Well, thoughts like this sometimes came to my mind, although I’m quite happy with the life I have. I think if my profession is to fly a jet fighter, I wouldn’t be able to support my family in a way I can now. My wife is already afraid when I have to go abroad as passenger in one of the airlines with the best safety records. When I would fly fighters like F-18 Hornet or F-16 Fighting Falcon, I think this would cost her too much nerves. Even worse, the thought that it is possible that I would have to fly military aircraft during a war against enemies that fly a jet fighter that is similarly advanced like our own would cause a heart attack.

So somehow I’m quite happy that my job is not flying fighter but go to office in a dull suit. But I have been very excited when I have read that it is possible to fly fighters as civilian. Yes, fly military aircraft, isn’t that unbelievable? Unthinkable during the cold war, I learned that today it is even possible to fly fighters of different sort in different places: The most unexpected for me is that you could fly a jet fighter like the MiG-29 Fulcrum in Russia. Remember, this is the beast the west was so afraid of not so long ago, and it is still a very remarkable military aircraft. I hope I can convince my wife to allow me at least to fly a jet fighter once to compensate for my wasted opportunity of flying fighter – the job of my dreams.