I imagine getting out of shooting wars to become a commercial pilot must involve, at some level, something of a mind-fuck. (Maybe that’s never true? Hence query.)
Boredom? Still wishing he/she had old tools, even when recognizing that the aircraft are designed for their different tasks? Constant annoyance at aircraft designers who should’ve put x,y,z in the aircraft, which you damn well know better than up-through-the-ranks civilian pilots?
I’ve heard that some Indy racers are frightened when being driven as a passenger: loss of control. Or maybe it was about some pilots. Relevant?
I recall a story in some flying magazine about an instructor giving an air force pilot a test ride in a small Cessna. He said the fellow seemed terrified by the flimsy and underpowered aircraft. OTOH, that would not apply to airline flying.
Some pilots (how many?) fly big jets; a troop transport or mid-air refueling tanker aircraft is not much different from an airliner.
Another item I read said that contrary to Top-Gun movie stereotypes, the armed forces select pilots whose brain functions on brain cells rather than mainly testosterone. After all, you want brave but you don’t want reckless with a few hundred million of equipment and he potential bad press stupid antics can bring. Idiots that fly under a busy bridge on a dare are likely to miss once in a while… So they end up with people who know how to be careful, think, follow procedures and checklists, and have a good understanding of the principles how their aircraft works… ideal airline pilots.
I have 2 relatives who are pilots; the one who worked his way up via civilian ranks is probably smarter, but the navy pilot / instructor also got a degree in aeronautics from the US Navy (and later became a navy neurosurgeon… a well rounded career, about as close as anyone gets to rocket scientist ***and ***brain surgeon.)
a well rounded career, about as close as anyone gets to rocket scientist ***and ***brain surgeon.)