What Kind of Combat Pilot Are You?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
What Kind of Combat Pilot Are You?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

United States Air Force pilots have a lot demanded of them. They needn't come from the Air Force Academy in Colorado, but they need to have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university since that is a requirement for being an Air Force pilot. Once in training with the USAF, pilots receive training in evasion and survival in the event they crash behind enemy lines, various types of "equipment," which generally translates as different kinds of aircraft and avionics, and, of course, combat tactics. 

Some combat flight maneuvers go back to the early days of aviation with remarkably few changes, while others are new, and only possible because of the capabilities of modern aircraft. Still, many of the tactics used in air-to-air combat and warfare conducted by the USAF go back to Genghis Khan and the strategies he used with his Mongol cavalry.

Then there are the kinds of pilots. Combat pilots include a myriad of roles, from overtly combat roles, like pilots who conduct bombing runs, to pilots of specialist aircraft, to pilots with specialist roles as part of a team, sometimes operating highly specialized and even secret military equipment. Some pilots aren't anywhere near the battlefield at all! So the question is, where would you fit? Take this quiz and find out!

When swimming, what is your preferred stroke?
The backstroke
I prefer to doggy paddle.
I like the sidestroke.
I'm all about the crawl.

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At which of these sports are you most talented?
Lacrosse
Street Fighter IV
Baseball
Basketball

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To which of these academic subjects are you best suited?
Physics
Game Theory
Computer Science
Geography

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What is your weakest communication skill?
Reading emotions
Nuance
Languages
Vocabulary

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How long can you hang around waiting for a bus before you just call a taxi in frustration?
30 minutes
I'll wait around forever.
One hour
Two hours

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How well do you adapt to foreign travel?
Very well. Have bag, will travel.
Not well at all. I have so many allergies!
Pretty well. I just need to bring some melatonin to help with the jet lag.
I don't adapt well to time changes, so I try to keep my trips short.

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How quickly do you adapt when your computer or phone updates its operating system?
I need lots of time to adjust.
I adapt immediately.
I adapt pretty well.
I take forever to get used to things.

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How easily do you interface with old technology, like computers from the 1990s?
Very well. They're slow but easy.
Not well. I find the old stuff very frustrating.
I take to them like a fish to water.
Honestly, I'm better with the even older stuff, like computers from the 1980s.

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How comfortable are you with needing other people in order to function?
It's OK, but I would rather be on my own.
I would rather be alone.
I love being part of a team.
I'm fine with teams but can work alone if I need to.

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How often do you follow friendly advice?
Almost always
Sometimes I'll do it if it comes from the right person.
I'm always open to ideas.
If I'm given friendly advice, I try it out.

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Which of the following games you might play in your home is your strong suit?
Racing Demon
Red Dead Redemption 2 Online
Bridge
Poker

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How are you accustomed to doing business with people who are very far away from you?
I'll move some resources to the client's location and commit some time there to get the job done.
I'll Skype with them.
I'll bring a colleague and have a sit-down.
I'll make a short trip for a quick and dirty face to face meeting.

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How much time are you willing to spend in secondary education?
A year
A few months
A couple of years
Several years

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This might feel a little personal, but how tall are you?
6'
6' 4"
5' 4"
5' 8"

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What do you do to stay fit?
Cardio
Rowing
Obstacle courses
I do a thousand push-ups every morning.

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How do you cope with machines that act up when you use them?
I try to feel out the gremlin and work around it.
I turn things off and start them up again.
I turn to another system to do the job.
I hit it until it works.

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How much distance do you like between yourself and your boss when you're on the job?
I like them at arm's length.
I like to have them looming over me.
I'd rather they be out of earshot.
I don't mind it if they want to keep in touch via email.

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How important to you is your physical comfort in the workplace?
Not at all important
Very important
Not very important
As long as I've got a comfy chair, I'm fine.

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How important is it to you that you're the one on your team with the most control?
Fairly important
Not very important
Not important at all
It's all I care about.

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How good are you at improvising when all the decisions are up to you?
Improv is my strongest suit.
I'm not great at making quick decisions without a plan.
Improvisation isn't hard, when you train for it.
I'm incapable of improvisation.

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If you were beginning a class in air-to-air combat strategy, what would you make sure to bring to your first class?
My textbooks
My tablet
Two notebooks
An audio recorder

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When you're driving a car, how often do you check your rear view mirrors?
I'll glance at them every few seconds.
Never
Fairly frequently, and I check my blind spots all the time.
I only check them when I'm changing lanes.

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What item are you most likely to accidentally leave at home when going on a business trip?
My socks
Part of my suit
My wristwatch
The book I'm bringing for the flight

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How do you prefer to take photos that really matter, like the ones in your family albums?
I use a DSLR with a really good prime lens.
I just use my phone.
I use a medium format camera.
I use a point and shoot.

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What tends to make you airsick?
Nothing
Moving up and down too fast
Looking at a screen where things are moving in a different way than I am
Rolling over, like in a roller coaster

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Would your friends describe you as a type-A personality?
Some of them, yeah
No, none of them
Very few of them
All of them, yes

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Where do you draw the line as to how much animal it takes to freak you out?
Sharks
Dogs
Wolves
Bears

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How much time do you like to spend outdoors?
I spend as much time as I can afford.
None. Give me four walls and a roof and I am happy!
A bit, but I need time to keep up with my reading.
I like to spend at least a couple of hours a day.

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What kind of flight experience do you already have?
I've done some work on very difficult simulators.
I've played a lot of video games.
I've worked as a tech at an airport.
I've done some crop dusting.

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In which of these vehicles does the idea of driving at 200 mph scare you the least?
A sled
A space capsule
A train
A Lamborghini supercar

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You Got: