First up is ground school, where the students are introduced to the 858 page CF-18 Hornet Flight Manual. The next hurdle is the Human Centrifuge test, an extreme challenge which tests their body's ability to withstand the punishing…
The students are about to fly the F-18 Hornet for the first time. But even before taking a single flight, one of the rookies calls it quits. In a matter of hours Lt. Dave McLeod gets the call that he has been chosen for the spot.…
It is summer in Cold Lake, Alberta and the temperature on the tarmac hits 100 degrees. Up higher, under the transparent canopy of the F-18 Hornet, a pilot can feel like a bug pinned under a magnifying glass. The students are about to…
The students are entering the tactical training phase. This is the time when jet pilots must become jet fighters. A challenging mission finds one rookie's landing seriously close to claiming three lives. In the fighter world, conformity…
This is the midway point through training and the pilots are about to take on "dog fighting." The only real rule of "dog fighting" is that there are no rules. Coming out of a battle alive requires nerves of steel. Time is short and the…
At 410, every course sees at least one pilot who can't cut it. This course has already seen two. If that isn't daunting enough, the remaining six are about to enter the part of the program known as "The Dream Killer." These missions are…
At this point the instructors are hell bent on driving home a single message to the rookies - death can happen to you! The next mission is Low Level Flying. Diving straight for the dirt then skimming above the tree line at hundreds of…
The fighter pilot rookies are in the homestretch, just a few short weeks away from graduation. But that doesn't mean they can relax. Their next mission has them refueling the jets in mid-air, dropping bombs and shooting guns at ground…
