The “right stuff” might be your answer, particularly if you liked what author Tom Wolfe had to say in his recounting of America’s efforts to send a man to space. Was Wolfe referring to what it takes to be the first man on the moon, or was he addressing high-performance vehicles in general? Piloting a sophisticated aircraft successfully in pursuit of meaningful transportation takes something special– indeed the “right stuff”–even if the craft you are flying is not a rocket ship.
But what is the “right stuff?” Is it something a person has at birth? Or is it something a person acquires, such as dedication to aviation, good training and self-discipline? I believe it is the latter, and I feel confident that people of reasonable intelligence who conscientiously focus on achieving and maintaining the knowledge, skill and attitude needed to be jet qualified can learn it.
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