More from Denny Boyles

Published online on Saturday, Jun. 23, 2007

What a best-dressed pilot wears
Pilots wear about 50 pounds of gear — a 38-pound parachute harness, a G suit which inflates to keep blood from pooling in their legs, a helmet that includes an oxygen mask and communication gear, and a fire-resistant suit and gloves. The gear is very awkward to move around in, but when you sit down it feels very natural. Getting off the ground
In Fresno, a flight in a $20-million plane begins with a ride on a $100 bicycle. After they brief the flight and strap on all of their gear, pilots ride beach cruisers from the flight operations building to their planes. At most bases they are driven to the flight line, but here it is close enough to ride bikes.

"When we are flying, I'm pretty sure the crew chiefs race around on the bikes," said Capt. Dirk Lough.

Gravity sucks
You think air is light, until it combines with gravity to press you down into a narrow cockpit seat with the force of an elephant sitting on your lap. After his flight, Sen. Lou Correa of Santa Ana said the G forces made him feel like he was melting into his seat. Flying by computer
The stick in an F-16 does not move like you would expect: It is stiff. A computer monitors the pressure applied and makes the appropriate commands to the airplane's flight surfaces. Pilots, Capt. Dirk Lough said, get a vote in the F-16, but the computer makes the decisions.

Gut check
About 20 minutes into the flight, Dirk asked if I was ready to fly. I said, "Yes," and he gave me the challenge and response that happens before anything is done in the air.

"Your airplane," Dirk said.

I put my hand on the stick and replied, "My airplane."

I started a roll to the left. Dirk encouraged me to go faster on the roll, so I put more pressure on the stick. Too much pressure.

We snapped-rolled about one and a half times in what seemed like a second. The computer had apparently decided I needed to understand how it feels to sit in a clothes dryer. Quotes of the day from Dirk:
Before flight —
"If a bird comes through the canopy and hits me and I lose consciousness, try to fly the plane a second and wake me up before you initiate an ejection. Seriously." During flight —
"Never pass up an opportunity to fly upside down."

"Landings are always kind of sporty. You dance down the runway."