Combat Fighter Pilot - 4,000 Hours Flying the F-16 - Thomas "MET" Kristensen

"MET" is a career fighter pilot with over 4,000 hours in the mighty Viper. He has flown in support of Operation Allied Force, Operation Unified Protector, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Inherent Resolve. He is one of Denmark's most experienced fighter pilots and author.


Find "MET" Here:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/f16met/?hl=en

Youtube:    / @f16met  

Books: https://www.forfatterforedrag.dk/thom...

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Summary

MET, a Danish fighter pilot, discusses his career and experiences flying the F-16. He talks about the transition to an expeditionary air force and the changes in the Danish Air Force over the years. Matt shares his journey from enlisting in the army to becoming a pilot in the air force. He also discusses the challenges and complexities of flying in European airspace. Matt reflects on his participation in operations such as Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, and Unified Protector. He highlights the importance of debriefing and the evolution of the F-16's capabilities. In this conversation, MET discusses his experiences as a fighter pilot, including flying in Scandinavia and Europe, gaining experience and awareness, deployments to Kyrgyzstan, challenging approaches and landings, reflections on military operations, personal considerations in deployments, flying in challenging weather conditions, changing perspectives on military operations, transition to F-35 and current role, quick reaction alert and air policing, interactions with Russian aircraft, complexities of transitioning to Western aircraft, advice for his younger self, and future plans.

Takeaways

The Danish Air Force transitioned from a Cold War defense force to an expeditionary air force after the fall of the Iron Curtain.
The F-16 underwent a midlife upgrade, which significantly improved its capabilities and allowed for the use of advanced weapons systems.
Debriefing is a crucial part of pilot training and development, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning.
Flying in European airspace presents unique challenges due to the complexity of the airspace and the varying rules and regulations of different countries. Flying in different regions provides opportunities to learn and adapt to various flying conditions.
Experience and practice lead to increased awareness and the ability to notice subtle differences in flight control systems.
Deployments can bring a mix of challenging approaches and landings, requiring pilots to rely on their skills and decision-making abilities.
Reflections on military operations can lead to questioning the effectiveness and impact of missions.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
03:58 Transition to Expeditionary Air Force
05:23 Enlisting in the Army and Transition to the Air Force
08:16 Competitiveness in Joining the Air Force
10:09 Flying the F-16 and Training
12:30 Evolution of the F-16 and Complex Mission Sets
14:02 Training at EuroNATO Joint Jet Pilot Training
16:30 Conversion to F-16 in Denmark
20:09 Transition to Squadron and Debriefing Culture
23:15 Complexities of European Airspace
27:11 Participation in Operation Allied Force
31:15 Midlife Upgrade of the F-16
33:18 Experiences in Operation Enduring Freedom
35:34 Participation in Operation Unified Protector
46:46 Flying in Scandinavia and Europe
47:32 Gaining Experience and Awareness
48:22 Deployments to Kyrgyzstan
49:19 Challenging Approaches and Landings
51:26 Reflections on Military Operations
53:20 Personal Considerations in Deployments
54:19 Flying in Challenging Weather Conditions
57:13 Changing Perspectives on Military Operations
01:00:22 Transition to F-35 and Current Role
01:01:39 Quick Reaction Alert and Air Policing
01:04:08 Interactions with Russian Aircraft
01:07:08 Complexities of Transitioning to Western Aircraft
01:09:04 Advice for Younger Self
01:09:18 Future Plans