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The Flight Process

1. Ground School

As our guest-pilot, you’re fitted with a flight suit, helmet, and parachute in preparation for your flight. During your ground school, you cover the tactical maneuvers required to get results during your flight. The integrity of the Air Combat USA multiphase program is based on highly trained instructor pilots and a field tested course outline.

2. Pre-Briefing

Each mission is tailored to your level of experience, ability, and aggressiveness, from armchair to ace. Whether you sign up for Phase I or all four phases, the course is designed to provide you with a complete fighter pilot experience.

3. Taking the Controls

Now, you’re ready to roll back the canopy and climb into the cockpit of the SIAI Marchetti aircraft alongside your instructor pilot. The side-by-side seating is unique to this military aircraft and allows you to have more time at the controls of the aircraft than tandem-style front/back seating. You fly the aircraft up to 90% of the time.

4. Post-flight Debriefing

When you return to home base after your flight, we play back the videos taken from each aircraft simultaneously for a chance to relive your kills and view the dogfights from your opponent’s perspective. Your instructor pilot offers suggestions and relates the flight activities to the ground school theory, giving you even greater insight into the art of aerial combat.