It’s, with no exaggeration, exactly the same motivation as aristocratic noble failsons wanting to become a knight. Do you have any idea how many fucking people it takes to support a pilot? The mechanics, the weathermen, the intelligence agents, the logistics, practically every job in the Air Force not a pilot might as well be squires helping their knighted lord suit up his armor and carry his sword.
It gives them a sense of thrill and superiority that no one else can afford, qualifying to become a pilot and getting selected for training through inter-generational contacts and referrals. Its obviously the number one top position everyone wants in the military these days, just from the “cool factor” of flying a supersonic multi-million-dollar fighter jet entrusted to one specific pilot. They think of themselves as the most noble position in the military that everyone else must wait before they are graced with their glory. They bravely charge into battle in a fighter jet like a mounted soldier, except instead of cutting down peasant levy with no armor its dropping napalm bombs on civilians from the air with no fear of reprisal.
The idea of the hot shot rebel pilot was made, originally, because aviation was seen as disruptive to the traditional military nobility like the cavalry or the admiralty. So it was mostly poor, brave volunteers that didn’t fit with the standard bourgeoisie militarists. They were basically allowed to pioneer the technology because it was seen as too dangerous by the bluebloods, and a great way of killing off the people that didn’t come from that classist structure so they don’t rise through the ranks. After WW2 though when the technology was proven, sure as shit all the bluebloods flooded into the space and muscled out the original culture that was originally made up of mostly working class farmboys. They immediately coopted the aesthetics, merged it with their aristocratic bullshit, and they’ve been coasting off that stolen legacy and Top Gun ever since.
It’s, with no exaggeration, exactly the same motivation as aristocratic noble failsons wanting to become a knight. Do you have any idea how many fucking people it takes to support a pilot? The mechanics, the weathermen, the intelligence agents, the logistics, practically every job in the Air Force not a pilot might as well be squires helping their knighted lord suit up his armor and carry his sword.
It gives them a sense of thrill and superiority that no one else can afford, qualifying to become a pilot and getting selected for training through inter-generational contacts and referrals. Its obviously the number one top position everyone wants in the military these days, just from the “cool factor” of flying a supersonic multi-million-dollar fighter jet entrusted to one specific pilot. They think of themselves as the most noble position in the military that everyone else must wait before they are graced with their glory. They bravely charge into battle in a fighter jet like a mounted soldier, except instead of cutting down peasant levy with no armor its dropping napalm bombs on civilians from the air with no fear of reprisal.
The idea of the hot shot rebel pilot was made, originally, because aviation was seen as disruptive to the traditional military nobility like the cavalry or the admiralty. So it was mostly poor, brave volunteers that didn’t fit with the standard bourgeoisie militarists. They were basically allowed to pioneer the technology because it was seen as too dangerous by the bluebloods, and a great way of killing off the people that didn’t come from that classist structure so they don’t rise through the ranks. After WW2 though when the technology was proven, sure as shit all the bluebloods flooded into the space and muscled out the original culture that was originally made up of mostly working class farmboys. They immediately coopted the aesthetics, merged it with their aristocratic bullshit, and they’ve been coasting off that stolen legacy and Top Gun ever since.
Thank you