Didn’t George W. Bush fly one of the Century series fighters during his term of service with the Air National Guard?
Either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Sometimes impossible to distinguish between the two, so maybe the same thing.
A flying stovepipe with wings. And that series was not even particularly automated.
He flew the F102, and it’s doubtful he did so out of choice. It was the plane the USAF assigned to the Texas ANG to fulfill the role of intercepting Soviet bombers based in Cuba. Anything less than a skilled (and lucky) pilot flying a super sonic stiletto with stubby delta wings would not last long, much less for 500 plus flying hours.
Night interceptor, brave and capable.
F-102
George W. Bush flew the F-102 when he was in the TX ANG. The F-102 had a huge radar screen directly in front of the pilot’s line of vision. On final approach, the F-102 assumed a high angle of attack — a fault inherent in the Delta wing at slow speeds — and the pilot had to look out the sides of the windscreen. The F-102 was considered to be a pilot killer in the USAF. Their best use was as QF-102 target drones.