Interesting debate

[Dichotomy]

over on Brobible..

Maverick or Iceman.. who is the better pilot?  Back it up with facts will you guys.

[Devil 505]

Iceman, obviously.

Mav wasn't even the best pilot in his squadron, that would be Cougar. Mav only got to go after Cougar had a meltdown.

[Dichotomy]

true but I was thinking.  Mav had a more instinctual 'feel' for his aircraft.  Iceman was the more tactical thinker.  I think they both have their own place in air combat but what makes one pilot 'better' than the other.  I'd like to hear from some of the aces of AH and real combat pilots as I am neither. 

[eagl]

I was a much more instinctual pilot than one guy who couldn't air refuel at night early on in his fighter career.  I snagged his deployment sortie (2x 12 hr flights including a half dozen night refuellings across the atlantic) because he couldn't stay on the boom during his night AAR checkout.  I fell off the boom maybe twice in my entire career, once the first time I ever went to a tanker and once the first time I refueled with a full weapons loadout.  Later on during one of his flight lead upgrade sorties, I was his red air bandit and gunned his brains out and pretty much disrupted his entire gameplan on every engagement.  I went to fly trainers and will someday retire as a Major, he went on to become a fighter squadron commander.

I'd say with some confidence that at that time, I had better hands than he did.  But that's only one relatively small part of the business of being a good fighter pilot.  I could fly the plane just fine, possibly better than he could at the time when we were both in the same squadron, but without question he was better at the overall job than I was.

[SPKmes]

Well Maverick and his I am ways caused cougar to meltdown and killed his navigator.... also he broke many a rule and claimed victory even though the rules were not followed so he loses.... Iceman was a dick so he loses. Meg Ryan is hot so she wins all

[jeep00]

Well Maverick and his I am ways caused cougar to meltdown and killed his navigator.... also he broke many a rule and claimed victory even though the rules were not followed so he loses.... Iceman was a dick so he loses. Meg Ryan is hot so she wins all

This
 

[Serenity]

Well, I'm far from a fighter pilot, but in my experience so far, Iceman is the winner.

I'm very much the instinctual pilot myself. So far, at least in sims, IPs haven't been able to throw anything at me I can't recover from, and I can certainly get the plane where I want it, and make it look good. However, stack me up against another guy I'm competing with, and while he doesn't have the instinctive reactions, and he may be a little slower in his reactions, with enough practice, he gets the plane there just as I do, but he burns less fuel, stays "on the numbers" much better, and is a little more adept at learning the Navy's way of flying (And so he's scoring higher!)

Instinct is GREAT in an airplane, and really helps early on, but at the end of the day, the Navy KNOWS what it's teaching you. He who can follow their ways best will probably be more successful in the long run. Therefore, Iceman wins.

[craz07]

long live goooose his career was stalled no pun intended by maverick

[Zimme83]

Well, all thats matter is that they didnt HO on the merge...

[DaveBB]

“Tell me, if you had to go into battle, would you want him with you?”

[Phoenix3107]

(Image removed from quote.)

“Tell me, if you had to go into battle, would you want him with you?”

That look on Cruise's face is telling him something

"I don't know. I just don't know."

Something tells me that Ironside DID in fact see action in his days as a pilot. Vietnam, right?

[Muzzy]

That look on Cruise's face is telling him something

"I don't know. I just don't know."

Something tells me that Ironside DID in fact see action in his days as a pilot. Vietnam, right?

The actor? No. He's Canadian and pretty much trained to be an actor and a writer in his youth. As for the character, only Skerritt's character is actually stated as being a Viet Nam vet, as he flew with Maverick's father at one time.

[Nefarious]

Jake Grafton and Cole Virgil Cole.

[Saxman]

You guys are ALL wrong. It's without question:

[Zimme83]

saw a documentary once about a guy that stole a F-16 and went to rescue his dad from an evil dictator. He is the best...