Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the arrogance and ignorance in this post just screams off the page. You claim you're "genuinely curious," then go spew a ridiculously

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the arrogance and ignorance in this post just screams off the page. You claim you're "genuinely curious," then go spew a ridiculously uninformed rant about how it "seems to you" that Hornet pilots need a "jobs program." Based, I assume, on your thousands of hours of both military and civilian experience, thousands of instrument approaches, and puissant understanding of how to operate multi-million-dollar aircraft? Donny, you're out of your element. To correct your analogy, a career professional Formula One, IndyCar, or NASCAR driver would absolutely have a MUCH greater chance at adapting to driving an 18-wheeler than your average Joe, because they understand things like friction, turning and braking performances of different vehicles, and the visual, tactile, and auditory signs that a vehicle is or isn't being pushed to its limits. Sure, they would have to learn the finer points of driving such a massive vehicle, but they're starting off with advanced driving knowledge most don't have. The average military jet pilot can perform the routine tasks of an airline pilot, and also handle inflight emergencies, by the time that they're a twentysomething flight student who hasn't even earned their wings yet. I know because I once was one. They spend the rest of their career layering skills on top of that concerning how to fly in combat and employ their weapons system tactically AFTER they've already proven they can fly from point A to point B and handle inflight emergencies. What airline pilots do for a living is bare-minimum table stakes for what tactical aviators do. The appeal of the airlines isn't a more challenging job; it's not having to deploy away from your family and do dangerous things anymore combined with a union paycheck.