Dear Editor,
As a former Navy Fighter Pilot (168 combat missions, F4J Phantom -Vietnam), and retired Airline Captain/Fleet Chief Pilot, I find Troy Downing’s statements regarding his military service and flight qualifications highly confusing, or intentionally misleading. He enlisted, following 9/11, at 34 years old — too old to begin Officer Candidate School, or flight training. To become a Designated Aviator (Pilot) in the Air Force, Navy, or Marines, one must be under 29, be a commissioned officer, have a college degree, pass an extremely thorough physical exam, score satisfactorily on an Aviation Qualification Test/Flight Aptitude Rating (AQT/FAR), then complete a demanding (and high attrition) 2-year flight training program. Following that, there’s another roughly two years training in the assigned operational aircraft.
Troy did none of that, but claims to be a “fighter pilot,” a “helicopter pilot,” and a “search and rescue ‘aviator’.” (In the military, “aviator” means pilot, separate and distinct from “air crewman.”) In Troy’s commercials, he walks in full flight gear, toward a fighter-like aircraft. It’s actually an L39 trainer, made in then Czechoslovakia, to train pilots of the Soviet Air Force, Ukraine, Libya, and Syria in the 1970s and 80s. Several have been sold for private use. Flying a personally owned outdated trainer in no way entitles one claim to being a fighter pilot.
One of his promos claims he’s “licensed to fly virtually every type of aircraft on the planet.”
These exaggerations, embellishments, or deceptions, cast doubt on some of the other claims he makes in his resume.
Troy should release copies of his DD214, FAA Airman, and Flight Engineer Certificates. The DD214, military discharge document, would show his record, special designations, awards, including combat citations, and rank upon discharge. His FAA Certificates would show which types of aircraft he is actually licensed to fly.
JL Kosich
Billings
