posted on May, 7 2004 @ 02:56 PM
It's the pilot, not the machine.
However, given sufficient numbers, it is possible for an elite cadre of pilots to develop in spite of poor pilot training. In such a situation
those elite pilots are often spread thinly and eventually lost to attrition just like the green pilots.
If China's smart, they're doing everything possible to grow highly talented native pilots. Even if the hotshots are only 1% of their Air Force,
those hot pilots can be used to outthink any adversary. The don't have to fly - put them in command of the flying units or let them train. Such
hotshot pilots are valuable in re-posturing the military to face different threats; to develop new training methods; or to come up with unconventional
tactics.