“Flying is pure passion and desire, which fill a lifetime.”

An excellent weapon and luck had been on my side.

Later when asked what it felt like, I said, “It felt as though angels were pushing”.

If we could have had in ’44, ah, let’s say three hundred operational

And that’s when we did it. I think we did it.

Only in the spirit of attack, born in a brave heart,

Attack even from a position of inferiority, to disrupt the enemy’s plans.

If we would have had the 262 at our disposal – even with all the delays

As interceptors. And out of this fifty, there were never more than 25 operational. So we had only a very, very few.

As a fighter pilot I know from my own experiences how decisive surprise and luck can be for success

The fighter in the opening of a dogfight must detect the opponent as early as possible in order to attain a superior position for the attack.

Perhaps even more important than being a good pilot; to make the best use of this system.

Of course, the outcome of the war would not have been changed.

And most of these pilots were lost during the first five flights.

According to Goering and the Luftwaffe High Command, they were supposed to be the fighter elite.

Their element is to attack, to track, to hunt, and to destroy the enemy.

Many pilots of the time were the opinion that a fighter pilot in a closed cockpit was an impossible thing, because you should smell the enemy.

I’m not a rock star, I’m not Seane Corne or Shiva Rea or Rodney Yee or Baron (Baptiste) or John Friend, and thank God, because there’s just too much risk of getting hit by flying tomatoes if you stick out that much.

You have to remember that whatever pressure there is flying around, most of it is on the home team.

Flying for the airlines is not supposed to be an adventure. From takeoff to landing, the autopilots handle the controls.

You only have to bat 1.000 in two things-flying and heart transplants. Everything else, you can go four in five.

I’m more afraid of falling than I am of flying high. I’m not as scared of dying as I am of growing old. Every battle has its glory and its consequence.

Any pilot can describe the mechanics of flying. What it can do for the spirit of man is beyond description.

I have found, whether you have a tiny business or a big business, if you don’t jump on something right away, it’s like a bird flying by-it flies off.

If you don’t want an American flag flying at your school, why do you live in the USA?