Page 91 - Royal Jordanian Air Force Book
P. 91
PROFILES AND REFLECTIONS
PROFILES AND REFLECTIONS
HRH PRINCE FEISAL
BIN AL-HUSSEIN INTERVIEW
Q1: Your Highness, joining the Air Force was However, I do fly helicopters now and then
a major decision in your life. What led to this and enjoy it. Even sometimes Royal Jordanian
this decision and such an impressive and long captains invite me up to the flight deck to talk
career as a military pilot? about aviation, and few of them are actually
either my students or served with me in the Air
A: I have loved aviation since I was a child. The Force, and the conversations that take place are
first word I spoke or recognised was basically all about memories.
for airplanes, so I grew up with an obsession
since the beginning, and I think I inherited So I think when you look throughout the career,
that from my father, His Majesty the late King it is, I would probably say, quite different
Hussein, who was known for his love for flying because there were a lot of different things I
and aviation and he was very supportive of me was exposed to: The different types of aircraft
and my choice. So for me, when I looked at my that I ended up flying. But I’d probably say – and
options for a military career, it always made I think most people in the Air Force who have
sense that the Air Force would be my choice: to gone through that stage would agree – that the
become a pilot. That was a natural progression. best time of my career was when I became the
There was no chance for me joining any other commander of the 6th Squadron, where I used to
service because of my love and passion and look after my pilots, train them and help develop
obsession for aviation. I could not imagine doing them because they were my responsibility.
anything else at the time.
At the end of the day, you have a chance to
Q2: What are the memories Your Highness make a difference and you have the flexibility,
still cherish about your service at the RJAF? authority and responsibility to look after your
boys, help them and protect them as much as
A: It is difficult to say what memories, because you can. I think that if you ask most of the senior
you have so many different things through your pilots about being a squadron commander,
lifetime in terms of your experiences. I started they would say that this sense of responsibility
off as a helicopter pilot, and when I finished and the sense to achieve something is quite
university I trained to become a full-time fighter wonderful, because you do feel that they are
pilot, and each one is challenging in its own area, your family in a way, and in the same ways that
depending on how you fly it. you love being with them and working with
them, you also have that sense of responsibility,
So it was always difficult for me to say which I and want to give them the best chance as you do
liked more. It is true that I have not flown fast jets with your own children.
in a couple of decades, and sometimes I’m asked
if I miss that, and I reply using the term “ground Q3: How do you look at the developments
happy”, but if I go back to flying, I think I’d realise that the RJAF has witnessed over the past two
how much I miss it, yet I think it would be more decades?
depressing because I would realise that I cannot
continue to do that on a regular basis. Aviation is like any technology that would
evolve. I think in the last 20 years, the aviation
technology has mostly evolved in terms of what
can be displayed and how people react to it.
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