Debrief /

Paco Chierici, a former U.S. Navy pilot, produced Speed and Angels, a documentary film that showed the gritty process of becoming a fighter pilot. He is an airline and general aviation pilot, and he has flown a wide range of aircraft including supersonic fighters, wide-body Boeing airliners, and single-seat Russian aerobats.

Started in flying ... I was introduced to flying by the Navy ROTC in college. I had actually never flown in a small plane until my first training flight in a T-34C.

Early Challenges... I’m not sure learning to fly came easily but I enjoyed every second of it. I was never really intimidated by it, being young and dumb. I had amazing classmates, many of whom I am still friends with. We studied more in 18 months of flight school than in four years of college. My biggest challenges in flight training were simply learning how to land, both initially in the T-34 and then later on the aircraft carrier. It took me a while to break the code landing the T-34 but once I finally got the sight picture figured out it all fell into place. My first solo I could feel my heart beating in my throat. Landing on the carrier is a whole new level of stress. We had to do a few touch and gos and six traps to qualify. I’ve never had a recollection of my first few passes. The stress erased them immediately.

Documentary Film... I had a couple motivating factors for Speed and Angels. I never took flying fighters for granted, I had a very real sense that it would all end someday, either planned or not. I wanted to make a film that told the real story of the excitement, passion, and dedication inherent to naval aviation so I could preserve the moment for later. Also, my absolute favorite act in an airplane is dogfighting and I wanted to portray that pursuit in a realistic manner. Not cheesy and dramatized like a fictional film, but as close to the real thing as possible.

General Aviation ... I jumped into general aviation after I stopped flying in the Navy Reserves, 2007, and I do love it. I have a share in a Mooney, which is a fantastic family wagon, and I have some terrific friends who let me fly their Yak-50s and -52s.

Advice ... Flying is an amazingly broad endeavor. There are so many facets to the world of aviation it boggles the mind. Since leaving the military I have had the pleasure to dip my toe into the vast array of choices and it’s fascinating. My advice to new pilots is to know why you fly, and to never be deterred. My personal mantra during flight training was Effort, Concentration, and Trim. Following those guidelines seemed to get me pretty far.