Fighter pilots

[alyster]

In your opinion, which country has the best fighter pilots in the world today?

Personally I can think of Americans and Israelis.
And does anyone know how's things in Russia with fighter pilots? Has the economic low time effected them harshly or not?

[tigershark]

I agree with your two choice right off the bat picking third and forth are more difficult.   I think putting them in levels might work but even then it's difficult.

Level 1
US/Israelis - a few others could come very close if not already there
Level 2 (It gets harder)
England, France, India, most likely other NATO or European country's that have well maintain aircraft and get flight/training time in
Level 3
Russia, China, and then the list grows, I put Russia here because the lack of flight time and maintenance reasons I'm sure they have currently level 1 pilots now but just not in the numbers as others that's all.   
Level 4
The list at this level would jump out and become huge and tons of research would be needed to even try and form it.

Basically money and resources can change the levels very easily because would change maintenance and flight times.   

[WRCKid]

I agree with your two choice right off the bat picking third and forth are more difficult.   I think putting them in levels might work but even then it's difficult.

Level 1
US/Israelis - a few others could come very close if not already there
Level 2 (It gets harder)
England, France, India, most likely other NATO or European country's that have well maintain aircraft and get flight/training time in
Level 3
Russia, China, and then the list grows, I put Russia here because the lack of flight time and maintenance reasons I'm sure they have currently level 1 pilots now but just not in the numbers as others that's all.   
Level 4
The list at this level would jump out and become huge and tons of research would be needed to even try and form it.

Basically money and resources can change the levels very easily because would change maintenance and flight times.   

I would definately rank the RAF pilots with both the American's and the Iraelis they have the combat experience with all their flown soarties in both Afganistan and Iraq.

[Webmaster]

Right, the UK at level 1.

And any NATO country with recent combat experience, unless you insist those as being Level 2.

I'd bump India and non-experienced NATO/EU countries to Level 3.

Don't forget about countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea to name a few. I'd rate them better than India and China.

[Raptor]

Lv. 1 Singaporean, Israeli, USAF with recent combat experience, UK with recent combat experience.

Lv. 2 Taiwan, SK, France, India, Japan, USAF no actual combat experience (not counting Red Flag, etc. as combat experience)

Lv. 3 Russian top tiers, China top tiers.

Lv. 4 Dump all the air forces with good overall pilots here.

I'm not being biased to Singapore. It's a fact. We have so few planes to fly, relatively, that the RSAF picks the best of the best only.

There was one op Red Flag where the poor USAF guys got hit pretty hard by the SG folks.

Red Flag might count as actual combat experience, but most of the time you don't have planes exploding around you. Factor that into the equation if you want. Russia and China have so many the i don't have to say we can't just take the whole air force and dump it into category 3...

[Eldorado82]

to my opinion the best pilots are
1. Israelis\US- because i've served the IAF for 4 years and I know what i'm talking about.we hosted lots of different pilots and I saw the skills of all sides- in the air and on the ground

2. RAF- i think that both are about same level, the Us and RAF BUT i will rank them as second because they have to my opinion less experience than israel\US in real time fights