Weaverville Fighter pilot takes to the sky


By Matt Tate Few military jobs–or any pro-


fession, period–are as glamor- ous as that of a fighter pilot. Whether it’s the “need for


speed” as so famously noted by Tom Cruise in “Top Gun” or the allure that comes from being at the command of a $150 million plane, fighter pilots are looked upon as being a part of an elite company, and rightfully so. Capt. Wyatt Cheek with the


Air Force said the job is more grounded than some may imag- ine. He said a typical f lying day


may involve 60 to 75 minutes of air time with a variety of mis- sions and simulation activities, but up to 10 hours of debrief- ing, pre-f lighting equipment, reviewing tapes and checking weather conditions. “We realize every time we f ly


we’re going to do it to the best of our abilities and learn how to do it better,” he said. Cheek, whose parents Bill and


Becky have lived in Weaverville for many years, f lies an F-22 Raptor for the Air Force, the f leet’s fifth-generation fighter plane. It has air-to-air and air-to-


ground combat capabilities. And in terms of efficiency, the plane can travel faster than the speed of sound without the use of its afterburners. Cheek is stationed at Langley


Air Force Base in Virginia. In addition to his f lying duties, he


Capt. Wyatt Cheek sits in the cockpit of an F-15 fighter, a fourth-generation plane. Cheek said he flew these planes for two years.


is also a deployment manager in his squadron. He went to Saint Stephens


High School in Hickory and majored in engineering at the


University of Florida. Commissioned in April 2005,


he is planning a career in the Air Force. He advised anyone consider-


ing a similar career to be pre- pared to put in hard work, multi-task and make quick de- cisions. “Ultimately you are the guy


in that cockpit,” he said. As of last fall, there were 168


F-22 Raptor planes in service with a final procurement tally expected to reach 187.


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