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In Eurofighter, you feel prepared to fly in almost every situation // Humans of NATO Days

He was part of the Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon demo team at the NATO Days in Ostrava & the Czech Air Force Days. The result of the whole team's activities was an unforgettable experience and the thundering of the Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter above the Mošnov Airport. We asked First Lieutenant Alejandro Fernandez Santos from the 14th Wing based in Albacete of the Spanish Air Force about his opinion on the Eurofighter Typhoon, what his working day is like and how he enjoyed NATO Days. 

What do you think about the ongoing NATO Days in Ostrava? 
It is an awesome event and the whole team is enjoying our time here. There are many people and the event is meticulously organised. All the demo teams can have their own space and the flight schedule is also well prepared. So we're having a great time and we're really happy to be here. 

What does NATO mean to you? 
I think NATO is really important for Western countries because it is a way to share different tactics and different ways of thinking. For me, it’s an opportunity by all means because it is a way to improve our military and to be well-prepared for every kind of event.

What does your typical working day look like? 
So, like in every work, we also have to do paperwork. But the best part of my job, which I love, is flying. I think it is a really unique and really special part of my job. Now I’m going to talk about the days that I’m flying, which I think are more interesting.
First, we go to a mass briefing every day with all the pilots. We check the weather and then we have one hour brief before the flight and then we fly usually for one hour and a half.
During the flight we do a lot of different types of scenarios - combat flights at close range or beyond on full range, for example. In the end, we have one hour and a half for debriefing and that's it.

What is special about the plane you fly?
The Eurofighter is a modern aircraft and it is really difficult to get used to the technology which also provides an incredible opportunity for the pilot. But once you work with it, it is just awesome. When you are flying the Eurofighter, you feel prepared to fly in almost every situation, almost every battlefield, and do all kinds of stuff. That's why the Eurofighter is called a multirole fighter. I love the power that it has, the speed that it gets, and the armaments with the capabilities that the Eurofighter has.