A Look At What A Drone Pilot Does When On Duty

At a hangar in Kandahar, an unmanned Reaper aircraft is prepared for a mission in the skies above Afghanistan. More than 7,000 drones are in use over that country and Iraq. (Rick Loomis, Los Angeles Times / June 14, 2009)

Drone Pilots Have A Front-Row Seat On War, From Half A World Away -- L.A. Times

In a low, tan building in Nevada, Air Force personnel sit in padded chairs and control aircraft over Iraq and Afghanistan. They are 7,500 miles away, yet feel more affected by war than ever.

Reporting from Creech Air Force Base, Nev. - From his apartment in Las Vegas, Sam Nelson drove to work through the desert along wind-whipped Highway 95 toward Indian Springs. Along the way, he tuned in to XM radio and tried to put aside the distractions of daily life -- bills, rent, laundry -- and get ready for work.

Nelson, an Air Force captain, was heading for his day shift on a new kind of job, one that could require him to kill another human being 7,500 miles away.

Seated in a padded chair inside a low, tan building, he controlled a heavily armed drone aircraft soaring over Afghanistan. When his shift ended, he drove 40 minutes back through the desert to the hustle and neon of Las Vegas.

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My Comment: An excellent article from the L.A. Times. This is a must read.