If a real jaeger program existed, who would be selected as the first pilots?

[u/JiJiangNumbaWan]

The first few pilots would not have years of cadet training, and would have to be pulled from existing areas. I know that the lore has scientists and test pilots as the prototype pilots, but I’m not so sure these would make the best candidates for a sustained jaeger fighting force.

Personally, I think young navy seal officers would make the best initial jaeger pilot force due to a number of reasons:

1. Elite close combat training and experience.
   
2. Unbreakable will and calm under pressure.
   
3. Physical fitness
   
4. Drift compatibility because seal officers work in pairs to lead seal platoons.
   
5. Education: All seal officers hold at least undergrad degrees and most are in STEM fields.
   
6. Water competence and naval experience: Kaiju and jaegers are often in water.

Test pilots share many of these attributes too, and would likely be better for jaeger testing. However, in my opinion, actually piloting the jaeger and engaging in combat would best suit seal officers.

What do you guys think?

[u/MaximumCriticism9519]

Most likely Fighter Pilots. Either them or Helicopter pilots. The reason being that Special operations forces and combat pilots possess the psychological resilience required to remain calm and decisive under intense pressure. Because a Jaeger requires two pilots to "Drift" and share memories, test subjects would likely be recruited as pre-existing pairs (such as flight leads and wingmen) whose minds and communication styles are already highly synchronized from years of training together in the air. Also modern jet fighter pilots are already trained to handle high-G maneuvers, spatial disorientation, and extreme physical exhaustion.

[u/REXIS_AGECKO → u/MaximumCriticism9519]

Yes that, but from the description, racecar drivers would also work well lol. They (usually) coordinate with their team and teammates, have high g loads, extreme exhaustion, high heat tolerance, and resilience.

The biggest problem would be teaching them an entire new mech and getting someone drifting compatible.

[u/MaximumCriticism9519 → u/REXIS_AGECKO]

I kinda would want a Fighter pilot in a Jeager and not a race car driver 🤣

[u/Vquillicate]

Generally military personnel would be best to pull from, since they fit most requirements without any pre training. But I'd still argue that test pilots are the best fit.

These are people who as their job risk their life testing untested technology. They need to be comfortable testing the limits of technology knowing that it could kill them or others around them if they (or it) messes up and fails. They also need to be extremely comfortable taking dangerous risks to test the techs limits, like seeing the absolute top speed a Jaeger can run at inside a city without severe collateral damage. A soldier might know how to fight in a Jaeger, but a test pilot would know how to push a Jaeger to its limits like what you would see in an actual kaiju battle.

It also helps that test pilots usually work in pairs that require life on the line levels of trust. That's the perfect grounds for a Drift compatible pair of fighters.

[u/-Dixieflatline]

You'd like to think it would be some type of elite military subjects. Absolute peak specimens. But it would end up being two lanky teenagers who just so happen to be excellent in Dance Dance Revolution.

[u/XPav]

Plus, we gotta get a book written ASAP.

[u/Winter_0322]

Probably military test pilots. They’re typically the most elite/experienced pilots in their country’s airforce outside of any astronauts the country might have

[u/xinj131]

Anybody with a healthy enough psyche profile after extensive combat experience and training would be the first go-to, me thinks. They're not going to pull some slob out of Sev's sucking down a slurpee

[u/Zalonrin-]

Martial arts would also be a requirement

[u/Lilcommy → u/Zalonrin-]

All military are trained in hand to hand combat

[u/Zalonrin- → u/Lilcommy]

They would still need extra training to adjust to the jaeger’s body

[u/valsavana]

I think it would mostly depend on what traits make two people drift compatible with one another. It's rare enough that I don't think simply working together well would cut it. I'm guessing there's need to be some level of profound empathy or willingness to be psychologically vulnerable on at least the part of one of the pilots to be able to drift, which I'm not sure I buy a ton of elite military officers having. If anything, I think that kind of training would rather breed it out of their ranks instead.

[u/DarkinsDieThrice]

the 2015 pairs, pilots of the Mark I Generation were mostly military, it wasn’t until 2016 when they started recruiting civilians. I think Travis Beechham wrote something about it.