This eight-week CBS series was the first network "reality" program dictated by the horrendous events of September 11, 2001. Coproduced by action-film mavens Tony and Ridley Scott, AFP: American Fighter Pilot charted the progress of three aspiring USAF aviators (known to veterans as "boners"), who, in the wake of the Twin Towers disaster, elected to train for combat service as F-15 jockeys. The series began with the trio's orientation at Tyndall AFB in Florida, then progressed to practical training in the air -- mistakes and all -- while the pilots' loved ones anxiously waited back on solid ground. Although the reality of the series was never in question, the producers chose to depict the events in a stylized, cinematic fashion. AFP: American Fighter Pilot debuted on March 29, 2002.
by Hal Erickson
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