F-22 by Beige Alert, Flikr Creative Commons attribution
The military has several types of combat aircraft. There are fighters such as the F-16 Falcon, F-15 Eagle and the F-22 Raptor. Attack aircraft are the A-10 Thunderbolt and F/A-18 Hornet. Bombers include the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit. Cargo aircraft like the C-130 that land in remote places and combat areas are also considered combat aviation as are Army helicopters.
Apache helicopters by Army.mil, creative commons attribution
An aviator's flying duties consist of mission planning, the actual flight mission and debriefing after the flight. Mission planning and debriefing are usually at least two hours of work. The flying mission may be as short as 30 minutes for a fighter near the combat zone to a 20-hour mission for a bomber going half way around the world and back.
