My great grandfather was a pilot in the Polish Air Force. He performed aerobatics at shows around the county, he also pinched a plane from the French, and took it back to poland on a mission. And they copied it in an air force factory, where he worked as the test pilot until he was shot by Nazi's on the way to work. My grand father told me all these stories as a kid.
My mum's cousin was a Harrier pilot in the RAF, who saw combat in the Falklands. Always loved the stories.
Anyway, what's cooler than flying? It's the one activity the truly satisfies me.