I love the Dirk Pitt novels, but I've always wondered: why are Dirk and Al from the Air Force? I understand that Dr. Cussler was once a member, and that our intrepid heroes often need to fly helicopters, but why not be a part of the Navy? Wouldn't that make more sense considering NUMA? The Navy has pilots as well, don't they?

I think you answered your own question -

From what I understand it's alot easier to write about something you know. So for Cussler he could write about the Air Force and make it believable whereas if he had wrote about the Navy or Army or National Guard etc... he wouldn't have that inside knowledge so with that reasoning wouldn't be as believable...or something.

I'm tired, I'm sure someone could adapt on this post and make it understandable j:

In addition to the what's been mentioned--Cussler's personal affiliation with the Air Force--I think he also wanted to play on the irony of an Air Force officer choosing a life at sea. The very same question is asked by characters in at least a couple of the novels and the answer given is usually along the lines of the fact that a USAF officer being in NUMA isn't any stranger than the Navy pilots who become astronauts.

I imagine when he first conceived of the character, Clive was looking for ways to buck the obvious. An example of "obvious" is the way that Dirk and Al suddenly became Navy SEALs for the movie...obvious...cliche...tiresome. But Hollywood is convinced that every action hero has to be a former Special Forces or SEAL and so even though it wasn't broke, it got fixed. I think we all know how that story ends.

A good question and one that can be answered in detail by reading the Clive Cussler Code. In short, Dirk Pitt and Clive Cussler are one and the same. ;)

Yep. Definately too many ex-Navy SEALs, ex-CIA agents and ex-special forces.
I blame Steven Seagal myself!
Then again, "Marked For Death" was a classic film, wasn't it!!
O.K. maybe not!