The Flight Brothers

Image credit: Love and Gregory: Monty Brinton/CBS

But the real stars of the show seem to be the aircraft themselves, which are shot gleaming in the Florida sun with all the reverence of a Britney close-up in ''Crossroads.'' ''It's real cool to just walk up and stand next to this machine, this mighty instrument of death,'' enthuses the ironically-named Captain Love, while a solemn on-screen graphic informs us that the mighty F-15 has a perfect combat record: ''104 kills, zero losses.''

''AFP'' might seem to target audiences infused with post-September 11 patriotic fervor, but filming for the show actually began in early 2000 (CBS picked it up in December). The terrorist attacks are recalled in a title sequence at the beginning of each week's episode, and the producers have added post-9/11 interview footage of the pilots (some of whom apparently fought in the war in Afghanistan -- CBS isn't yet revealing details). And it should be noted that ''AFP,'' along with upcoming military-themed reality shows on VH1 and ABC, has led journalists to accuse the Pentagon of snubbing hard-hitting news organizations in favor of friendlier entertainment projects.

Though the series is unabashedly entertainment-driven (the camera spends an undue amount of time ogling Giggy's bikini-clad young wife), there are reminders of the high stakes involved. An instructor tells the pilots that they need to plan ahead in case they get ''morted out'' -- i.e., killed in flight. ''Who do you want to inform you wife? What kind of funeral do you want to have?'' he asks. Suddenly, getting thrown off the island doesn't seem quite as bad.