If you watch CBS tonight, be forewarned: "AFP: American Fighter Pilot" is patriotic times five. Tune in and you'll be saturated in American flags, air force uniforms and expensive warplanes. For some of us, such imagery is a welcome addition to television programming. For others, "AFP" will feel like a blatant attempt at post-Sept. 11 propaganda.

But unlike fictionalized military shows such as "JAG," "AFP" is a reality show-an inside look at the sacred fraternity that is the American Air Force. And also unlike "JAG," "AFP" is consistently compelling, offering both a refreshing perspective on the genre and some of the most stunning camerawork in recent memory.

"AFP" takes place at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida, where three young men are about to undergo a 110-day training session on an F-15 Eagle airplane. Each man, selected from a class of eight students, must conquer academics, flight simulators and actual test flights to pass the course. Obstacles along their way include stiff military buffs with names like "Bean," "Shark" and "Stump," showering them with petty insults and nicknames of their own (the trainees are all named "Boner").

The first installment of the show runs for eight episodes, focusing on the three men and their flight instructors. Hailing from all parts of the country, Lt. Todd Giggy, Lt. Marcus Gregory and Lt. Mike Love were admitted to the program out of an applicant pool of 5,000. According to a teleconference with producers Tony Scott ("Top Gun") and Jesse Negron, the three were chosen because "they had the most interesting stories ... you watch them change from the everyday guy next door into trained killers."

Unfortunately, only one of the characters, Lt. Giggy, is remotely entertaining to watch. A swaggering 24 year-old with bleach blonde hair, Giggy is ridiculed by the crew-cut Air Force guys from the very beginning. In the first episode, he is unable to make it past the flight simulator tests and performs poorly in academics. When the men go to the bar for some beers, they refer to him as a "seventh grader in a uniform" and a "pretty boy." Shaking his confidence and ability to concentrate, the viewer can see the tough military regiment through his eyes. Lts. Gregory and Love )a devoutly religious man and a father of two, respectively) offer little humor or depth to the show, at least outside of Gregory's vomiting on one of the test flights.

The real star of "AFP" is the training course itself, an authentic behind-the-scenes look at one of the nation's prominent Air Force bases. The flight simulator alone warrants viewing the show. In the first episode, "Stump" tests the pilots with airplane emergencies, such as brake failures and engine fires, similar to the ones they could encounter in actual flights. "AFP" really takes off when the students fly the planes: The aerial shots are nothing short of breathtaking, employing cameras both inside and outside of the cockpit. With producers Scott, Negron and "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott at the helm, it is not surprising the visuals are so impressive.

While "AFP" was filmed entirely before Sept. 11, the producers claim the event had little effect on the show. "Our project would have stayed the same," said Negron. "What changed was people became much more interested in who our warriors were and who is defending our country." The military has classified some information, such as whether any of the show's pilots were sent to Afghanistan. On the whole, though, Negron admits the Pentagon was thrilled with the show. "It's important to them that the American public sees this with the black eyes in it-that this is the way our warriors are made," he said.