yet, Lieutenant,” the crew chief said.
“Looks like I'll have to kick their asses fast,” Eric said, strapping on his helmet. “And besides, the Navy loves it when I save them gas money.”
The crew chief climbed down as the cockpit hatch closed. Eric pulled on his flight mask. His hydraulics and oxygen were good. The crew chief had done his work fast. Eric flipped on the control panels, checked his instruments, and radioed the tower.
Eric's hands found the stick. As the jet slowly rolled forward, he watched the signals of the ground control. Eric could see the other jets behind him, lining up in preparation for their takeoff.
The roar of Eric's jet boomed as he ascended from the runway. The acceleration to six hundred miles per hour happened in the blink of an eye. He climbed to thirty thousand feet and checked his radar, searching the airspace for enemy aircraft.
“This is Hawk Seven keying in,” Eric said.
“Adonis keying in.”
“Blue Eagle keying in.”
“Coms are good,” Eric said. “We are danger close.”
The mix of F/18C Hornets, F/22 Raptors, and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets pierced the Arizona sky. It was a sight Eric hadn’t seen since his tour in Iraq.
“All right, boys, who's buying the first round of Coronas?” Eric asked.
“I'll get the chips and salsa,” Blue Eagle answered.
“Keep your eyes peeled, Hawk Seven,” Adonis said.
“C'mon, Adonis. It's almost lunchtime. We're just trying to think ahead,” Eric replied through his radio.
“Well, get ready to work up an appetite. Migs incoming.”
Eric's radar flooded with dots from enemy aircraft. He banked left, hoping to come up around them. The first bogy he came into contact with barrel rolled out of his vision.
“Damn, these boys are fast,” Eric said.
Twenty-millimeter cannon fire exploded through the air. They were outnumbered two to one. If Mexican fighters made it past their air defenses, then they'd have a clear path to Luke Air Force Base, and once they wiped that off, there wouldn't be anyone left to stop them. Tower radioed their intelligence.
“We have confirmation of enemy bombers. They are priority. Don't let them break into Phoenix airspace.”
“Copy that,” Eric said.
Eric's jet cut through the sky like a hot knife through butter. The airspace was crowded, with both sides scrambling to prevent each other’s mission. Eric spotted a cluster of enemy migs surrounding a bomber then accelerated to engage. Two broke off from the pack and tried to circle him, but Eric barrel rolled right, splitting the pair in two.
“Adonis, one of the bombers just entered Arizona airspace. I've engaged two of the fighters. It only has one escort left. Take him out,” Eric radioed.
“Roger that, Hawk Seven. I have pure lead.”
Machine gun fire narrowly missed Eric's jet as he tried to simultaneously lock in the enemy bogy in front of him and out-maneuver the jet trying to take him down.
The enemy fighter finally made a mistake, thinking he could bank left. Eric felt the move coming and gambled, maneuvering his own jet in the same direction. The missile system locked on, and Eric fired. The jet exploded in a massive fireball against the blue sky.
“Good effect,” Eric said.
Then Eric's alert systems signaled he'd been targeted. His instruments flashed. He banked right hard, using the F/18’s superior corner speed to outrun his pursuer. The pressure from the g-forces pounding against Eric's body felt as if it would crush him. The weight sitting on his chest was unbearable. He felt lightheaded. He was having trouble breathing.
The missile launched from the Mexican fighter. It cut through the sky, sailing just below Eric's left wing. After the miss, he banked right hard, getting out of his climb and circling around to the aircraft that had fired on him. The turn was sharp, and he narrowly missed colliding with
“Looks like I'll have to kick their asses fast,” Eric said, strapping on his helmet. “And besides, the Navy loves it when I save them gas money.”
The crew chief climbed down as the cockpit hatch closed. Eric pulled on his flight mask. His hydraulics and oxygen were good. The crew chief had done his work fast. Eric flipped on the control panels, checked his instruments, and radioed the tower.
Eric's hands found the stick. As the jet slowly rolled forward, he watched the signals of the ground control. Eric could see the other jets behind him, lining up in preparation for their takeoff.
The roar of Eric's jet boomed as he ascended from the runway. The acceleration to six hundred miles per hour happened in the blink of an eye. He climbed to thirty thousand feet and checked his radar, searching the airspace for enemy aircraft.
“This is Hawk Seven keying in,” Eric said.
“Adonis keying in.”
“Blue Eagle keying in.”
“Coms are good,” Eric said. “We are danger close.”
The mix of F/18C Hornets, F/22 Raptors, and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets pierced the Arizona sky. It was a sight Eric hadn’t seen since his tour in Iraq.
“All right, boys, who's buying the first round of Coronas?” Eric asked.
“I'll get the chips and salsa,” Blue Eagle answered.
“Keep your eyes peeled, Hawk Seven,” Adonis said.
“C'mon, Adonis. It's almost lunchtime. We're just trying to think ahead,” Eric replied through his radio.
“Well, get ready to work up an appetite. Migs incoming.”
Eric's radar flooded with dots from enemy aircraft. He banked left, hoping to come up around them. The first bogy he came into contact with barrel rolled out of his vision.
“Damn, these boys are fast,” Eric said.
Twenty-millimeter cannon fire exploded through the air. They were outnumbered two to one. If Mexican fighters made it past their air defenses, then they'd have a clear path to Luke Air Force Base, and once they wiped that off, there wouldn't be anyone left to stop them. Tower radioed their intelligence.
“We have confirmation of enemy bombers. They are priority. Don't let them break into Phoenix airspace.”
“Copy that,” Eric said.
Eric's jet cut through the sky like a hot knife through butter. The airspace was crowded, with both sides scrambling to prevent each other’s mission. Eric spotted a cluster of enemy migs surrounding a bomber then accelerated to engage. Two broke off from the pack and tried to circle him, but Eric barrel rolled right, splitting the pair in two.
“Adonis, one of the bombers just entered Arizona airspace. I've engaged two of the fighters. It only has one escort left. Take him out,” Eric radioed.
“Roger that, Hawk Seven. I have pure lead.”
Machine gun fire narrowly missed Eric's jet as he tried to simultaneously lock in the enemy bogy in front of him and out-maneuver the jet trying to take him down.
The enemy fighter finally made a mistake, thinking he could bank left. Eric felt the move coming and gambled, maneuvering his own jet in the same direction. The missile system locked on, and Eric fired. The jet exploded in a massive fireball against the blue sky.
“Good effect,” Eric said.
Then Eric's alert systems signaled he'd been targeted. His instruments flashed. He banked right hard, using the F/18’s superior corner speed to outrun his pursuer. The pressure from the g-forces pounding against Eric's body felt as if it would crush him. The weight sitting on his chest was unbearable. He felt lightheaded. He was having trouble breathing.
The missile launched from the Mexican fighter. It cut through the sky, sailing just below Eric's left wing. After the miss, he banked right hard, getting out of his climb and circling around to the aircraft that had fired on him. The turn was sharp, and he narrowly missed colliding with
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