“I didn’t brief the SII. It’s a required item. I should have briefed it in detail. After all, wouldn’t want to get a passenger hurt during turbulence,” she said with a straight face.

“Well you’re still getting to fly. Don’t suck,” he replied as he turned back toward his cubicle.

Don’t suck. Great advice. Which lesson was that at Weapons School? It was a daily struggle, the cross she bore for being a pioneer. She knew she would show them all one day and the Pounders and Coaches of the world would eat crow. She was sure of it.

Moss continued out to life support to retrieve her flight gear. She pulled her hair into a bun and put her G-suit and harness on before stuffing her helmet in her helmet bag. Coach didn’t even acknowledge her as he finished zipping his G-suit. Moss felt awkward. Nice to have a wingman who hates you, she thought.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do great,” a voice from behind her said. It was Lt Col “Magic” Manny, the squadron’s Director of Operations. She had always liked him. His brown eyes seemed to light up at the thought of flying. He was one of the good ones.

“Thanks, go easy on us,” she said. Magic would serve as the adversary for their sortie. He would simulate an enemy MiG in his F-16 as she and Coach worked together to defeat his simulated missiles and gunshots.

Manny gave a wink and smiled. Moss felt slightly reassured. Unlike other Gators, she knew Magic wasn’t out to get her. He would play by the rules and be fair in simulating the enemy. He wouldn’t do anything to make her look bad. If it weren’t for her wingman, she would’ve actually felt at ease.

After receiving their step briefing, they walked to their jets on the large, open ramp lined with rows of F-16s. The Gators’ fleet of Block 70 F-16s was the product of a creative upgrade program from the current Chief of Staff of the Air Force who found funds to buy AESA radars and a host of other electronic upgrades to modernize an aging fleet of F-16s. The active duty was lucky enough to get brand new jets off the showroom floor in Fort Worth, based on the UAE Block 60 variants, while the Guard and Reserve components were funded to upgrade their Block 30s and 40s to the Block 70 standard. These upgrades included conformal fuel tanks, color LCD displays, and helmet-mounted cueing systems.

Moss returned the salute of her crew chief and shook his hand as she approached her aircraft. After a quick walk around, she climbed the ladder and strapped in. With her pre-flight checks done, she moved the JFS switch to START 2 and the Jet Fuel Starter system whirred to life. As the F-16’s big GE engine started to turn, she moved the single throttle from the cut-off position to IDLE and the engine began its start sequence. Once started, she lowered the big bubble canopy and began powering on her avionics.