Tom Cats
I am not going to get into the history of the Tomcats as their history is well documented, seeing it was an elite fighter squadron within the US Navy for some time, even when the F-14 Tomcat would fall out of favor within the Navy this unit still remained to be called the Tomcats. There job was simply deploy death from above, remove other airborne threats and be ready to deploy at a moments notice, seeing that many of these pilots lived and served on Aircraft Carriers to make for a quick launch into the contested skies or protect the slower bombers.
Many within the Tomcats would be as well deployed to protect the Presidents plane Airforce One and this makes even more sense seeing many Tomcats also served within the Presidents Men and it is their duty to protect the President at all times…..also it’s their duty to remove threats to national security and enemies of the state, so having members that also were ace pilots would only make tactile sense.
Also the fact that all the Tomcats are Navy Top Gun pilots means they are within the top 10% of all pilots within the United States Military and than pass a rigorous training program that see only a handful of pilots complete, with many washing out early. So to say that the Tomcats are the best of the best is an understatement, these pilots are the first to the sky and the last to return and many never return home seeing they are deployed to the most dangerous of skies and conflicts.
Now if you want to learn more about the Top Gun Fighter School or the Tomcats please visit the US Elite Naval Division or the UCAS Navy matrix nodes or do a simple search on the matrix for the information. I will delve into more obscure information about the remaining Tomcats and why these are the pilots we should all respect and fear if you are considered an enemy nation. The Tomcat fighter squadron has long since been dissolved as the UCAS Navy has focused more on drones and remote fighter planes in an attempt to spare the lives of the pilots seeing recruiting and training a pilot is costly and lengthy.
It has proven to be cheaper to build remote planes and drones than put bodies in the sky, and with the adaptation of cybernetics including the vehicle control rig many pilots can fly from the safety of the ground. Though nothing compares to raw skill, the feel of the stick in your hand and the pushing of your machine to it’s limits. These fighter Aces might be a thing of the past, but as we have learned in only a few months, nothing beats putting asses in the seats of the fighter planes and getting actual eyes in the skies. Drones and remote pilots grow lazy and they as well have nothing really to fear, so they simply see the air defense as nothing more than a video game.
These Tomcats are the real deal, they live and breath their aircraft and understand more about dog fighting and air surveillance then any younger military pilot can ever dream of. These men are a relic of the past and something that the military hasn’t really invested in save for the US Elite, though with Captain Wilhuff Palpatine back in the cockpit you can bet your lucky stars that he will demand a return to real pilots in the skies and to focus on actual skills with the stick versus sitting in a bunker playing a video game.
CAPT Palpatine has issued a statement regarding this very situation “War is hell, people die, pilots get shot down, planes explode…..this is all part of being a combat pilot, we all know the risks when given mission orders and we all take to the sky knowing that today could be the day I don’t come home.” he continues in stating “This doesn’t mean modern convivences don’t have there place, drones are perfectly fine, and remote aircraft for simple missions are perfectly fine…..trust me as a certified pilot of the Dragon Lady, I can understand the need…..those missions suck.” and further “The military has a long standing tradition with fighter pilots……yes actual pilots not machines and not cowards hiding in a metal box playing make believe. We need to find a balance between machines and men for only real combat pilots with countless hours of training, missions and flight time can learn to adapt, flying from the ground means you will miss something, you will almost always get blown out of the sky and the cost of aircraft suddenly becomes far greater than the cost of training a living breathing pilot.”
Palpatine brings up a valid point and the reason why I believe the military will return to the days of old with actual pilots in the sky, seeing the Tomcats are proving that they are far better then any actual remote plane. The pilot in the sky can adapt faster to danger, can change course if needed and really does want to come home; they want the mission to be successful and not simply crash and burn as that means they die. The other situation that has been brought up is a simple one, if these pilots are on the ground and detached from the actual war, if they are hidden away in a bunker remotely operating their craft……with the only flight time being in a simulator everything simply becomes a false reality, they become detached and unfocused.
The other situation is simple and deadly, what happens if the enemy locates the pilots bunker and simply hits it with electronic warfare…….guess what your planes all fall out of the sky and guess what you loose and loose hard as controlling the skies is one of the most important aspects in winning a war or battle. Look at the Sons of Liberty, Sons of the True Confederacy, Sons of Odin, 67th Stormrider’s, and even the Alexandrian Defense Force they all have living bodies in the sky and guess what they have numerous fighter aces and pilots that actually give a damn about their aircraft. Even the US Elite have done away with remote pilots and there success rates have improved. Though the UCAS military is stuck in this modern warfare way of thinking and it is costing the tax payers dearly as the remote pilots simply don’t care and aren’t punished for being shot down, mid air collisions, failed landings and simply crashes….to them it’s nothing more than a simulator and they just get a reset with a new plane, take into count that each plane costs tens of if not hundreds millions of credits and that begins to add up.
With the current leadership in the Pentagon we can hope that one day we once again will have those hero pilots to look up to, the airshows to watch our hero’s perform tricks and show off their prowess in the sky. Yes this will mean that men will die, this will mean men will not return home, but this does mean that pilots will once again be at the center stage of the military and not just corporate slaves or working as a mercenary or runner, seeing in those areas living breathing pilots are needed and wanted. Yes the Police Departments and News Media still use pilots but mostly helicopter pilots and Land Air Vehicle Pilots……though I am not going to insult Helicopter pilots seeing one of them is in this group and he is the worlds best.
Though your average helicopter pilot isn’t flying a customized war copter that has all the speed and agility of a F-22 Raptor and the payload and armor of an AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter, and the AH-1W Super Cobra is not something to underestimate either as CPT. Webster proves on a daily basis with his modified “War Copter” though helicopters are needed for ground support, and troop transporting……..where fighter pilots are needed to control the skies and win wars.
Okay now if the military no longer supports the Tomcats why are we even talking about them, well that’s simple they are center stage in the Alexandrian Conflict and they have already flown countless successful missions including bringing down multiple military hard targets inside New Aztec. They have been training younger pilots and the soldiers on the ground have their morale boosted when they see the Tomcats take to the sky, they have been a key factor in the success of the ADF forces and they have protected the crop dusters taken out ground armor and more….these pilots prove that nothing beats a living breathing Navy pilot. Now the ratio between man and machine is about 30/70 in the UCAS military as transport and cargo planes are still maned by living pilots and then add in the helicopter pilots and you get your 30% man and 70% machine.
This trend is not the same in the corporate world as their ratio is more 70/30 and the Salish-Shidhe it’s more like 40/60 though for the Tomcats these statistics don’t matter as they take ever mission with all the seriousness of a heart attack and understand that even a remote pilot can be dangerous and is often far more reckless than any actual pilot……..mind you the Tomcats are all known for their reckless and dangerous flying, but they are also known for their success rate and their love and care for their personal aircraft.
That is another major difference here as well, these old fighter aces actually own their crafts and have put in countless hours of modifications and features into their birds. Yes these men are filthy rich as they can afford state of the art military aircraft and then afford the aftermarket modifications……..for fucks sake CAPT. Palpatine’s F-22 is modified with advanced Dark Arms weaponry and all the speed and agility of a F-35 and then some, CPT Webster’s War Copter has bloody thrusters and advanced Stormrider technology for starters and the others well their crafts are just as modified and dangerous. These aren’t your average military aircraft and yet they are willing to take the skies inside their old F-14 Tomcats if needed at a moments notice, these men are what we should strive to be like, they are true American heroes as they are the last of a dying breed known simply as the Fighter Ace.
The Aces
Back in the Saddle Again
CAPT. Wilhuff Palpatine (I-80): Wilhuff Palpatine is the new commander of the joint command post of the US Elite Naval Division and UCAS Navy’s Air Corps, though he really isn’t the new commander just reupped his commission when the UCAS entered the Alexandrian Conflict. Wilhuff is a retired paratrooper of the 82nd Airborne and 401st Counter Terrorism Corps, where he both fought on the ground and in the air; he served within the US Army and US Navy before joining the 401st and has been trained by both the US Airforce and Us Navy…..his flight instructors would state that it seems Wilhuff was simply born to fly as he took to the sky like a fish to water.
Wilhuff would become the nations only Top Gun to graduate with honors and as well a perfect flight record and his carrier landings were always perfect and there wasn’t a dog fight he couldn’t outfly and out out shot. He left his F-14 behind for his newly highly modified Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, though don’t think this Tomcat hasn’t forgotten where it all started and proudly states that at the time I was flying missions for the Navy the F-14 Tomcat was the best in the sky and now the F-22 Raptor is the best in the sky…..though I would gladly get back into the cockpit of my Tomcat once more, just maybe for Air Shows and not battle any longer as she is old, still vital but old and can’t compete with the newer birds in the sky.
This man is a model pilot and has shot down everyone from Russians to Iranians and everyone in between, there isn’t a dog fight he hasn’t won and there isn’t a flight mission he hasn’t returned from successful. Wilhuff like the rest of the Tomcats can fly anything and with all the skill of a true legend and master of his craft, many fresh navy pilot cadets all aspire to be like Captain Wilhuff Palpatine in the sky and want to be able to called a true maverick in the cockpit……though the Navy does state that it doesn’t approve of many of his shenanigans and antics, he pushes his plane to the brink and then pushes it even further, he is known for being a truly crazy pilot and performs feats in combat normally reserved for the air show.
CDR. Arthur Swanson (Eddie): Now here is another man that served within three different branches of the US Military and as well the British Military. Arthur is a retired Royal Marine, he is 82nd all the way, USMC pilot and paratrooper Semper Fi and finely a US Navy Pilot. He is like all the others and a graduate from the Top Gun school and a true ace fighter pilot, like Wilhuff and Carrol it was said it seemed he was born to fly as he took to the skies with ease and well he is just as crazy as all the others.
Eddie is the another that has served in the air corps since the First World War and helped create the Airborne Rangers, he basically helped create the paratroopers and yet even though he served on Horseback in the cavalry…….it would be in the cockpit were he excelled and this navy pilot would be known as the Submarine Hunter as he would become the submariners worst nightmare with his precision targeting and eagle eyes, there are few that can even keep up with the antics of Swanson in the sky and that’s why he is the XO of the Tomcats and has been Wilhuff’s wingmen for decades.
He might have left the cockpit of his F-14 Tomcat for his state of the art highly modified Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II…….officially the best fighter jet in the world, though don’t tell I-80 as he will argue that that the F-22 Raptor is the best. It really doesn’t matter seeing these men fly like lunatics and can avoid even the sonic anti-aircraft guns with ease, they haven’t created something that can outfly these men, out dog fight them or even challenge them in the sky. The Alexandrian Defense Force is lucky to have Swanson in the skies keeping them safe…..though don’t discuss the fact that the F-35 is actually better then the F-22, though with these pilots they prove that skill and experience make the pilot.
LCDR. Nelson Rodger (Graphite): Here is another that has served in multiple military orders and fought within countless wars as an FIP veteran. Rodger served within the 82nd Airborne during the first world war and would take to the skies during the second as a fighter pilot…..now in those days dog fighting was extremely dangerous and lets just say that Rodger has only been shot down once and that was in Vietnam and he survived to get back into the cockpit and become a terror for the enemy.
Nelson served in the USMC during the Korean War and flew countless missions and was in the US Navy for Vietnam and would end his career with the Devil Dogs as their direct air support, Nelson is beyond crazy in the air performs feats in battle left for the air shows and some that are even banned by most nations for being too reckless. His bravery and sheer craziness would earn him a direct spot on Wilhuff’s wing and the three lunatics would terrorize their opponents.
Nelson has once again took the skies once the UCAS entered the Alexandrian Conflict, he would retire from the UCAS Senate and once again enter the cockpit of his highly modified Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and raise hell in the skies alongside I-80 and Eddie…….Nelson holds a special place in his heart for his old F-14 Tomcat but he fully understands that in today’s modern skies one needs to stay up to date…..and seeing the F-35 like the F-22 is basically unknown by the rest of the world, it gives us the ultimate advantage in the great highway in the sky.
CPT. Carrol Webster (Airwolf): The only none navy veteran to be within the Tomcats, don’t underestimate this Marine pilot as he has been formally trained by both the USMC and US Navy and graduated the Top Gun Flight School to earn his place within the Tomcats. Webster is FIP and he has been serving within the military for some time and was one of the first to take to the air, he has been flying since basically humans took to the skies; there isn’t a vessel that he can’t pilot and he is known worldwide for being a total crazy maverick in the cockpit. He helped create the Airborne Rangers, and served in the 82nd Airborne during the First World War and Second….he took to the skies come Korea and Vietnam and hasn’t looked back since.
He might have left his F-14 Tomcat behind for the pilots seat of his highly modified war copter but trust us in saying that whirly bird is no simple helicopter and he flies that machine like it is a fighter jet and can dance with the best in the sky. Airwolf has proved his mettle during the early days of the Alexandrian Conflict and still proves that he is one of the worlds best pilots and well worth being called a Top Gun and proves that Navy Pilots aren’t always the best…….though he is Navy trained and a Marine so guess that doesn’t prove anything seeing the Navy and Marine Corps are connected at the hip.
LT Grover Ness (Mechanic): Mr. Napalm is the final remaining member of the once glorious US Navy Tomcats, like those above this Navy pilot served within multiple branches during his long FIP career. Grover Ness was in the skies during the First World War dog fighting against the Red Baron and other German pilots, well he might never have shot down the feared Red Baron…he did end countless pilots lives during the early days of air combat and the skills he learned in those days would forever guide Mr. Napalm.
He served within the US Air Corps during the Second World War and as a Fighter Ace he was a true terror in the skies, Grover would as well serve in the USMC and eventually joining the US Navy and become one of the first Navy pilots to graduate the legendary Top Gun school. Grover is a master of all things with an engine and he took to the skies like the mighty eagle, and this is one fighter ace that I-80 is proud to have watching his six and through the many decades Grover has proven himself beyond a shadow of a doubt to be a true blue fighter ace.
Ness has as well parked his F-14 Tomcat for his trusty highly modified F-35 Lightning II known world wide as the “War Bird” and many enemy pilot or army has felt his wrath, he is known for dumping payloads of napalm onto the enemy and cooking them alive in his personal barbeque. Ness understands that his Tomcat was once the best in the sky, but all pilots need to adapt or die and with the changes in warfare and technology the old Tomcat is just not all that it’s cracked up to be……After the First World War Ness hasn’t been shot down since and he still holds the record for the most successful missions during the Second World War, so if you see the “War Bird” coming well hope it’s on your side as he is yet another of the original Fighter Aces and a true maverick in the sky.
