I succeeded in doing a career in the Navy, never left the cockpit, and spent my last 10 years as a TAR A-4 driver in the adversary business. It wasn't a career-enhancing path to follow and I was passed over for CDR several times because of it, retiring as an O-4, but I did what I wanted to do, which was fly. I went through the TG Adversary Course in '85, and had the opportunity to go up against the Fishbed while there. We had a face-to-face brief at Nellis with the Red Eagle guys the day before the engagement and were instructed to be over a certain landmark in the Tonapah Range at a specific time the next day. At that time the following day, while orbiting over the landmark and monitoring the radio, I heard "Joining on your right side." There was the MIG 21. We flew side by side while he rolled up on one side, then the other, to show what the a/c looked like to get perspective. We did some side-by-side performance comparisons regarding acceleration in basic engine and then him using A/B. Then we took separation and the fight was on. We had three engagements IIRC and then he was bingo. The time spent was invaluable in really learning how to accurately simulate a MIG 21 in a knife fight, which is what the adversary business was all about.