My fellow high school classmate went to Air Force engineering college and being commissioned into Air Defence Forces, a separate from Air Force back then, took first tour as engineer in MiG-31 air regiment on Kamchatka Pen, seems to be 865th Reg, if I remember correctly. Anything that could fly and is longer than 20 meters here is "ship" instead of "airplane" and the pilot of it is "CO". Thus, Foxhound is a ship with its CO. Usually O-3, about 25-26 years old. So, once such CO after landing made a report that he was locked on SR-71 for four minutes with all missiles, trailing the Blackbird at the expense of exceeded burner time and almost bingo fuel. This was not a task, just for fun. When my friend asked him if he was ready to pay for a turbines' repair, he have heard: "Fuck yeah. What else can keep you warm and alive, after you quit drinking and there aren't high speed highways here to drive the car at a goods speed?" My friend called this "true fighter spirit" in a letter (a good old paper mail back then). No white uniform, no bars with piano, no patchy leather jackets, no clever blondis - nothing from Top Gun movie but the spirit... Second and last thing about that guy I've heard is that he was fun of Lynyrd Skynyrd and played "That Smell" on acoustic guitar. I'm not digging in the Texas stoner rock but can appreciate this.
Nothing to compare with F-14 or F-15 spirit but this, generally.
Fuck this tyres and decks, let's speak about spirit. And chicks will follow
