Sometimes old videos make a person look at things in different ways:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09DckvwFrXY&w=560&h=315]
While I haven’t gotten there yet, this video does make me think differently about jet combat in the Usurper’s War universe. Without giving away spoilers, there will be a pseudo-Cold War in the aftermath of the in universe World War II. Technology and how it works will play a key part in what characters live and die.
Yep, lots of pilots died before they figured out Zero-zero wasn’t the be all to end all. The other thing they don’t really mention is the back problems that most ejectees suffer in later years.
The film came out in 1969. The Air Force and Navy were both like, “What? No, eject, you won’t have any problems later!” Of course, if one is sitting there saying, “I’d rather die in a flaming ball of jet fuel than suffer back problems…”, I have to question the pilot’s sanity.