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The Tomcat sat on the catapult as snow fell across the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson  (CVN-70) under the pale Arctic sun. Inside the cockpit, the pilot and Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) went through their checks with stiff fingers, breath still fogging their masks despite the daylight. The Bering Sea wind swept across the deck, bringing snow and the smell of jet exhaust, while yellowshirts moved carefully on the ice-slick surface. When the cat officer gave the signal, the pi

June 2025: Canadian wildfire haze blankets Volk Field as two Top Aces pilots step to their F-16 Advanced Aggressor Fighters (AAF). On the...