I quickly got used to the minor head adjustments it would take to turn fully around in my cockpit to view any incoming bogeys that might be tailing my ‘six. I leaned in for a zoomed in view of where my high incendiary rounds were hitting at the base of an APC, then quickly checked the destruction I left in my wake as I accelerated high into the skies avoiding triple-A fire from the ground.

After the hair raising combat I set my waypoints to take me back to base. As I climbed to a comfortable altitude I adjusted my trim to allow for level flight and gazed happily out the canopy at the landscape around and below me. I easily glanced down to my gauges to check that everything was running smoothly. I noticed something distant in my HUD and leaned in close for a good look. I was happy to see the welcomed sight of my base coming in to view. I leaned back for a nice wide view of my cockpit and went through my checklist for my inbound approach.

Landing was a snap. No longer did it take awkward controls to robotically pan the camera down to check my glide slope and then jarringly snap the camera back to its original location. Instead, a quick glance down to check my flap levels and to make sure my gears were locked, and back to my HUD to check in my inbound angle. I peered out to my port and starboard sides to check for wing damage and gently set the aircraft on the tarmac. As I released my drogue chute I opened my canopy while I smoothly lifted my pilot’s head and watched the skies open up above me.