Saturday night at Wings Over the Rockies, the Thunderbird still under wraps behind me.

Happy Fast Jet Friday,

A lot of you joined this week. Welcome to the wingmen. Last week I promised photos from the unveiling. Here is one, and the lesson that jet reminded me of.

In a Fighter, your six is the spot directly behind you, the one place you can't keep watching while you're managing threats, fuel and weapons. Your wingman watches it for you. You watch theirs.

As a Fighter Pilot, I flew F-16s alongside some of the same wingmen for more than two decades. We trained together, deployed together, and put our lives in each other's hands. As I told Ben Freedland in a recent interview:

"Even after one combat deployment, if something happened to that guy, you'd raise his kids."

Standing in the hangar at Wings on Saturday, the jet was incredible, but the people were the point. By far my favorite part is that camaraderie, dare I say, love that you have for the people you fly with, because your lives depend on each other.

You don't need an F-16 to have a wingman, or to be one.

📖 Want the long version? Read the full essay

1. Watch their six. Look after each other: the friend who needs encouragement, the person who has been there for you.

2. Speak up. If something doesn't look right, say it. In the cockpit, I expect it from my fellow pilots. The best pilots are humble, approachable, and credible. Speak up.

3. Remember who had yours. Send one text today: "I haven't forgotten what you did for me. Thank you."

💬 Who has had your six? Hit reply and tell me about them. With your permission, I'll share a few next week.

The September 29 class at my favorite legacy airline, with totals as of that date:

✈️ 50 new pilots. 1,536 hired this year, 2,168 projected, 18,305 on the seniority list.

⏱️ 5,200 hours average, from 1,550 to 24,200. Ages 23 to 57, average 35.

📋 Top previous employers: Spirit 16, JetBlue 6, SkyWest 5, Frontier 4, Allegiant 3. Military 4 percent, counted by most recent employer only, so veterans who flew elsewhere first count under that carrier.

If you're headed into a class like this, the people beside you aren't just future coworkers. Some of them will have your six for the next 30 years.

🎒 Interview coming up? This is the prep I point people to: aviatorintelligence.com Code: AIMDC50JR for 50 percent off the masterclass.

On 9/11, Heather "Lucky" Penney launched as Marc "Sass" Sasseville's wingman with no live weapons. The plan for Flight 93: Sass would take the cockpit, Lucky the tail. The passengers brought the airliner down first. → Her story

Interviews coming soon with pilots who are making a difference: @pilotdadwalt, @joshua_stefanski, @pilotgoldie787 and @kristinathepilot. Follow them now and you'll know their stories before everyone else.

P.S. Forward this to someone who's had yours.

Forwarded this by a wingman? Unlock the Vault at fastjetfriday.com.