Capt. Richard Bannister
Richard Bannister graduated from the United States Air Force Academy Class of 1989 in the top third of his class and requested training as a fighter pilot. Unfortunately very few billets were available to the best of the best fighters in the US arsenal and only the top ten percent of his class filled those.
He was however selected for training in the Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt ll, commonly called the Warthog.
By March 1991, he was a USAF captain in a “hog” squadron and was flying close ground support in his hot rod “hog". Life was scary but life was good. Damn, how he loved his “hog”. The Persian Gulf War was on, and how he loved blowing up shit. Whether with Maverick missiles or the cannon in the nose, flying down in the dirt, he was on top of his game.
After three rotations and a gazillion missions, he was sent back to the states in the spring of 1991, his orders: the training command. He had become too valuable and experienced to fly combat. He was ordered to train the “youngsters” in the fine art of desert warfare close up and personal. He spent his years in the training command, but, by 2006, the Bird Colonel thought it was time to retire and move into industry.
He had done his duty to God, Country and the left wing loonies fighting for their right to call him a fucking war monger and these days a “mercenary”. It was time for him to be a civilian and make the big bucks.
The trouble was he wasn’t exactly the patient type. At his age, he had no interest in flying the right seat for ten years for a major air carrier, not a chance. He took a job flying the Boeing 737 as a captain for an air freight outfit but hated the hours. The motto of airfreight pilots being, “Freight dogs do it in the dark”. Then, spotting a job offer for a Chief Pilot position for a large corporation, he responded and applied. It seemed that the boss man, Mr. Raymond Shaw liked what he saw in him.
The deal was struck. Please meet Capt. Richard Bannister, Chief Pilot for RSI.
Welcome aboard the RSI jet.