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My own take on it is that present-day Ace Combat 'squadrons' are outgrowths of a pervasive rumor (or a lot of wishful thinking) that Ace Combat 5 would offer group online play.

When that didn't happen, some people (myself included) decided to form our own 'squadrons' for basically fraternal purposes (online friends).

I started Yellow Squadron under the name Yellow 13, because it and he were about the most famous group and ace from Ace Combat 4 (with the obvious exception of Mobius One).

I recognized that Yellow 13 displayed concepts of honor and mercy that no enemy in Ace Combat (before or since) had shown before. I pushed the idea that Yellow Squadron were not 'bad guys', they were just on the wrong side of the conflict.

Setting up a private forum (link is in my sig) with a few pilots that admired the aircraft, skill and honor of the Yellows (and weren't you scared shitless when you could not shoot them down in 'Lifeline'?) I attracted others who wanted a more military structure in their 'clan'.....as ex-USAF, I could provide that, and, as time went on, we formed a lot of the precepts of today's Aquila Wing. I developed a squadron sig for my members, plus a ranking and award (ribbons) system, and pushed practice in the air and honesty and respect toward others on the ground.

We were the first 'upstart' squadron on ac.net (after the existing Sins & Saints, HellCats and American Based Fighter Squadron (ABFS)), and we brought new attitudes and excitement to the forum.

As time went on, we reorganized into 'flights', splitting the squadron into three lesser units, to enable the members to develop their own group 'personality'. As long as they hewed to the original concepts of honor, honesty, loyalty, skill and respect, they were allowed to find their own expression of their group.

I began to assemble a 'history', if you will, of Yellow Squadron, based in part upon some fan-fics written by various ac.net members, plus my own concepts. We continue to add to that honorable history to this day.

We became one of the pre-eminent squadrons on ac.net, by virtue of our skills in the air (proven in various game scoring competitions), our integrity, and our determination to be 'The most feared and respected squadron in the history of Ace Combat'.

A few months ago, we merged the smaller Eagle Squadron into our organization, renaming it Blue Squadron, and allowing members to fly American type aircraft, whereas Yellow Squadron had been restricted to flying Soviet makes (based upon the Yellow Squadron in AC4 flying the Sukhoi Su-37 Terminator). This was the 'official' rebirth of the 156th Tactical Fighter (Aquila) Wing from AC4, that was destroyed by the end of Ace Combat 4.

Shortly afterwards, a well-respected and mature member of ac.net approached me about transferring to my unit, as it seemed to offer more of what he was looking for. This was a godsend, as this person was perfect for leading our immediately-formed third squadron, Red Squadron, which flies European make aircraft. Several members of both Yellow and Blue Squadrons petitioned for transfer to this new unit, most of them rated as 'Elite Aces' (having attained 850,000 points total for the 32 missions of AC5).

Presently, all three squadrons of Aquila are participating in the second annual Inter Squadron Competition, sponsored by the successor to ac.net, ACSkies. Due to scoring issues, we are not sure, but we are confident that Red Squadron will take the prize this year, as Yellow Squadron did in the first.

Pride runs high in Aquila, evidenced by our Battle Anthem (taken from the WWII German Tank Corps song, 'Panzerlied') and our latest work, our Battle Hymn (the words and music to which are available here in the following thread - http://www.namco.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6366 )

I invite you to listen to the music, follow along with the words, and see for yourself what Aquila Wing is, and where it intends to go in the future.

If this kind of (para) military organization appeals to you, just click on my sig to visit our home forum and learn more.

Thanks for your time and attention.

Yellow 13, Major General
Commander
156th TFW (Based in Yuktobania)