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Kelly is assigned to train neophyte jet pilots (Nuggets). Hammer, his second in command; Kate, a bar owner; and three nuggets, Burner, Ice and Spoon are introduced.
Ice takes her first flight with Kelly/Raider as her I.P. (Instructor Pilot) in the backseat. Burner is grounded by Hammer for losing his temper when a snob hits his motorcycle but ultimately proves himself and takes his first flight with Hammer as his I.P. Spoon's father, T.H., visits. He surprises Spoon with a girlfriend who is about 2 years younger than Spoon. Spoon is very rude to her. However the sparks fly when T.H. takes business meetings and the two spend the day together.
Ice's plane has a major mechanical problem during her first solo flight and her confidence is shaken, Burner is covers up a water jet ski injury so he won't be grounded until he is 100% healthy and Spoon and his father's girlfriend, Teri, start falling for each other when they spend time together.
Spoon and Teri start an affair. Breaker does not get a S.O.D. for extremely bad flying and then Spoon, thinking about Teri, gets a S.O.D. for approaching the wrong runway, causing friction. A reporter does a negative story about the treatment of female pilots. Burner talks Teri into staying away from Spoon while she thinks things over instead of staying with him.
Breaker's plane suffers a hydraulic failure and she dies trying to land the plane.
While Hammer and Kelly go on a top secret mission, Burner and Spoon find they have their hands full when they try to look after Kelly's ostensibly prim and proper niece. (It is revealed that Hammer was briefly a P.O.W. during the Gulf War.)
Burner may lose his wings for causing a sonic boom while showing off for two women. Also Kate may lose her bar when an underage woman is found with a drink.
A hot shot German pilot shows off and annoys Burner, scares Spoon with his (off screen) reckless driving and romances Ice. But he has a problem which may ground him. Also Spoon gets the wrong idea when Kate asks him probing questions to plan a surprise birthday party for him.
A young man shows up at the Bucket and informs Hammer that he is his son and that his mother has died. The Nuggets train to fly using instrumentation only because at night or in clouds after making high gee moves they can get vertigo and become disoriented. Burner and Spoon volunteer to become judges at a ""talent contest"" (Miss Pensacola).
The Nuggets go to Fallon Air Base to learn low level bombing, where a shifty Lt. Colonel makes trouble for them. Spoon is doubtful when told he is jinxed after breaking an Indian artifact. Burner falls for a woman whose abusive boyfriend turns out to also be her boss. An old friend lodges a complaint against Kelly.
High-scoring Ice is made Strike Leader for a fiercely competitive bombing exercise against missle and fighter defenses. Spoon is attracted to Gunslinger, a pretty blonde operator of missle defenses. Jackal, still angling to obtain Kelly's command, intends to cheat during the Class Strike. And things escalate personally for Burner as he continues his attempts to help the woman with the abusive boyfriend.
A former Blue Angel leader is now recruiting and he offers Hammer a position on the Blue Angels. He also begins a romance with Kate. Burner and Spoon try to play matchmaker between Kate and Kelly. Meanwhile a retired general who is a fan of Teddy Roosevelt drops by and takes the unit on a fifty mile march with full gear.
During a community relations day, a orphaned boy living with his aunt is kidnapped for ransom.
Ice's mother shows up without calling and arranges a date with Col. Kelly, not knowing that he is Ice's commanding officer. A private propeller plane strays into military airspace and crashes when Spoon flies too close to it. Spoon is put through the wringer in the subsequent ""Mishap investigation.""
Swamp has a loss of confidence both in his flying and when he tries to romance Holly ""of Hollywood."" Burner competes against a new instructor from Top Gun who can't accept losing even though instructors are supposed to be able hold back. Pearly, who was one of Hammer's trainers, is trying to requalify in order to take a fleet assignment, but he seems to have lost his skills.
A nugget, flying as wingman, shoots down his lead in simulated dogfighting (ACM / Air Combat Manuevering). This is called Blue on Blue. Two women seek Spoon's affections while two pilots pursue Ice.
Still in Key West. News reports have a boat with Cuban refugees being fired on by Castro's air force, a family whom the Nuggets are socializing with is directly affected, and a Cuban ace who met Kelly in the past is flying unusually close to the Nuggets training exercises. Also, Paddles has back trouble which may ground him.
Burner meets and falls for a woman with a secret. Kelly and Hammer try to get recognition for a suicidal man who threw himself on a grenade while serving as a marine but lived while the people he tried to save died. Kelly asks Kate on a date? to the retirement party of a General. The Nuggets are evaluated as they go on a ""obstacle course"" (or sortie) ending with a bombing run.
The nuggets practice touch and go landings before trying to land on a carrier, Spoon's father returns, a young acquaintance of Kelly's seeks romance with Ice and a sleep deprivation study needs participants.
Spoon's father comes by with bad news. The Nuggets head out to try landing on an aircraft carrier, a dangerous and difficult skill to master.
On the carrier, Kristi Blake, an actress planning to play a female pilot, studies and bunks with (and annoys) Ice. Spoon thinks of resigning. He confides in Ice about his father's cancer. Burner tries to argue Spoon out of resigning and learns that Spoon's father has cancer. Swamp is unable to make the trap (landing wires) at night and washes out. Burner's plane has a hydraulic problem and he is forced to try an emergency landing.
Someone is trying to kill Kelly and Hammer. Both are shot at, apparently in reprisal for the events of the Raid on Osirak episode. Burner and Spoon compete for a prized spot on the ""Panthers"" while Ice seems to be getting passed over because she is a woman. Burner is the favorite to get the spot but he develops a medical condition which may ground him so Spoon may get the spot by default. The pilots perform in an final exhibition before receiving their duty assignments.
