>>9602115You can't blame planetary flight personnel too much, though, given the shitty equipment situation most squadrons are in. Command's idea of a ground-based fighter is pretty much just a regular TIE launched from a duracrete pad, or a Star Destroyer-style launch scaffold if they're running the earlier TIE-ln models that can't even support their own weight.
And fuck, let me tell you, in a stand-up fight in space I'll happily fly the TIE/ln against A-Wings, Y-wings, even X-wings (in my experience the effectiveness of X-wing shields is way overblown, and we've got speed and maneuverability on them on top of that), but in atmosphere those big radiator panels fuck you up in a way that most pilots (most ground branch pilots, anyway, heh) can't handle.
Not that that matters much when you're doing third-rate CAS missions against insurgents, but if they manage to field a Z-95 or two or even some airspeeders, your average ground branch squadron is pretty fucked.
Personally I couldn't give a shit, though, I haven't flown in atmo since flight school. On VSD Protector at the moment, just got transferred to an interceptor squadron and loving it.