I'm actually pretty amused that everyone here basically agrees with me about my posted ideas of the whys of the vertitechs... the only sticking point is that of my 'pilot ego' comments... which have to do with starting off the pilot training programs. Not long after the specific training programs for V-tech units is finalized. Its the first one where your going from pure jet fighter jock to V-tech hybrids. By the '80s fighters went so fast that bullets firing weapons and not guided missiles were basically considered completely useless wastes of tonnage for fighter planes. You simply couldn't get in position to use them at engagement speeds. Traditional dog fighting did off after Vietnam. It went from shoot them with bullets and dumb fire explosives to missiles and counter measures (flares).
So the Jet fighter pilot's dumbed down skill set goes from: 1) 'Go faster' 2) 'Line up for missile lock', 3) 'Press fire button', 4) 'Press Counter measures button as a quick time event' to this mad cap insane thing where you opponent turn into a humanoid for and rabbit punch your cockpit after pulling a complete 180 turn literally 2 seconds ago. Then fly ( as a jet) 90 degrees vertically and turn back into a robot and shoot down your plane with bullet 5 seconds after that.
Ignoring that pulling 180s in a dogfight went from a few miles to a few dozen feet and that they can take off in any direct at all at that point... you have the resulting missile tech upgrade. Instead of single or double missiles fired, you fire off all the missiles in all the directions. Okay a few dozen missiles, but the sheer targeting computer upgrades it would take track those spontaneously occurring swarms and track them all. This is like making a chaff counter measure attack like explosive bees.
So no, wisdom is not at all a dump stat... you basically need a sixth sense not to die. Jet pilots are screwed if they can't adapt to spontaneous kung fu brawls random happening in their dog fights. Your 18th level munchkin wizard will quickly find out everyone now has greater missile swarms (7th level spell) and every missile is highly explosive... and they hit omnidirectionally. Every class is equally confused on piloting these things... except bards as they are can be karaoke ninjas and make elder gods explode... another reason wisdom is a poor dump stat., sanity damage is a thing in universe.
In short, jet pilots and jarheads are equally out of their elements... jarhead don't even exist soon after and jet fighter pilots are a basic job skill. Everyone is a random grunt or an MP. The military paradigm has been shifted completely sideways.
So the Jet fighter pilot's dumbed down skill set goes from: 1) 'Go faster' 2) 'Line up for missile lock', 3) 'Press fire button', 4) 'Press Counter measures button as a quick time event' to this mad cap insane thing where you opponent turn into a humanoid for and rabbit punch your cockpit after pulling a complete 180 turn literally 2 seconds ago. Then fly ( as a jet) 90 degrees vertically and turn back into a robot and shoot down your plane with bullet 5 seconds after that.
Ignoring that pulling 180s in a dogfight went from a few miles to a few dozen feet and that they can take off in any direct at all at that point... you have the resulting missile tech upgrade. Instead of single or double missiles fired, you fire off all the missiles in all the directions. Okay a few dozen missiles, but the sheer targeting computer upgrades it would take track those spontaneously occurring swarms and track them all. This is like making a chaff counter measure attack like explosive bees.
So no, wisdom is not at all a dump stat... you basically need a sixth sense not to die. Jet pilots are screwed if they can't adapt to spontaneous kung fu brawls random happening in their dog fights. Your 18th level munchkin wizard will quickly find out everyone now has greater missile swarms (7th level spell) and every missile is highly explosive... and they hit omnidirectionally. Every class is equally confused on piloting these things... except bards as they are can be karaoke ninjas and make elder gods explode... another reason wisdom is a poor dump stat., sanity damage is a thing in universe.
In short, jet pilots and jarheads are equally out of their elements... jarhead don't even exist soon after and jet fighter pilots are a basic job skill. Everyone is a random grunt or an MP. The military paradigm has been shifted completely sideways.