I noticed that on some earlier pages that their nickname/handle is in quotes on the side of the fighter, but not on this page
http://www.terra-comic.com Holly
I’m retouching the old pages, so I added stuff here and there, it will change as soon as I redo the lettering.
I’m at around page 70 at the moment.
http://archangelm127.livejournal.com/ Archangel
It’s known as a callsign, Blake. Pilots (in the US military, anyway) each have a unique name assigned to them that can be easily distinguished over a radio connection. In the air it’s against the rules to call a pilot by anything but his/her callsign, and in most units they use them amongst themselves on an everyday basis as well.