rewatching some voltron episodes for my fic. while the timeline is not super clear it is stated that James and the other mfe were already training on simulators by the time sam arrived back on earth.
(also that means they were actually trained on galra controls/steering which ohh we should explore more).
so while they didn't actually fly MFE jets until sam was back and helped the mfe jets get airborn (again i now realize that while they LOOK more altean in design the simulation they trained on is galra! cause they studied shiros galra pod!) zhey did get to train on basically the prototype of a new kind of jet. cuttig edge of technology not yet seen.
And once they were actully ready to be used for real not just in sims, James and his team would be of the first people to fly them!
And i just wonder, did james ever feel smug about it?
keith was always the best. ace pilot, prodigy no one could hold a candle to him. not james, no matter how hard he worked and how skilled he was.
yet it would be james who would get to fly these top of the art jets, not keith.
because all that talent meant nothing if keith couldn't be disciplined and get a grip on his temper. in the end james dedication and hard work and being dependable paid off.
james was going to be this generations top pilot while keith was a dropout with issues and probably not much going for him
maybe james feels smug. vindicated.
(it is not entierly clear if/when the mfe were told about the galra and voltron. likely after sam landed back on earth but before colleens broadcast. COULD be that they weren't told the details before the broadcast tho with how sanda was. but it is clearly stated that they trained on the simulations based on shiros pod before sam returned. shiros galra pod!)