there's also the fact that he is a huit and could very well have been planning to do this all along
hm it would appear he is in his undamaged aircraft
Guerra, after drifting in and out of sleep in his bird, decides he needs some practice. He checks the HUD - no ordnance, but she's got her countermeasures.
He opens the hangar door, taxis to the runway, and takes off, tower clearance be damned. He hits the afterburners on the runway and doesn't turn them off when he's in the air.