 The pilots and the air crews, much like the sailors onboard the ships, they were ready to go. A lot of them were probably getting frustrated. They had been called to their aircraft two or three times and then told to stand down. They had to have been frightened. They knew they were going to be point of the spear. They were going to be the ones to take the battle to the ships, especially the Japanese carriers. These were the carriers that had struck Pearl Harbor. Any amount of vengeance they could get was going to be satisfying. They understood the stakes and the cost and they were going to do what they had to do to be the Japanese and they would do whatever they needed to be done to protect themselves of ship and shipments.