"It was nothing remarkable. However, I must give it credit for jump-starting my engineering career by 11 years."
-Linda Weiss, when asked about the Ascender Fighter

One of the first machines designed by famed aeronautical engineer Linda Weiss, it is easily recognizable for its unusual pusher configuration. It was entered as part of a competition which led to the adoption of the Pummeler Fighter. As well as its novel design, it was also armed with an innovative Mark 5 rotary cannon, capable of providing as much firepower as eight Mark 4 aircraft cannon. When tested against the Pummeler and the Valiant prototypes, it outperformed both aircraft with ease. However, it was not accepted due to the fact that it only had a marginal performance advantage over the Pummeler, and the Pummeler was a more mature design. In addition, the Mark 5 cannon was prone to jamming, due to the use of linked ammunition. A delinking system was developed, though not installed.

The significance of this machine was the fact that its designer, Linda Weiss, was fifteen at the time, and was designed in her spare time with the aid of an aeronautical engineering textbook her father owned. She was immediately withdrawn from school and sent to the Barracuda Island, Pilotmario's premier multi-field research facility. There, she would design many aircraft, such as the Endurance airliner, the Dominator Bomber and the Dart Interceptor.