Neverending Missions

"They were in a race and knew it, because they knew from bitter experience that Colonel Cathcart might raise the number of missions again at any time. They had nothing better to do than wait" (Heller, 27).

There was a required number of flight missions a soldier needed before he completed his service in the air. Each pilot was always short of that number because each time they would get close, the required number would increase. Yossarian himself was near every time and tried to get his doctor friend to help with letting a shy few flights fly, but he never would. Yossarian kept flying thinking he could reach the every increasing number, just showing more of his insanity he got from perpetually putting himself in danger on missions.