Chapter 6: Wheels Up

The quartet approached the aircraft, it gleamed in the sunlight and Megan touched the left wing, feeling the warmth of the sun on the shiny metal surface.

“She has a 26 gallon tank and she has an automatic trimming system.” Captain Donahue said as they walked around the plane.

“That’ll be to counteract any overly large pitch changes during vigorous ariel maneuvers, then.” Said Brad Sr. to which Donahue nodded.

Megan watched as her uncle touched the nose of the plane, looking appreciative, “Captain, how many G’s can she pull. Not that we will be testing her today.” He added with a wry smile that made his niece laugh.

“She’s rated a +8 / -4, though we don’t go anywhere past 6.5.” he said confidently.

“What’s her top speed?” asked Megan.

Captain Donahue turned to Megan, “She’s spec’d out at 470mph, though we’ve clocked her at 466. But don’t tell the Navy that.” He laughed at his own joke.

Megan and her uncle finished the walkabout with the captain. Naturally, a flight check would have already been performed prior to their arrival and Donahue said as much.

“She’s got a half-tank, so no extra sightseeing folks.” He added as he approached the plane and pulled on a side panel. A foothold dropped down and he did so a second time. One for each pilot to enter the cockpit.

“Ladies first.” Captain Donohue motioned for Megan to sit in the front, while her uncle helped himself to the rear seat, the preferred position for the instructor as the raised seat offered enhanced visibility.

Megan got up and swung her leg over and into the cockpit. She surveyed the controls and switches, noting where all the safety systems were, ejection seat lever and canopy release. She was impressed but not surprised by the cleanliness of the aircraft and noted with a pang of excitement that electronic smell that you get from big machines. It was like a tonic to her. She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. She was ready.

Her uncle got in shortly thereafter and wolf whistled as he clapped his hands together. “Hot damn, it’s been a minute. Though not too long a minute, mind you.” He said over the side to Captain Donahue, who grinned.
As Megan and her uncle were going over some internal systems check, Megan heard a small voice from somewhere below.

“Wait!” It was her mother. She was half running with her cell phone in hand, a smile on her face.

“Pictures. That okay?” Said Brad Sr. warmly.

“That’ll be fine.” Said Donahue.

“Captain!” Megan’s mother breathed, hands on knees. “Mind if a get a quick photo?”

“Not a problem. We’ll just let LT Coops take the photo so that nothing notable is in the background. I’m sure you understand. This is after all, an active base.”

“Oh, yes of course.” She said, turning to see the Lieutenant Commander coming up to her side, Brad Jr. also in toe.

“Alright, family. Gather around.” He said, waiving a hand and he snapped a photo and verified it before handing it back to Mrs. Wolfe.

“How about just one with the pilots?” her uncle said.

LT Coops motioned for Brad Sr. to climb up the side of the plane on the built-in ladder to get a better photo and the three Wolfe’s smiled confidently. The perfect photo.

“Okay folks, we’re losing daylight.” Said Captain Donahue, consulting his watch.

The family and officers cleared the runway as Megan’s uncle began to initiate the flight sequence.

“Okay kiddo, helmet’s on.”

Megan felt the warm pressure of the foam inside the helmet against her hair and felt reassured as she fastened the strap. She tapped the side of her helmet and gave her uncle the thumbs up as the radio crackled to life.

“Check. Can you hear me?” He said.

“Copy. Coming in loud and clear.” She replied.

Her uncle began flipping switches and pushed a few buttons and the aircraft began to hum to life. He checked the tail rudder and ailerons and was satisfied.

Megan looked out at her family, who smiled and waived back. Her uncle also waived and motioned for LT Coops to remove the wheel chucks. He hand-gestured ‘okay’ and removed the yellow rubber blocks and folded up the external ladders and gave the thumbs up before stepping back a generous distance.

Checking her harness one more time, Megan was satisfied and reached up to close her canopy and sealed herself in and heard the confident click of the locking mechanism. Her uncle did the same and the external noise was dramatically reduced.

“I have control.” Her uncle said, as he began testing the engine. All was good.

“You have control.” Megan replied.

Her uncle gave one final thumbs up and the aircraft began to roll forward onto the taxiing runway, then to the main runway. He checked in with air traffic control who gave him the green light.

“You are a go.” Came the cool and calm voice through the radio.

“You have control.” Her uncle said.

Megan breathed in deeply and exhaled. “I have control.”


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With delicate and well-practiced hands, Megan’s reached forward, letting her hands grip the central joystick and noted the navigational instrument panel and engine instrument panel. The plane began to pick up speed and when it approached critical liftoff, she gently pulled back on the lever and felt the wheels part company with the world.

The aircraft soared up, up, up as the ground fell away. She reached forward with her left hand, raising the landing gear and the plane sped up a few more knots. The steady hum of the engine was all that could be heard. Her uncle remained silent behind her and she knew from experience that silence from an instructing pilot was a good sign you were doing things correctly.

Megan levelled off the plane at the predetermined altitude and her uncle plotted a course for them to follow.

“Let’s see what’s going on down the coast,” he said.

Megan increased speed and could feel the g-forces pulling against her body. She steadied her breathing, knowing this was a common occurrence at higher speeds.

“What a view, huh?” Said her uncle through the speakers. Megan nodded in agreement. There was nothing quite like being above the world, seeing the shapes and designs of human engineering from road designs to buildings. It was like being a kid again and watching ants go about their business. How strange. How thrilling.

Shortly after passing larger cities and landscapes, they progressed over industrial areas and then they approached vast expanses of land, mountains and hills. The view was amazing.

Megan did some gentle banking at the behest of her uncle, and she executed the movements with a natural grace that her uncle commented on.

“Kid, you’ve got it.” Her uncle said.

“Thanks Uncle Topher. I’ve had a good instructor.”

“The best.” He corrected her.

“The best.” She replied.

Megan stared down at the instrument panel once more, noting their airspeed and location. She also noted that to the left of the instrument panel was the weapons system. It had been removed and retrofitted with a sign that said DEACTIVATED.

Megan stretched her fingers and regripped the throttle and gave the plane a little burst of speed, banking and turning a little faster.
“Nice.” Said her uncle, commenting on her smooth transitions. “Now, let’s head for that mountain range and have some real fun.”

Megan noted off in the horizon to her left, like the back of a sleeping giant, a large expanse of rocky terrain. The sides and top were dotted with greenery but much of the rockface was exposed. She noted the crosswinds and angled the aircraft accordingly.

“I want you to increase to attack speed and practice sharp banking maneuvers. You up for that, kiddo?”

“Copy.”

She accelerated and felt gravity’s pull pressing throughout her whole body. Tens of knots shot by as they increased speed, the ground whipping below them now. Megan squinted and took note that her eyes began to tear slightly. Calmly as she could, she blinked rapidly which cleared them. She was suddenly aware she was holding her breath.

‘Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.’ She willed herself. And the mild panic lessened.

“I have control.” Her uncle said.

“You have control.” She replied.

Had she done something wrong? Checking her instrument panel, the airspeed and altitude were holding steady, and they were not off course.

“All okay?” she asked to her uncle.

“You’re good, kiddo. Just wanted to take a spin. Watch this.”

She exhaled in relief. She had thought for one horrible second that her eyesight and rapid blinking had caused her act in a way that her uncle had picked up on, and needed to step in.

Her uncle had accelerated the plane still faster so that it was approaching its top speed. Megan felt the air in her suit inflate as the G-forces began to pull. Her uncle nosed the aircraft down so that they were aimed right at the mountain. They were getting closer, closer, closer. They were going to crash.

“Heyah!” Her uncle cried through the intercom as they soared up and between two peaks, the ground falling away as the aircraft rose hundreds of feet in seconds. He levelled off and began to bank at sharp angles, thrilling both himself and Megan.

“Ready for some Top Gun shit?” Her uncle said almost lazily and reading Megan’s mind.”

She gave him the thumbs up.


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1 hour, 32 minutes and 11 second later, the L-39 Albatross made its final approach down the runway, taxiing back to Hangar 5.

The aircraft parked, the engine whinnied to a stop and Megan rammed back the red lever of the canopy lock and raised it. She breathed the air, but it smelt different. Felt different. She was different.

Megan’s heart was still racing with the thrill she had experienced under her uncle’s ariel acrobatics. She had never experienced flying like that before. Megan removed her helmet and unharnessed herself from the plane and noted where the straps sat across her body, that she was soaked in sweat.

LT Coops was already at the side of the aircraft, lowering the foot ladder with a grin on his face. “So, how did it go?” He looked first at Topher, then at Megan.

“Oh, I think we did okay.” Topher said casually but could not hide the wide grin on his face.

Megan was beaming.

Boots back on the ground, Megan and her uncle walked back to the terminal. She could still feel the hum of excitement coursing through her body. She felt like she was still in the aircraft.

“Heck of a graduation present, no?” Her uncle said, clapping a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

Megan nodded and stopped. Topher stopped too.

“What’s up, kiddo?” He said.

“Uncle Topher? I want to be a fighter pilot in the Navy.” She said, her words firm and certain.

He looked at her for a full five seconds.

“I am not surprised. But I am going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” He turned to her, “but feel free to repeat that in front of your parents.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze of acceptance and they entered the hangar.

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