Here There Be Tigers (Open)

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

[USS Challenger · Holodeck 1]

Litt paid close attention to the Captain's second-time explanation and after that, he paid attention at Lahr's try to start up the plane.

When the Andorian finally started up the plane Litt gave him a huge smile and nodded his head in approval and encouragement. "Good work Mr. ch'Verret... I'm already seeing you in red..." He said joking.

After that, Litt took his turn trying to follow all the steps and after all the instructions he was able to start up the plane. When the captain said that they wouldn't fly on that day Litt had a mix of sadness and expectation for the next flying tigers class.

"I'm ready for taxing now..." He said when he finally started up and shutted down the plane correctly.

Lahr chuckled at Litt's words.  "Nah, as thrilling as all this is, I doubt I'd ever give up Ops. Besides, I look amazing in gold. Not so much in red."

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded once at the young pilot's enthusiasm and swapped places with him in the cockpit. Once he was in place, he had Ricky and Lahr take their places on the left and right wings.

"Alright, I'll get this thing goin', I'll show you what this thing taxis like, then I'll swap out with each of you ta give you a chance behind the stick ta see how she handles on the ground. After you've both had a go, we'll call it a day."

Ian then got the Highland Gal started and once the engine was running smooth, he waved to the ground crew who pulled out wheel chocks and the Tomahawk slowly started to move along the rough field.

When Ian said that they would be learning to taxi the plane at first was a bit baffled until he realized that yeah seeing directly ahead of the plane was impossible as it was.   During the demonstration by the Captain,  Lahr took his place on the wing and kept watch ahead and using standard hand signals, helped direct the Tomahawk onto the runway and back to the hangar.

It seemed rather straight forward.

[Richard James Litt]

[USS Challenger · Holodeck 1]

When they changed places, Litt just stayed at the wing paying close attention to the demonstration about taxis that Ian was doing, trying to memorize everything they need to be able to taxi the ship in the right way.

That taxi thing didn't look as difficult as turning on the plane. But yet, Litt didn't get too confident because he knew that sometimes if something looks easy it doesn't mean that it is easy.

After the end of the demonstration, Litt took Ian's place again and tried himself to taxi the ship.

He struggled a little bit to do that but at the end, he was able to taxi the plane but when he had to put the plane in the hangar he just stopped and looked at Ian... "I don't think I'll be able to put this plane into the hangar right now." He said with a shy smile and awaited to see what Ian would say.

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

Lahr chuckled at Litt's words.  "Nah, as thrilling as all this is, I doubt I'd ever give up Ops. Besides, I look amazing in gold. Not so much in red."

When Ian said that they would be learning to taxi the plane at first was a bit baffled until he realized that yeah seeing directly ahead of the plane was impossible as it was.   During the demonstration by the Captain,  Lahr took his place on the wing and kept watch ahead and using standard hand signals, helped direct the Tomahawk onto the runway and back to the hangar.

It seemed rather straight forward.

[USS Challenger · Holodeck 1]

When they changed places, Litt just stayed at the wing paying close attention to the demonstration about taxis that Ian was doing, trying to memorize everything they need to be able to taxi the ship in the right way.

That taxi thing didn't look as difficult as turning on the plane. But yet, Litt didn't get too confident because he knew that sometimes if something looks easy it doesn't mean that it is easy.

After the end of the demonstration, Litt took Ian's place again and tried himself to taxi the ship.

He struggled a little bit to do that but at the end, he was able to taxi the plane but when he had to put the plane in the hangar he just stopped and looked at Ian... "I don't think I'll be able to put this plane into the hangar right now." He said with a shy smile and awaited to see what Ian would say.

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian closely observed the two men as they taxied the Tomahawk and both did well. He decided, that they might as well move to the next phase, take off. Not the most difficult task in a P-40, landing was, but getting the plane off the ground presented its own challenges to someone used to the automation available in the 24th Century.

Once the planes were back on what passed for an apron next to the most dirt track that passed for a runway. Ian shut the planes down and spoke to the others.

"Okay Lads, first challenge. Gettin' a P-40 into the air and nae endin' up in a tree or as a lawn dart. The Tomahawk is a fairly forgivin' bird, but you have ta purge your noggins of everything they taught you at the Academy or on Mars about flyin'. As I have mentioned, these beasts have no automation of any kind. You want the plane ta do summat, you have ta make it do it.

"You will each head ta your Tomahawk, go through the start up procedure, then taxi ta the end of the runway. I will lead the way. There, you will perform summat called the 'run up'. That's standin' on the brakes and revvin' the engine up ta full power. That's done ta see if anything will fail before you commit ta takin' off because an engine failure on take off leads ta a bad day. Here, the holodeck safeties will save your life, but in 1941, you'd most likely end up dead. So remember the courage of the men that flew these things for real. Okay lads, man your planes."

Ian climbed into the Highland Gal and soon had the plane's engine roaring as he waited to see the others get their planes started.

[Richard James Litt]

[USS Challenger · Holodeck 1]

That was completely unexpected, but that was life, they needed to be prepared for everything. When Ian said that Lahr and Richard would fly in their own Tomahawk the man gave a little smile and kept listening to the captain.

He explained about the process to see if there was any error because once in the air, any error would lead to death and at that point Litt was amazed about the brave pilots who flew those planes back in 1940s.

"All right, sir, let's put those babies on air!" He was really excited about flying those P-40s.

He went straight to a ship and after got up in the cockpit he passed his hand in the panel. Please, help me with that! He started the start up procedure and was able to do the 34 steps of start up on his first try that time. When the engine rumbled he smiled.

"Ready to go, sir!"

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian closely observed the two men as they taxied the Tomahawk and both did well. He decided, that they might as well move to the next phase, take off. Not the most difficult task in a P-40, landing was, but getting the plane off the ground presented its own challenges to someone used to the automation available in the 24th Century.

Once the planes were back on what passed for an apron next to the most dirt track that passed for a runway. Ian shut the planes down and spoke to the others.

"Okay Lads, first challenge. Gettin' a P-40 into the air and nae endin' up in a tree or as a lawn dart. The Tomahawk is a fairly forgivin' bird, but you have ta purge your noggins of everything they taught you at the Academy or on Mars about flyin'. As I have mentioned, these beasts have no automation of any kind. You want the plane ta do summat, you have ta make it do it.

"You will each head ta your Tomahawk, go through the start up procedure, then taxi ta the end of the runway. I will lead the way. There, you will perform summat called the 'run up'. That's standin' on the brakes and revvin' the engine up ta full power. That's done ta see if anything will fail before you commit ta takin' off because an engine failure on take off leads ta a bad day. Here, the holodeck safeties will save your life, but in 1941, you'd most likely end up dead. So remember the courage of the men that flew these things for real. Okay lads, man your planes."

Ian climbed into the Highland Gal and soon had the plane's engine roaring as he waited to see the others get their planes started.

Lahr's antenna writhed a bit at the idea of trying this 'run up' just after the Captain explained how difficult the planes were to manage.   Damn, he hoped he remembered the start up procedure.  He'd only done it once correctly so far.   But it seemed like the others were ready for this and Lahr didn't want to be the one holding the others back, so the Andorian nodded and headed off to the plane that he'd taxi'd over.  She looked like the other P-40's  except that on the side of the plane two words were written just over top a individualized image of a white dove.  The words read:  Avian Mary.    Lahr wasn't sure what the meaning was but it had a nice flow to it.

Lahr clambered up onto the wing and into the cockpit.  He took a moment to recall the start up procedure.  Step by step, Lahr went through the process and was rewarded with the engine firing up.  Yes!   He looked over to Captain Galloway and gave the man a thumbs up.

When it came time to taxi, Lahr went last.  He knew he was the one with the least amount of flight experience and he'd rather learn from the mistakes the others made, instead of making them himself.

"Computer.  Record from this point forward the pilot view of the planes occupied by Captain Galloway and/or myself..  record them side by side and save to Lahr's personal account.  Authorization: Bravo Alpha Delta Alpha Sigma Sigma Six Niner."

The computer gave bleep and the feminine voice called out "Acknowledged."

One by one they were called to do their run-up and Lahr engaged the brake before throttling slowly up on engine.  As before, the more throttle the loader they become.  Lahr watches his gauges carefully.  If there was a problem... it should show here first.

The plane vibrated from the power of the engines.  All the gauges read optimal.

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger · Holodeck 1]

That was completely unexpected, but that was life, they needed to be prepared for everything. When Ian said that Lahr and Richard would fly in their own Tomahawk the man gave a little smile and kept listening to the captain.

He explained about the process to see if there was any error because once in the air, any error would lead to death and at that point Litt was amazed about the brave pilots who flew those planes back in 1940s.

"All right, sir, let's put those babies on air!" He was really excited about flying those P-40s.

He went straight to a ship and after got up in the cockpit he passed his hand in the panel. Please, help me with that! He started the start up procedure and was able to do the 34 steps of start up on his first try that time. When the engine rumbled he smiled.

"Ready to go, sir!"

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

Lahr's antenna writhed a bit at the idea of trying this 'run up' just after the Captain explained how difficult the planes were to manage.   Damn, he hoped he remembered the start up procedure.  He'd only done it once correctly so far.   But it seemed like the others were ready for this and Lahr didn't want to be the one holding the others back, so the Andorian nodded and headed off to the plane that he'd taxi'd over.  She looked like the other P-40's  except that on the side of the plane two words were written just over top a individualized image of a white dove.  The words read:  Avian Mary.    Lahr wasn't sure what the meaning was but it had a nice flow to it.

Lahr clambered up onto the wing and into the cockpit.  He took a moment to recall the start up procedure.  Step by step, Lahr went through the process and was rewarded with the engine firing up.  Yes!   He looked over to Captain Galloway and gave the man a thumbs up.

When it came time to taxi, Lahr went last.  He knew he was the one with the least amount of flight experience and he'd rather learn from the mistakes the others made, instead of making them himself.

"Computer.  Record from this point forward the pilot view of the planes occupied by Captain Galloway and/or myself..  record them side by side and save to Lahr's personal account.  Authorization: Bravo Alpha Delta Alpha Sigma Sigma Six Niner."

The computer gave bleep and the feminine voice called out "Acknowledged."

One by one they were called to do their run-up and Lahr engaged the brake before throttling slowly up on engine.  As before, the more throttle the loader they become.  Lahr watches his gauges carefully.  If there was a problem... it should show here first.

The plane vibrated from the power of the engines.  All the gauges read optimal.

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian spoke into his throat mic to the others as they got their planes started and completed their run up.

"I'll lead off, when you are ready, keep full power and release the brakes. Hold the stick firmly and let the plane accelerate. When it gets ta 100 miles per hour, the tail will lift, at that point, pull back firmly on the stick, but nae too hard or the tail will hit the ground and that will be a bad day. When you are airborne, retract the landin' gear and climb ta 10,000 feet."

Ian then put word to deed and began his take off run, climbing smoothly into the early morning skies above Kunming, China.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian spoke into his throat mic to the others as they got their planes started and completed their run up.

"I'll lead off, when you are ready, keep full power and release the brakes. Hold the stick firmly and let the plane accelerate. When it gets ta 100 miles per hour, the tail will lift, at that point, pull back firmly on the stick, but nae too hard or the tail will hit the ground and that will be a bad day. When you are airborne, retract the landin' gear and climb ta 10,000 feet."

Ian then put word to deed and began his take off run, climbing smoothly into the early morning skies above Kunming, China.

Lahr watched the Captain's take over.. repeating the man's instructions to himself.
"Keep full power, release the brakes. Hold the stick firmly and let the plane accelerate. At 100 miles per hour, pull back firmly on the stick - but not too hard. Retract landing gear. Climb to 10,000 ft."

When it was his turn, Lahr talked himself through the process.

"Keep full power and release the brakes." He reached for the brakes and released them, while he held firm to the stick.  The plane started forward and held tight, feeling nervous and the increasing speed forward, when he didn't have a clear view.  He hoped nothing had moved onto the runway ahead of him...there was no way he'd see it.

The Andorian, with his antenna stiff, kept watch on the gauges.. watching in particular the speedometer in anticipation as it approached 100 miles per hour.  "Wait for it... "

Then as the needle touched 100, Lahr pulled back on the stick, or at least he tried to.  He wasn't prepared for how much strength he'd have to use to pull it back.. so at first it didn't move much.  He tried again and this time managed to pull the stick in towards him.  This affected the flow of air over and under the wings... giving him lift.   The tail end raised and in a moment of exhilaration Lahr felt the plane leave the ground.   He was doing it!  Lahr grinned and gave a whoop of success. For a second his plane wobbled a bit as he got a little too excited and his control on the stick slackened momentarily.  Thankfully he managed to correct from his wobble and get himself steady again as he continued to climb.

He wanted to peer out over the wings to see the ground falling below him but that just wasn't possible without him losing control of the plane.

Remembering the last of the instructions, Lahr glanced over the console to find the switch which would retract the landing gear.  That smoothed out the upward climb quite a bit.

Lahr was still grinning when got to altitude.  He'd caught a glimpse of the Captain's plane earlier while climbing, but had lost sight of him during one of his checks on the gauges.  Losing track of the other plane was not good.  He activated his throat mic.

"ch'Verret to Galloway.  I've lost sight of you.  Where are you?" 

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

Lahr watched the Captain's take over.. repeating the man's instructions to himself.
"Keep full power, release the brakes. Hold the stick firmly and let the plane accelerate. At 100 miles per hour, pull back firmly on the stick - but not too hard. Retract landing gear. Climb to 10,000 ft."

When it was his turn, Lahr talked himself through the process.

"Keep full power and release the brakes." He reached for the brakes and released them, while he held firm to the stick.  The plane started forward and held tight, feeling nervous and the increasing speed forward, when he didn't have a clear view.  He hoped nothing had moved onto the runway ahead of him...there was no way he'd see it.

The Andorian, with his antenna stiff, kept watch on the gauges.. watching in particular the speedometer in anticipation as it approached 100 miles per hour.  "Wait for it... "

Then as the needle touched 100, Lahr pulled back on the stick, or at least he tried to.  He wasn't prepared for how much strength he'd have to use to pull it back.. so at first it didn't move much.  He tried again and this time managed to pull the stick in towards him.  This affected the flow of air over and under the wings... giving him lift.   The tail end raised and in a moment of exhilaration Lahr felt the plane leave the ground.   He was doing it!  Lahr grinned and gave a whoop of success. For a second his plane wobbled a bit as he got a little too excited and his control on the stick slackened momentarily.  Thankfully he managed to correct from his wobble and get himself steady again as he continued to climb.

He wanted to peer out over the wings to see the ground falling below him but that just wasn't possible without him losing control of the plane.

Remembering the last of the instructions, Lahr glanced over the console to find the switch which would retract the landing gear.  That smoothed out the upward climb quite a bit.

Lahr was still grinning when got to altitude.  He'd caught a glimpse of the Captain's plane earlier while climbing, but had lost sight of him during one of his checks on the gauges.  Losing track of the other plane was not good.  He activated his throat mic.

"ch'Verret to Galloway.  I've lost sight of you.  Where are you?"

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

"Look behind you."

Ian replied via his radio and when Lahr looked back, he saw the Highland Gal a mere one hundred meters behind his plane.

"Rule number one of air combat, never fly straight and level for more than ten seconds. Rule two, 'check your six!'"

Ian laughed and pulled along side Lahr before continuing.

"If you end up in a dogfight with a Japanese fighter, you will lose. The P-40 has no hope of turnin' with a Nate, a Claude, and especially a Zero. Your strengths are in the vertical, not the horizontal. Use your speed, divin', and climbin' ability ta make slash and run attacks. Even though it isn't 'honorable' as a Klingon would define it, if'n you can sneak up on the target and bugger them before they even ken you are there, that's the true way of the warrior in this era.

"Okay, you've done real well Lad. Now for the most difficult part of flyin' any atmospheric craft, landin'. Make your approach with full flaps at 120 miles per hour, that's just above stall speed. Remember ta lower your bloody landin' gear! Then once you are over the end of the strip, keep her level and throttle back ta idle. Once the main gear is down, let the speed bleed off until the tail wheel is down. Then, and only then, apply the brakes. Otherwise, you'll end up on your nose with Flip's foot up your arse. Watch me and then you do it."

Ian then took his Tomahawk down to the field at Kunming and landed smoothly. Once down, he taxied off the runway and called back to Lahr.

"Your turn Lad."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - on approach to Kunming Airfield 1941]

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

"Look behind you."

Ian replied via his radio and when Lahr looked back, he saw the Highland Gal a mere one hundred meters behind his plane.

"Rule number one of air combat, never fly straight and level for more than ten seconds. Rule two, 'check your six!'"

Ian laughed and pulled along side Lahr before continuing.

"If you end up in a dogfight with a Japanese fighter, you will lose. The P-40 has no hope of turnin' with a Nate, a Claude, and especially a Zero. Your strengths are in the vertical, not the horizontal. Use your speed, divin', and climbin' ability ta make slash and run attacks. Even though it isn't 'honorable' as a Klingon would define it, if'n you can sneak up on the target and bugger them before they even ken you are there, that's the true way of the warrior in this era.

"Okay, you've done real well Lad. Now for the most difficult part of flyin' any atmospheric craft, landin'. Make your approach with full flaps at 120 miles per hour, that's just above stall speed. Remember ta lower your bloody landin' gear! Then once you are over the end of the strip, keep her level and throttle back ta idle. Once the main gear is down, let the speed bleed off until the tail wheel is down. Then, and only then, apply the brakes. Otherwise, you'll end up on your nose with Flip's foot up your arse. Watch me and then you do it."

Ian then took his Tomahawk down to the field at Kunming and landed smoothly. Once down, he taxied off the runway and called back to Lahr.

"Your turn Lad."

Glancing out through the cockpit window was awkwardly and his hand on the stick must have jostled for a moment cause his plane wobbled momentarily before Lahr turned forward again focusing on keeping the craft level.

He joined the Captain in his laugh - though it likely sounded a bit strained.  "I'll keep that in mind, sir.  Never fly straight and level more than 10 seconds.. and check my six."  He repeated the advice.

The Andorian was about to put the advice into practice, thinking to turn to the left, but when he checked his six, he noticed the Captain's plane coming up alongside exactly where he'd been about to turn to.   Roohz!  Coordinating where to fly had seemed simple at first but without an onboard computer and a ship full of sensors to adjust for obstacles, it was just as likely Lahr would fly into a friendly plane as shoot an enemy one down.

While he listened to the Captain explain about the aerial fighting techniques of this era, he tried to put into practice the advise the Captain had given.   Keeping an eye for both Galloway and Litt's plane... Lahr altered climbed, turned, dove, rose, turned again.  Trying not to be an easy target.   Since he was very much a novice it was easy for both Galloway and Litt to keep pace with him unfortunately.

When the Captain's voice spoke again offering a bit of praise, Lahr wasn't sure he was talking to him or to Litt, but the Andorian was happy to take the credit, since Litt hadn't been seen in a past while.   Lahr wondered if the flight officer had run into problems with his plane.  Nah, that wasn't likely besides which if he had he would have likely called for assistance from Galloway.

Something might have come up for Litt..  anyways, Lahr needed to focus if he was going to do this landing.  He paid close attention to the Captain's instruction, miming the actions needed as he said each one so that hopefully he could remember them better.

As the Captain landed, Lahr circled above and tried to imagine what things needed to be done and when,  from that perspective.   Galloways's landing went well and it seemed reasonable enough...  It was pretty much the same as what Ruth had done back at Trondheim.   'Cept he'd only watched then.

"You got this." Lahr said to himself as he circled about and lined up for the landing.   Yet for what little bit of flight experience he had, none of it was like this.  It felt so very foreign to be landing in this manner rather than simply hovering down on thrusters.

It was so awkward feeling that even before he got near the runway, Lahr lifted his nose and climbed again.  His hand on the stick was shaking.  While this wasn't the real thing and holodeck safeties would kick in to keep him safe, Lahr's perception was still that it would be painful if he got this wrong.

Switching hands on the stick, Lahr flexed his grip a couple of times while he got himself back into position.  "Sorry about that Captain, wanted one last look about." he joked.  "Coming in now."

Lahr took hold of the stick properly and began his approaching, bringing his throttle down to 120 with full flaps just as the Captain had advised.  The plane rumbled just above stall speed and began to descend.

Ian's voice in his head reminded him to lower the landing gear.  Steadily the ground rose up. It was a weird sensation feeling like it was the ground moving and not yourself.

Then as Lahr's plane was over the runway strip, the Andorian leveled out and throttled back.  This had the result of dropped her down onto the dirt runway.   Dust kicked up behind him and for a moment Lahr thought the stick was going to kick out of his grip... but he managed to keep hold.

He continued to throttle back to idle and tried to keep the plane steady as she slowed due to friction.  The urge to apply the brake was strong, but Galloway's warning kept him away from using it...  the tail wheel needed to be down first.   He'd know when it touched not just because he'd lose sight of the runway, being nose up... but because there was a completely different feel to the vibration of the plane when the tail wheel was down.

He waited for it.. a little worried that he might run out of runway space before it did.  The plane was seeming to take its sweet time in slowing down.... but that could be just his perception of it due to adrenaline.   Lahr could definitely feel his heart racing at the moment.

Finally the plane slowed enough for the back end to teeter back and the tail wheel  bore the weight of the tail as the plane continued on its forward momentum.   Now he could apply the brakes.   With the weight on tail, when the brake was applied - the nose remained upwise and the plane slowed much faster; though it was more jarring than Lahr would have expected, what with him being used to the light landings of shuttlecraft.

Lahr brought the plane almost to a complete stop before realizing he needed to clear the runway for Litt.. if Litt was still up there.   Taxiing was difficult without the guidance of someone on his wing... and Lahr nearly ended up clipping another plane as he tried to clear the field but was warned off by some random ground crew.    They finally directed him where to park her and then and only then... did finally give in to his urge to shout.

"Woohoo!"

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - on approach to Kunming Airfield 1941]

Glancing out through the cockpit window was awkwardly and his hand on the stick must have jostled for a moment cause his plane wobbled momentarily before Lahr turned forward again focusing on keeping the craft level.

He joined the Captain in his laugh - though it likely sounded a bit strained.  "I'll keep that in mind, sir.  Never fly straight and level more than 10 seconds.. and check my six."  He repeated the advice.

The Andorian was about to put the advice into practice, thinking to turn to the left, but when he checked his six, he noticed the Captain's plane coming up alongside exactly where he'd been about to turn to.   Roohz!  Coordinating where to fly had seemed simple at first but without an onboard computer and a ship full of sensors to adjust for obstacles, it was just as likely Lahr would fly into a friendly plane as shoot an enemy one down.

While he listened to the Captain explain about the aerial fighting techniques of this era, he tried to put into practice the advise the Captain had given.   Keeping an eye for both Galloway and Litt's plane... Lahr altered climbed, turned, dove, rose, turned again.  Trying not to be an easy target.   Since he was very much a novice it was easy for both Galloway and Litt to keep pace with him unfortunately.

When the Captain's voice spoke again offering a bit of praise, Lahr wasn't sure he was talking to him or to Litt, but the Andorian was happy to take the credit, since Litt hadn't been seen in a past while.   Lahr wondered if the flight officer had run into problems with his plane.  Nah, that wasn't likely besides which if he had he would have likely called for assistance from Galloway.

Something might have come up for Litt..  anyways, Lahr needed to focus if he was going to do this landing.  He paid close attention to the Captain's instruction, miming the actions needed as he said each one so that hopefully he could remember them better.

As the Captain landed, Lahr circled above and tried to imagine what things needed to be done and when,  from that perspective.   Galloways's landing went well and it seemed reasonable enough...  It was pretty much the same as what Ruth had done back at Trondheim.   'Cept he'd only watched then.

"You got this." Lahr said to himself as he circled about and lined up for the landing.   Yet for what little bit of flight experience he had, none of it was like this.  It felt so very foreign to be landing in this manner rather than simply hovering down on thrusters.

It was so awkward feeling that even before he got near the runway, Lahr lifted his nose and climbed again.  His hand on the stick was shaking.  While this wasn't the real thing and holodeck safeties would kick in to keep him safe, Lahr's perception was still that it would be painful if he got this wrong.

Switching hands on the stick, Lahr flexed his grip a couple of times while he got himself back into position.  "Sorry about that Captain, wanted one last look about." he joked.  "Coming in now."

Lahr took hold of the stick properly and began his approaching, bringing his throttle down to 120 with full flaps just as the Captain had advised.  The plane rumbled just above stall speed and began to descend.

Ian's voice in his head reminded him to lower the landing gear.  Steadily the ground rose up. It was a weird sensation feeling like it was the ground moving and not yourself.

Then as Lahr's plane was over the runway strip, the Andorian leveled out and throttled back.  This had the result of dropped her down onto the dirt runway.   Dust kicked up behind him and for a moment Lahr thought the stick was going to kick out of his grip... but he managed to keep hold.

He continued to throttle back to idle and tried to keep the plane steady as she slowed due to friction.  The urge to apply the brake was strong, but Galloway's warning kept him away from using it...  the tail wheel needed to be down first.   He'd know when it touched not just because he'd lose sight of the runway, being nose up... but because there was a completely different feel to the vibration of the plane when the tail wheel was down.

He waited for it.. a little worried that he might run out of runway space before it did.  The plane was seeming to take its sweet time in slowing down.... but that could be just his perception of it due to adrenaline.   Lahr could definitely feel his heart racing at the moment.

Finally the plane slowed enough for the back end to teeter back and the tail wheel  bore the weight of the tail as the plane continued on its forward momentum.   Now he could apply the brakes.   With the weight on tail, when the brake was applied - the nose remained upwise and the plane slowed much faster; though it was more jarring than Lahr would have expected, what with him being used to the light landings of shuttlecraft.

Lahr brought the plane almost to a complete stop before realizing he needed to clear the runway for Litt.. if Litt was still up there.   Taxiing was difficult without the guidance of someone on his wing... and Lahr nearly ended up clipping another plane as he tried to clear the field but was warned off by some random ground crew.    They finally directed him where to park her and then and only then... did finally give in to his urge to shout.

"Woohoo!"

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

It had been ten days since Lahr's success in landing the P-40, but due to mission distractions, the program had set idle since Ian saved it after that last flight. Today however, the demands of their current mission were minimal, that it allowed for some decent off time.

Ian stepped through the doors of the holodeck into the dusty, chill air of Kunming. He breathed in and caught the distinct whiff of aviation fuel as he headed toward what passed for the control tower. He'd invited Lahr and the new flight officer Ensign Ren to try out the program. He'd arrived early so that he'd be waiting when they arrived. He hoped they wouldn't be late as he was really looking forward to the simple joy of flying again.

"One of these days I'm goin' ta have ta do summat in the ETO so I have the chance ta punch another Nazi in the nose."

He chuckled and waited for the others.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

It had been ten days since Lahr's success in landing the P-40, but due to mission distractions, the program had set idle since Ian saved it after that last flight. Today however, the demands of their current mission were minimal, that it allowed for some decent off time.

Ian stepped through the doors of the holodeck into the dusty, chill air of Kunming. He breathed in and caught the distinct whiff of aviation fuel as he headed toward what passed for the control tower. He'd invited Lahr and the new flight officer Ensign Ren to try out the program. He'd arrived early so that he'd be waiting when they arrived. He hoped they wouldn't be late as he was really looking forward to the simple joy of flying again.

"One of these days I'm goin' ta have ta do summat in the ETO so I have the chance ta punch another Nazi in the nose."

He chuckled and waited for the others.

Lahr arrived after the Captain, dressed in his aerial leathers.  He'd missed overhearing the Captain's comment or the Andorian might have asked why the desire to punch Nazis might need adjustment to the program.   The blue-skinned man's limited knowledge of Earth history suggested that World War II  - the war in which the Flying Tigers were set to - did have Nazis as well as the Japanese as the aggressors.  Lahr just sort of assumed the two had an alliance, much like the Chinese and the Americans.

Spotting the Captain, Lahr headed over up-nodding towards the Scot. "Hey there Captain.  Did Ren ever confirm her willingness to try the Flying Tiger program?"

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - on approach to Kunming Airfield 1941]

Lahr arrived after the Captain, dressed in his aerial leathers.  He'd missed overhearing the Captain's comment or the Andorian might have asked why the desire to punch Nazis might need adjustment to the program.   The blue-skinned man's limited knowledge of Earth history suggested that World War II  - the war in which the Flying Tigers were set to - did have Nazis as well as the Japanese as the aggressors.  Lahr just sort of assumed the two had an alliance, much like the Chinese and the Americans.

Spotting the Captain, Lahr headed over up-nodding towards the Scot. "Hey there Captain.  Did Ren ever confirm her willingness to try the Flying Tiger program?"

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian frowned at Lahr's question and he replied with disappointment.

"She certainly implied she would, but it seems she's found summat else ta do with her time. Since we've daylight and holodeck time burnin', time ta teach you basic combat maneuvers. Get your plane started and meet me at 10,000 feet."

Ian then jogged over to the Highland Gal and began the start up sequence to get his own Tomahawk started.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian frowned at Lahr's question and he replied with disappointment.

"She certainly implied she would, but it seems she's found summat else ta do with her time. Since we've daylight and holodeck time burnin', time ta teach you basic combat maneuvers. Get your plane started and meet me at 10,000 feet."

Ian then jogged over to the Highland Gal and began the start up sequence to get his own Tomahawk started.

Lahr gave the Captain an acknowledging nod "Aye sir"  The Andorian then made his way towards his place, the Avian Mary.   He cleared wheel chocks and climbed up onto the wing to secure his spot in the cockpit.  There he carefully went through each of the 37 steps to engine start up.

Lahr let the Captain lead the way but soon even he was at the end of the runway having taxi'd to the spot and was now doing his run up.  The engine roared and yet all the gauges looked good.

Keeping the engines at full throttle, Lahr released the brake and started his plane down the gravel runway.  When he felt the tail lift, the Andorian pulled back hard on the stick and the plane lifted into the sky.  Woot!  Lift off.  Lahr could really get addicted to that feeling.

Before he could forget, Lahr retracted the landing gear and then started his climb to 10 000ft where he met up with the Captain, moving in to his left hand side.

"Did you see that take-off?" Lahr crowed proudly over the radio, still very excited at having done it right without reminder.

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

Lahr gave the Captain an acknowledging nod "Aye sir"  The Andorian then made his way towards his place, the Avian Mary.   He cleared wheel chocks and climbed up onto the wing to secure his spot in the cockpit.  There he carefully went through each of the 37 steps to engine start up.

Lahr let the Captain lead the way but soon even he was at the end of the runway having taxi'd to the spot and was now doing his run up.  The engine roared and yet all the gauges looked good.

Keeping the engines at full throttle, Lahr released the brake and started his plane down the gravel runway.  When he felt the tail lift, the Andorian pulled back hard on the stick and the plane lifted into the sky.  Woot!  Lift off.  Lahr could really get addicted to that feeling.

Before he could forget, Lahr retracted the landing gear and then started his climb to 10 000ft where he met up with the Captain, moving in to his left hand side.

"Did you see that take-off?" Lahr crowed proudly over the radio, still very excited at having done it right without reminder.

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian had watched Lahr's take off and had to admit he was getting better. Especially considering the Andorian wasn't a conn officer. When Lahr called him excited at his success, Ian pressed his throat mic to his neck to reply.

"Not bad for a novice. Now we see what you can really do. Takin' off, flyin' in a straight line, and landin' are simple tasks. True they are a challenge for someone from the 24th Century, but nae so much for the 20th.

"Today, we're goin' ta work on combat maneuvers such as rolls, loops, wing overs, and my personal favorite, the split-ess. We will start with the easiest, the roll, of which there are two, the snap roll and the barrel roll. I'll start with a snap roll. Watch and learn Lad."

Ian's plane suddenly rolled through 360 degrees along its length twice, staying roughly in the same place as it started.

https://www.modelairplanenews.com/the-snap-roll-do-it-right/snap2/

"That's the easy version, now for the more useful version."

The Highland Gal then rolled though 360 degrees again, but this time ending up a full wingspan to the right of where the plane had started.

"This maneuver is useful when you find yourself under fire and need ta get out of the attacker's field of fire."

Once he'd finished the maneuver, Ian spoke into his throat mic again.

"Now for the barrel roll."

Ian's plane rolled as a unit as if following a large circle along the plane's line of flight. This maneuver used up much more altitude than the snap roll, but did return to the initial height at course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-SP7JY-qj8

"Okay, Lad, your turn. Start with the snap roll. And if'n you yak in all over the cockpit, you can expect Flip ta make you clean up after yourself."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 6 - Holodeck 1 - Kunming Airfield 1941]

[Holodeck One - USS Challenger]

Ian had watched Lahr's take off and had to admit he was getting better. Especially considering the Andorian wasn't a conn officer. When Lahr called him excited at his success, Ian pressed his throat mic to his neck to reply.

"Not bad for a novice. Now we see what you can really do. Takin' off, flyin' in a straight line, and landin' are simple tasks. True they are a challenge for someone from the 24th Century, but nae so much for the 20th.

"Today, we're goin' ta work on combat maneuvers such as rolls, loops, wing overs, and my personal favorite, the split-ess. We will start with the easiest, the roll, of which there are two, the snap roll and the barrel roll. I'll start with a snap roll. Watch and learn Lad."

Ian's plane suddenly rolled through 360 degrees along its length twice, staying roughly in the same place as it started.

https://www.modelairplanenews.com/the-snap-roll-do-it-right/snap2/

"That's the easy version, now for the more useful version."

The Highland Gal then rolled though 360 degrees again, but this time ending up a full wingspan to the right of where the plane had started.

"This maneuver is useful when you find yourself under fire and need ta get out of the attacker's field of fire."

Once he'd finished the maneuver, Ian spoke into his throat mic again.

"Now for the barrel roll."

Ian's plane rolled as a unit as if following a large circle along the plane's line of flight. This maneuver used up much more altitude than the snap roll, but did return to the initial height at course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-SP7JY-qj8

"Okay, Lad, your turn. Start with the snap roll. And if'n you yak in all over the cockpit, you can expect Flip ta make you clean up after yourself."

As he watched the Captain do the 'snap roll', the first thing Lahr notice was that the roll, decelerated the aircraft quite extensively.  He tried to envision the breakdown of the maneuver.  It was basically a full rotation around the longitudinal axis, which Lahr figured would just be a hard steer to the 2 or 8 o'clock positions (right and left respectively) with adjustment to the rudder to make it a roll and not just a hard turn.

Ian's second demonstration of the snap roll was the same but with a lateral movement one length off the main line of direction.  That one seemed trickier... probably the same position but with maybe a bit of rudder.  Lahr wasn't too sure of this last but figured, he would give it a try.

When Ian followed up with a barrel roll, Lahr noted that there was a lot more change in altitude throughout the roll.  He figured this was done by ensuring the nose was lifted at the start of the roll and making the roll much less hard. From the smoke trail Galloway left, Lahr was guessing the path was at about a 45 degrees off the previous line of direction.

Then it was his turn to try the Snap Roll.   Galloway's warning wasn't comforting... not in the least.  Steeling his stomach, Lahr pulled back on the stick slightly lifting the nose of the plane a tad just prior moving the stick hard to the right, as he turned the rudder opposite.  This kept the plane from just turning right but instead rolling it.

Sure enough, Lahr saw his view out the cockpit invert and felt the press of centripetal forces helping him hold the stick to the right.   His view of the horizon came back around and then invert again.. this time lower in altitude, and still he rolled spinning down lower until he was more directed towards the ground and not the horizon.  Oh shit!

Somehow he'd gotten himself into a downward spin and not a horizontal roll.

Common sense suggested that releasing his stick back to neutral or even in the opposite direction might help.. so he tried that.