Here There Be Tigers (Open)

[Cole Shepard]

Cole listened to everything the CO had to say. Thirty five steps just to start this creature?[/] He'd be a fool if some of what was said didn't worry him a little. Yes, the Captain had said that the safety features would be on but that didn't mean Cole wanted to go through the steps half assed. He always gave everything his all and this would be no different.

"I'm still game, sir." he replied. "I'm ready to start when you are."

[Ian Galloway]

[Holodeck 2 - USS Challenger]

As the ship cruised at maximum warp for Klingon space, Ian approached the holodeck. It had been a long time since he'd run the program and he knew he was rusty as an atmospheric pilot. Before he'd entered, he tapped the combadge affixed to his Flying Tiger flight suit.

"Galloway ta Jaeger. Ready when you are at holodeck two."

Ian then put his combadge in his pocket. His replicated period Timex watch told him it was 1904. They would have less than an hour to familiarize Ardy with the Tomahawk, he doubted they would get any stick time, but they had three weeks to get her up to speed. Not a lot of time, but she'd get the basics and that was all she would need to understand the maneuvers of the era.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Holodeck 2]

This day had been in the waiting for way too long. Ian owed her, and the timing never was right to fulfill it. She was already waiting at the doors,  already pretty stoked to try out the program. Apparently, this replicated an old Earth plane, used in old military skirmishes long ago—something she had seen in old movies she had seen with her dad years ago.  He was a military buff, and even though the war these planes had been used for had been long-since fought, there was still something kind of alluring about the old machines, something, she had to admit, she had to agree.  He would be so hyped to see me now. she thought, almost wistfully, before getting herself out of reminiscing.  The Captain would be here any moment.

If what Galloway had told her was right, there was a lot more than one would think about these aircraft. Something she'd have to look at for herself.
Anyhow, atmospheric flying on shuttles and other light craft was one of her specialties—perks of having her earliest flying experiences on the raceways.  She was pretty sure she'd pick up this sort of flying old fighters pretty quickly.

"Heya Boss. Ya ready?" She asked, smirking.

[Ian Galloway]

[Holodeck 2]

This day had been in the waiting for way too long. Ian owed her, and the timing never was right to fulfill it. She was already waiting at the doors,  already pretty stoked to try out the program. Apparently, this replicated an old Earth plane, used in old military skirmishes long ago—something she had seen in old movies she had seen with her dad years ago.  He was a military buff, and even though the war these planes had been used for had been long-since fought, there was still something kind of alluring about the old machines, something, she had to admit, she had to agree.  He would be so hyped to see me now. she thought, almost wistfully, before getting herself out of reminiscing.  The Captain would be here any moment.

If what Galloway had told her was right, there was a lot more than one would think about these aircraft. Something she'd have to look at for herself.
Anyhow, atmospheric flying on shuttles and other light craft was one of her specialties—perks of having her earliest flying experiences on the raceways.  She was pretty sure she'd pick up this sort of flying old fighters pretty quickly.

"Heya Boss. Ya ready?" She asked, smirking.

[Holodeck Two - USS Challenger]

Ian beamed when he saw Ardy in her Flying Tiger flight suit. He'd sent her the replicator pattern so she'd feel more at home in the program.

"Aye Lass, I'm ready."

Ian turned briefly from Ardy to the holodeck controls.

"Computer. Start Tigers Simulation Galloway One."

"Program initiated."

The doors opened and the first thing Ardy noted was the sharp tang of a strong chemical smell. Ian noted her nose wrinkle and smiled.

"That's summat called gasoline. Common petrochemical of the era, it permeates just about everything. Now, let's go see the lady you came ta fly."

Walking past the few buildings and tents of the airfield, the two came to a line of machines that were completely foreign to her experience. A tubular body, stubby flat extensions on either side of the body, and what looked like a fan slapped on the front. It was certainly nothing like anything she'd ever seen at the Academy, but Ian's eyes glowed with sheer joy.

Ian let Ardy get a good look at the machine before he started to talk.

"This here Lass is the Curtis, P-40B Tomahawk. It is an atmospheric craft first flown in 1938, which was 464 years ago. It uses a liquid cooled, twelve cylinder inline gasoline engine ta produce power. This was long before anti-grav, so those extensions on the sides of the fuselage are the wings, they provide lift once the engine gets the plane movin' fast enough. Back then, if lift plus thrust exceeded weight plus drag, you had flight.

"Now the most important thing ta ken about the P-40 is that it pre-dates computers by about 20 years. There is no assist of any kind. Everything is mechanical, on a modern shuttle you say "Computer do X" and all you do is go along for the ride. Nae so much with one of these. You have ta operate controls ta get it off the ground and keep operatin' them ta get it ta go where you want it ta go. As there was no computer, you have ta manually start the engine. And just ta give you an idea of what you face here. There are 32 steps in the start up sequence."

Ian then climbed up onto the wing and into the cockpit. Once seated, he waved for Ardy to climb onto the wing.

"Okay, watch me as I go through the start up sequence. Ask as many questions as you like.

Ignition switch OFF.

Landing gear handle control NEUTRAL.

Flap control handle NEUTRAL.

Parking brake ON..."

And on through the rest of the steps, when Ian was finished, the engine roared to life and by roar, it was deafening, one had to shout to be heard above the thundering of the engine and the wind coming back from the propeller threatened to blow Ardy off the wing.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Holodeck Two - USS Challenger]

Ian beamed when he saw Ardy in her Flying Tiger flight suit. He'd sent her the replicator pattern so she'd feel more at home in the program.

"Aye Lass, I'm ready."

Ian turned briefly from Ardy to the holodeck controls.

"Computer. Start Tigers Simulation Galloway One."

"Program initiated."

The doors opened and the first thing Ardy noted was the sharp tang of a strong chemical smell. Ian noted her nose wrinkle and smiled.

"That's summat called gasoline. Common petrochemical of the era, it permeates just about everything. Now, let's go see the lady you came ta fly."

Walking past the few buildings and tents of the airfield, the two came to a line of machines that were completely foreign to her experience. A tubular body, stubby flat extensions on either side of the body, and what looked like a fan slapped on the front. It was certainly nothing like anything she'd ever seen at the Academy, but Ian's eyes glowed with sheer joy.

Ian let Ardy get a good look at the machine before he started to talk.

"This here Lass is the Curtis, P-40B Tomahawk. It is an atmospheric craft first flown in 1938, which was 464 years ago. It uses a liquid cooled, twelve cylinder inline gasoline engine ta produce power. This was long before anti-grav, so those extensions on the sides of the fuselage are the wings, they provide lift once the engine gets the plane movin' fast enough. Back then, if lift plus thrust exceeded weight plus drag, you had flight.

"Now the most important thing ta ken about the P-40 is that it pre-dates computers by about 20 years. There is no assist of any kind. Everything is mechanical, on a modern shuttle you say "Computer do X" and all you do is go along for the ride. Nae so much with one of these. You have ta operate controls ta get it off the ground and keep operatin' them ta get it ta go where you want it ta go. As there was no computer, you have ta manually start the engine. And just ta give you an idea of what you face here. There are 32 steps in the start up sequence."

Ian then climbed up onto the wing and into the cockpit. Once seated, he waved for Ardy to climb onto the wing.

"Okay, watch me as I go through the start up sequence. Ask as many questions as you like.

Ignition switch OFF.

Landing gear handle control NEUTRAL.

Flap control handle NEUTRAL.

Parking brake ON..."

And on through the rest of the steps, when Ian was finished, the engine roared to life and by roar, it was deafening, one had to shout to be heard above the thundering of the engine and the wind coming back from the propeller threatened to blow Ardy off the wing.

[Holodecks - Hangars]

The sweet but pungent smell of gasoline immediately hit Ardyn pretty hard as they walked onto the runway towards the plane. Gasoline had long since been replaced by a different fuel source these days, but the environment was the same as the hangars these days; rows of planes and mechanics  mulling about doing repairs.

The holodeck certainly didn't miss any detail in this simulation,  from the painted fuselage to the large propellers and standard-issue wings. it was a lot smaller than a typical shuttle, even her typical Delta Flyer, meant to hold one, maybe two pilots?

"She's a beaut, for sure." said Ardy, eying the plane as Ian explained the specs and how it worked. She actually didn't mind the fact that it was completely manual. She actually preferred it that way with the shuttles she flew, much to the consternation of all the other pilots who had to fly the shuttle after her.  She had once put her trust in a faulty computer system, and it had cost her copilots's life.

"Heh. Manual flying's  a lot more fun anyway. Keeps you on your feet. ."

Hopping up onto the wing, she carefully studied Ian as he demonstrated the intricate startup process for the plane. It would take a bit of getting used to, given all the buttons and knobs to memorize, but after a bit, she understood the basics well enough.

What actually surprised her was the sudden gust of wind that came from the propellors, whipping her ponytail straight behind her like a flag in the breeze. The noise was deafening, but the thrum as it shook the plane felt almost electrifying.

"HOLY @^$#&! THAT'S AMAZING!" she yelled as she tried to keep her balance on the vibrating plane.

[Ian Galloway]

[Holodecks - Hangars]

The sweet but pungent smell of gasoline immediately hit Ardyn pretty hard as they walked onto the runway towards the plane. Gasoline had long since been replaced by a different fuel source these days, but the environment was the same as the hangars these days; rows of planes and mechanics  mulling about doing repairs.

The holodeck certainly didn't miss any detail in this simulation,  from the painted fuselage to the large propellers and standard-issue wings. it was a lot smaller than a typical shuttle, even her typical Delta Flyer, meant to hold one, maybe two pilots?

"She's a beaut, for sure." said Ardy, eying the plane as Ian explained the specs and how it worked. She actually didn't mind the fact that it was completely manual. She actually preferred it that way with the shuttles she flew, much to the consternation of all the other pilots who had to fly the shuttle after her.  She had once put her trust in a faulty computer system, and it had cost her copilots's life.

"Heh. Manual flying's  a lot more fun anyway. Keeps you on your feet. ."

Hopping up onto the wing, she carefully studied Ian as he demonstrated the intricate startup process for the plane. It would take a bit of getting used to, given all the buttons and knobs to memorize, but after a bit, she understood the basics well enough.

What actually surprised her was the sudden gust of wind that came from the propellors, whipping her ponytail straight behind her like a flag in the breeze. The noise was deafening, but the thrum as it shook the plane felt almost electrifying.

"HOLY @^$#&! THAT'S AMAZING!" she yelled as she tried to keep her balance on the vibrating plane.

[Holodeck Two - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded over the roar and then went through the shut down procedure, it wasn't as many steps as the start up sequence, but it was still complicated. Once it was possible to be heard, he said.

"As you see, just startin' this beastie is complex. Gettin' into the air is a touchy thing as well. This plane has what is called a 'tail dragger' configuration. Two main wheels under the wings, a smaller wheel under the tail. Ta take off, you have ta gain enough speed that the horizontal stabilizers get enough lift ta raise the tail off the ground, then pull back on the control stick ta direct the wings ta go up, but not at so sharp an angle that the tail hits the ground. If'n you do it right, the plane will lift smoothly. Then, as I said, no automation, you have ta activate the mechanism that will retract the landin' gear.

"That's just what it takes ta fly this thing. The settin' we are in is the nation state of China in 1941, which had been invaded by the nation state of Japan. China was mostly agrarian and dinae have the industrial or technological base ta field a competent air force. As a result, they essentially hired mercenaries ta fight for them. These pilots came from the nation state of the United States which had a very large military. The pilots had ta resign from the American military ta keep it from lookin' like the United States was at war with Japan. Everyone knew the truth, but it was just part of the politics of the era.

"These mercenary pilots were known the American Volunteer Group, or AVG, but known better as the Flyin' Tigers. They were paid better than in the military and got a nice bonus for every confirmed shoot down they got. I mention all this because at more difficult levels of the program, you will engage in air to air combat. Thing is, the Japanese have better pilots and much more maneuverable planes. If'n you nae learn ta fight ta the Tomahawk's strengths, you will lose. Now, let's go through the start up sequence again and when you think you have it, you hop in and see if you can get the old girl purrin'."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Holodeck Two - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded over the roar and then went through the shut down procedure, it wasn't as many steps as the start up sequence, but it was still complicated. Once it was possible to be heard, he said.

"As you see, just startin' this beastie is complex. Gettin' into the air is a touchy thing as well. This plane has what is called a 'tail dragger' configuration. Two main wheels under the wings, a smaller wheel under the tail. Ta take off, you have ta gain enough speed that the horizontal stabilizers get enough lift ta raise the tail off the ground, then pull back on the control stick ta direct the wings ta go up, but not at so sharp an angle that the tail hits the ground. If'n you do it right, the plane will lift smoothly. Then, as I said, no automation, you have ta activate the mechanism that will retract the landin' gear.

"That's just what it takes ta fly this thing. The settin' we are in is the nation state of China in 1941, which had been invaded by the nation state of Japan. China was mostly agrarian and dinae have the industrial or technological base ta field a competent air force. As a result, they essentially hired mercenaries ta fight for them. These pilots came from the nation state of the United States which had a very large military. The pilots had ta resign from the American military ta keep it from lookin' like the United States was at war with Japan. Everyone knew the truth, but it was just part of the politics of the era.

"These mercenary pilots were known the American Volunteer Group, or AVG, but known better as the Flyin' Tigers. They were paid better than in the military and got a nice bonus for every confirmed shoot down they got. I mention all this because at more difficult levels of the program, you will engage in air to air combat. Thing is, the Japanese have better pilots and much more maneuverable planes. If'n you nae learn ta fight ta the Tomahawk's strengths, you will lose. Now, let's go through the start up sequence again and when you think you have it, you hop in and see if you can get the old girl purrin'."

[Holodeck - Hangars]

"You said that right. There's a lot to get in one go. " said Ardy, mentally mapping each of the controls in her mind's eye. "Alright. So, what I'm getting is we need to get her going down this runway fast enough  so that enough wind gets under the wings here and can help it fly, right? And to keep the angle just right so that it actually gets up?" she asked, keeping an eye on the systems.

At the mention of the historical setting this holoprogram was set in, Ardy nodded, looking around at the airfield.  "Didn't know that. Honestly, sounds like something my dad would have known all about, he was an old history buff," she remarked, hopping into the cockpit. "I'm down for the air combat rounds. Best part of flying if you ask me; Going fast and flying fancy. Can't get that going on just shuttle duties."

She started running the sequence. All 32 steps. "Here goes nothing!"

[Ian Galloway]

[Holodeck - Hangars]

"You said that right. There's a lot to get in one go. " said Ardy, mentally mapping each of the controls in her mind's eye. "Alright. So, what I'm getting is we need to get her going down this runway fast enough  so that enough wind gets under the wings here and can help it fly, right? And to keep the angle just right so that it actually gets up?" she asked, keeping an eye on the systems.

At the mention of the historical setting this holoprogram was set in, Ardy nodded, looking around at the airfield.  "Didn't know that. Honestly, sounds like something my dad would have known all about, he was an old history buff," she remarked, hopping into the cockpit. "I'm down for the air combat rounds. Best part of flying if you ask me; Going fast and flying fancy. Can't get that going on just shuttle duties."

She started running the sequence. All 32 steps. "Here goes nothing!"

[Holodeck Two - USS Challenger]

Ian listened to Ardy and it was clear she had grasped the basics of atmospheric flight which pleased him because so many modern pilots simply could not wrap their heads around the idea of a vehicle that couldn't fly itself.

"Aye Lass, that's the rub of it. Time ta see what you've learned so far and if'n you can get this beastie started."

Ian swapped places with Ardy and pointed out what to do when she hesitated at a couple points of the start up process. She followed the steps and was rewarded with the engine roaring to life.