fandomhigh | Flight and Flying; Thursday 5/22

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flight and flying

Flight and Flying; Thursday 5/22

Murdock had the Danger Shop all set up, and was standing just under the fuselage of the only aircraft around. Though it was fairly large in size, it had a rather old-style appearance.

“Afternoon class,” Murdock greeted cheerily. “Today’s session is going to be just a bit different. We’ll be working as a crew instead of with individual aircraft. Flying one of the most famous bombers in history. Well, Earth history, at least.”

“The Boeing B-17, nicknamed the Flying Fortress.” He reached up and thumped the undercarriage of the plane. “This plane is considered to be the first true mass-production aircraft. First built in 1934, it didn’t see large scale service until 1941, when the United States Air Force ordered more for use in bombing runs during World War II.”

“The B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft type during that war. It even saw service with the British Royal Air Force. It was sturdy, well-built and could fly long-range missions at high altitudes.”

“There’s a few things you should know about this aircraft, and the reasons why I chose it for today’s class. Unlike many modern aircraft, the B-17 did not come with climate controls. When cruising at high elevations, crew members connected to oxygen storage tanks housed at various locations throughout the plane. Bomber jackets were not a fashion statement, boys and girls. They were a necessity. As were wool or fur-lined gloves and boots. It gets pretty darn cold at 20,000 ft(6km) and frostbite becomes a real possibility.”

“The point of today’s exercise is in three parts.” He ticked off numbers on his fingers as he spoke. “One, to learn how to operate an aircraft in a crew setting. Two, how to manage and maneuver a craft that is both large and slow in responsiveness.” He glanced up at the plane briefly and smirked at his students. “Believe me, this baby has about as much grace in the air as a lead brick. And third, maintaining control, calm and wits in less than comfortable conditions.”

“During the course of our run, everyone will take a turn at the controls. While the B-17 doesn’t have autopilot, it does have dual controls, one for the lead pilot and one for the co-pilot. So we’ll switch off in mid-flight by rotating people through. As someone will have to man the controls at all times.” He smiled brightly. “Or else we all go down. Ready?”

(ocd is up! ~~a'comin. plz wait.~~ same routine as last time; up for awhile, sp tomorrow, blah,blah. and *no* I did not plan it this way, it just happened. Fandom landing outside of Normandy just has good timing. weird)

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Please not to be killin' us all.

Flying was flying, and Reno was just as excited to be at the controls of an antique bomber plane as he had been to go flying about in those choppers the week before.

It was fascinating, seeing how it all differed, really. Gradual climbs and awkward turns, instead of the liquid-smooth controls of the helicopters he was used to. A big difference, yes, but it didn't take him long to grasp how to get this thing to do what he wanted it to do.

"I freakin' love this class," he decided, for what was probably the thousandth time.

Murdock just chuckled at Reno's statement. "You got the hang of this pretty well."

"It's kinda like bein' on an airship, but with more drag," Reno mused, grinning some more and giving Murdock a thumbs-up. "Besides, I better get the hang of it pretty good, 'cause I ain't gonna be the one to send this baby crashin' down. Even if it ain't real, that'd be a damn shame, yo."

Murdock grinned back. "I hear ya, bud. Crashin' just sucks no matter how you cut it. Although..." he looked thoughtful for a moment, "this is actually a pretty good plane to do it in. It does well at belly landin's and may not necessarily take much damage from it either."

Reno mused on that for a moment, and then grinned up at Murdock, the wheels in his head working. Albeit slowly.

"We oughta have just a whole class on crashin' things, Boss," he decided. "Harmless, here in the danger shop, right? Just to give the students a better idea what'd happen if they made a stupid mistake and went down in a blaze of glory, yo."

Also, explosions.

"It'd be real educational-like, I think."

"I think you got a point there, kiddo," tapping a finger absently on his chin. "Always good to know how to handle the down side of flyin'. The inevitable crash."

And also, explosions. Murdock had personal familiarity with those.

"Definitly educational," nodding and grinning. "How to handle your bird when things go wrong. I like it!"

Reno nodded, easing back into the seat and settling into the feel of the B-17 like a second skin.

"If anyone ends up flyin' into the side of a mountain, I'm gonna have to introduce them to my boss," he mused.

No, he wasn't ever going to let Tseng live that down.

Murdock just snickered.

Rikku was flipping the switches and mentally taking notes. This thing handled like a tank, but it still made turns faster than the Fahrenheit, so it was way closer to what she was used to. Once you realized you needed a few minutes to make turns, you started to view the landscape in an entirely different way, watching for potential trouble long before it came fully into view.

Murdock peered over the back of the seat, keeping an eye on Rikku as she maneuvered the plane through the sky. "Doing good, Rikku," he remarked.

"Thanks!" she said, lifting one of her hands from the controls to give a thumbs-up. The nice thing about slow-moving vehicles was that you could generally get away with crap like that. "Man, you weren't kidding, this thing's like you're driving a house or something. It steers like it's even bigger than it is, you know?"

"Flyin' a house," he corrected. "If we was drivin', we'd be on the ground. Or crashed. Hopefully not broken in painful, iddy biddy ways."

"You know, that first aid class might be something all you guys should take," he mused. "Just in case."

"First aid would be good," Rikku chirped. "And healing potions. I have lots of those. We're sticking with the Danger Shop, right?"

She liked flying, she just didn't trust herself yet and all.

"Potions?" he asked, curious.

He grinned slyly in response to her question. "For now."

"Potions," she said with a grin. "We've got neat stuff, where I'm from. I'd show you now, but, uh." She gestured vaguely to the console, which she really shouldn't look away from in order to start rooting through her leg pouch.

She bounced in her seat at the rest of it. "Seriously? Really? You mean it? Dude. Duuuuuuuuuude."

"No prob," he replied, "You can just show me some other time."

He laughed at her reaction. "Sure. Why not? I was thinkin' it would be a good thing to end the class with." A pause. "You know, *after* everyone has figured out how to do it first."

"After class," she promised. "And ... dude. That would be awesome. And I think I'd be terrified but everybody is when they're up in the air, right?"

"Usually on their first time, yah. But don't worry, I'll probably make sure to pair everyone up with an experienced flyer. Just to be safe."

Crashing in the Danger Shop was one thing. Crashing for real? Not so much. He didn't want any of his students to actually get hurt.

"I can't wait," she said, bouncing already. Dude. Flying rocked. "Uh. And I kinda don't count as experienced, 'cause it wasn't usually me flying the airship or whatever? I mean by myself. I'm still figuring it all out, and all that."

He smirked. "I kinda figured from last class. But I'm sure you'll do fine. You're a quick learner. Besides," he sent a quick glance somewhere behind him, "I think Reno's probably got your back."

Okay, she was blushing at that. A lot. "Probably," she said quickly. "He's ... good at that. The flying thing and all."

Right. Obviously.

He grinned. He'd kind of figured there was something there from the last class. "Yah, he's a pretty good pilot from what I've seen." They were some cute kids. "Been friends for a while, huh?"

No, he wasn't just pushing her buttons. It was only your imagination. Really.

"Yeah," she said, blushing again and pay attention to steering, Rikku, and not the blushing, already. "He ... just showed up this semester? Kinda chatted some, hung out at MercCon, then kinda ... you know. Been ... going out since ... kinda near Valentine's Day?"

Please, let him not ask about that.

He just grinned. He wasn't going to embaress her during the midst of class while all the other students were around. ~~after class could be a different story~~

"MercCon was fun. I hope they do it again next year."

Flight and Flying; Thursday 5/22

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