NationStates Jolt Archive

Two months ago..

The Grand Marshall of the Tilsitsinian Airforce walked briskly down the main corridor of the Liahona company administration building at the Lockhart National Flight Test Center, roughly 40km from the busy metropolis of Tilsitsin city. The center occupied several thousand acres, and served as a central hub of aviation development within the country. Walking along with Marshall Glenn Rothschild was Director of Aviation Development for Liahona Corporation, Roger Bock, and State Secretary Orrin Barnes, civilian leader of the airforce.

As they walked, the marshal turned to the secretary with a confident, almost arrogant look. "I told you before Mr. Barnes, I am positive this move is the best logical choice for the airforce and the country at this point in time." The secretary turned violently an snapped back in a belittling tone. "You don't have to answer to the president Glenn." The marshall continued walking, not skipping a beat. "If he says 'be ready for war', we have to be ready. Roger tells me that if we just give Liahona two more years.." The marshall interrupted him. "That's the problem Mr. secretary, we don't have two years. How many times must I tell you, using foreign aircraft as an immediate measure while we revitalize our own industry and perfect our own designs at the same time will not leave us with our pants down? Have some faith, Mr. secretary."

The group continued tensely down the corridor, outside to one of the test areas where the new powerplants for the Liahona Air Dominance Fighter were being tested.

Today

It turned out to be an immaculate, blue-skied September day at Lockhart Center, and the place had the air of a circus about it. Several national and corporate banners flew and many tents lined one of the auxilliary runways as hundreds of people mingled around the area. Opposite the tents were parked several srikingly painted fighter aircraft. The occaision was the official opening of the National Fighter competition, which opened today with a demonstration for Tilsitsinian military brass and civilian dignitaries. National and corporate representatives from the companies were also present today, hoping to see their craft impress those present. An informational flyer for the event gave the day's itinerary:

Welcome to Day One of the Tilsitsinian Airforce Interim Fighter Competition!
On behalf of the Airforce Acquisition and Testing Office, we would like to welcome our honored guest, President Walters, as well as visiting foreign dignitaries and representatives from the Haaj- Fremmel Corporation, Wingarde Aerospace Corporation, Tylon Aerospace Industries, Shrak Aeronautics, and Hinamoto Aviation and Aizawa Avionics, as well as Tilsitsin's own Cerlin-Fox Aerospace and Liahona National Corporation.

The aircraft flying demonstrations today and competing in this contract bid include the following:

The No-34 Asgard from Hinamoto Aviation
The WF-33 Avenger from Wingarde Aerospace
The F-33 Caid from Haaj-Fremmel Airworks Corporation
The FB-314 Crusader from Tylon Aerospace Industries

[OOC: Everyone that submitted an aircraft is welcome to join, and others can join in after asking. Certain events that happen in this thread will be determined randomly.]

Jamie waved to the crowd awkwardly, straining in the special test pilot's pressure suit he wore for the coming flight. Many of those clapping in front of him that he could immediately see were Tilsitsinian businessmen, politicians, or military leaders, while on the grand viewing bleachers he could make out what he thought was the section for foreigners and the president's entourage. As he continued walking down the flightline, the loudspeakers began blaring out.

"Now walking down the flightline is the Tilsitsinian Airforce's chief test pilot, Colonel Jamie Nickerson! Colonel Nickerson will be taking the Wingarde Aerospace Corporation's WF-33 'Avenger' up for the first demonstration flight of the day."

He walked up to the sleek-looking Wingardian WF-33 Avenger, and made a quick motion to the Liahona Corp. technican standing by the aircraft who was talking to some of the Wingardian technical personel nearby. The Liahona man turned away from his conversation to greet Jamie. "Colonel, it looks like she's ready for you. Their senior advisor said all systems check out, and I just completed my check and walk-around." The colonel grinned. "Good stuff Joe. Let's put this crate through her paces!" The colonel slapped him on the back and began up the ladder to the cockpit to the cheers and clapping of the crowd.

As the engines of the Avenger came to life, the Colonel began to feel a bit uneasy with the aircraft. His collected his composure. "Don't worry Jamie, just different from our stuff. Give it a chance." He thought. He idled the aircraft down the taxiway until it approached the end of the main runway, where he stopped. The tower ame over the radio and gave takeoff permission, and Jamie eased the throttle forward. "Come on, baby.. Give me all you've got!"

The WF-33 roared down the runway and began to lift up slowly, until at the end of the runway the colonel jerked the stick back and the aircraft responded in kind by throwing it's nose skyward with an impressive roaring whine. The colonel twisted and turned the aircraft, impressed with it's handling. He wondered how it would handle with a combat load. On one of fast and low passes over the crowd, Jamie noticed that the aircraft suddenly began to feel sluggish in it's respose. Almost immediately a warning light came on and Jamie realized there was a problem in the hydraulics. The tower chief monitoring the aircraft's vitals crackled over the radio wanting to know what was going on, and Jamie responded. "Looks minor tower, I'll bring her in now anyways- I'm not pressing my luck with her." The colonel touched the aircraft down easily, thankful that the problem was minor. He hoped this wasn't going to start a pattern for the day.

After the flight, the colonel talked with one of the higher-ups from the Liahona Corporation that wanted to know what the colonel's initial impressions were. "She did well up there. Minor issues up there towards the end, but besides that the Wingardians made a fine machine. I look forward to getting back in it for combat testing!"

The Juumanistran pavilion within the Lockhart Center was a bustling mass of engineers, advertisers, and company reps that represented the whole of the Juumanistran aerospace industry peddling their wares or looking for investment in some new idea or concept. The pavilion was nominally dedicated to the two principal contractors responsible for the No-34, Hinamoto Aviation and Aizawa Avionics, but the Juumanistran Congressional delegation had mandated the representation of all the contractors involved in the No-34, meaning the number present ballooned from two to six. All of whom were pushing both military and civil aircraft, as well as development programs, against one another, leading the entire pavilion to be more mad house than exhibition hall.

The insanity inside the Lockhart Center could not have been more poignantly off-set than by the two ivory aircraft that sat outside under the Juumanistran flag and a half-dozen corporate banners. The two demonstration No-34s, dubbed Freya and Freyr by the crews that had prepped them for today, gleamed in the mid-morning sun, their cobalt blue accents contrasting with their egg-shell white coats. Both aircraft were a sight to see on the ground and, soon enough, in the air as well.

*=*=*=*=*

Ken Prescott angrily crumbled up the flyer that one of the local Tilsitsins had handed him. His firm, Hinamoto Aviation, was a wholly separate entity from its No-34 development partner. Would it have killed the organizers of this shindig to have done a little research? He took the crumbled up flyer and took a shot at the trash can on the other side of the booth he was manning. The paper ball missed the waste bin completely, landing a good two feet to the left.

“Aim still as bad ever, eh Kenny?” Prescott turned angrily towards the questioner, but stopped short when he saw who it was: one Representative James Hayworth, Sixth Congressional District of Albion. Which just happened to be where the main production facility for any No-34 production contract would be located.

“Well, well, Representative Haywroth!” Prescott said stowing his less-than-spectacular mood, “What brings you all the way out here? I thought we bribed you last week.”

“Oh, that piddly little thing isn't going to compare to the twenty-six billion inguts that are going to be coming into my district when we win today,” he laugh was jocular, before his tone grew more focused, “we are going to win today, aren't we?”

“It'll be close,” Prescott shrugged, “only sources I've got are Jane's and official press releases. Though, from what I've gathered, the F-33, WF-33, and SX-24 don't even meet the minimum specifications.”

“If that's the case, we only have one to worry about!” Hayworth's features brightened at the good news, “only one left is, what, the entry from Space Union?”

“Tylon Aerospace, yes,” Prescott nodded gently, “the FB-314, if I recall correctly. I seem to recall reading about how a few RSGs in the basement of one DoD facility or another ended up pitting the two of them against each other in one simulation or another. The results were, again if I recall correctly, 'disturbingly inconclusive' in terms of their relative capabilities.”

“Well, if we do lose, best to lose to a fellow IADF state, right?” Hayworth tried to sound upbeat, but Prescott had sucked the optimism out of him once more.

“Only if you can badger the Defense Department into getting us the CASEF contract.” That got laughs out of both of them, in large part because it was true. At that juncture, a jet roared overhead; the loudspeakers announced it was the WF-33 on its first test flight. With that, the two bid farewell, as Hayes and the rest of the Juumanistran Congressional delegation scrambled to return to their seats to catch the festivities.

The Shrak Aeronautics representatives had set up a medium sized area to display their newest 'toys' including the F-14 tomcat rebuild, the AH-71 stealth light attack helicopter and a scattering of trailed type images and videos for upcoming projects. The area was dominated by a screen showing clips from airshow performances of the Mondoth Airforce Tactical Display Squadron flying red and gold SX-24 fighters in dizzyingly complex formations and executing a blend of classic and new stunts, using the signature LCD skin displays to fade in and out of view or to emphasize tightformations by showing images and playing videos over all 12 fighters undersides. Flyers and brochures were every where detailing the performance of Shrak Aeronautics fighters and aircraft and how they were superior to anything else in the sky. off to the side was a set of full motion simulators, linked so that people could fly head to head combat missions in a variety of Shrak fighters as well as several foreign and classic fighters.

The man in charge of the Shrak area was quietly brooding when his chief engineer wwalked up.
"Been sizing up the competition Bill"
"What do you think?"
"I think we're the underdogs, but I think we can still blow the pants off a lot of these guys, the airframe is the most maneuverable one here but the cruise is only 1.2, mostly for stealth and fuel."
"Can it cruise 1.8?"
"Sure, christ, those things give us more than enough thrust, it can pull 2.5 mach 1.8 isn't a problem."
"Then do it, anything else."
"No, once again I think the show will be won on flash and dazzle, the presets are some real lookers, red and gold, blue and white for their flag, that flash-o-flauge that always makes you sick and of course the crown topper, full out invisible, I've had cameras aimed at the sky all day, when that thing disapears it gonna disapear not that pansy combat rated stuff where you can still see it if you know its there, I probably won't even be able to spot it, espescially not after psych-o-rama."
"Good, we need this contract, sales are too low and this a heck of an aircraft to be wasted by lack of orders."
"We'll do it, she's to pretty not to win, thats how it got sold to the feds and thats how we'll sell it here, looks and performance."