NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is it. Welcome to Top Gun. Mingle around and get to know your fellow pilots. Training begins Monday, January 21st. PS: the first lecture will be posted before noon, Central US time.

IC:

The gray buildings standing aside from the airfield were a flurry of activity. While it was usual to see activity the day before a new class began, it was even more so considering that an international class was to be held alongside the regular Commonwealth class. Walking between the rows of buildings, Lt. Colonel Dmitri Polenin, lead instructor at the Commonwealth's Advanced Fighter Weapon's School, glanced at his watch, eagerly awaiting the arrival of what was sure to be an interesting student body. He was stopped by Commander Marta 'Gidget' Ross.

"Anxious?" she asked, saluting with a smile.

"Curious is more like it," he corrected as he returned the salute.

"Well, it seems to run in the family," Ross added. To answer his questioning look, she nodded behind him, "I ran into her when she was badgering some poor gate guard."

"Dmitri!" Sara, his niece, called out as she waved. Nearing him, she practically tackled him. "Remember?" she quieried. "You said I could come to the opening ceremony."

"Right, sorry," Dmitri answered. Their conversation was stopped short as the roar of jet engines passed by. "Looks like the Honor Guard is up."

Office of the Commandant, Neiflheim ADB

Staring at the airfield from the window behind his desk, Brigadier General Nikolai Goborev watched as the aircrews set up the first taste of the AFWS; the instructor pilot's Agressor planes were parked along the tarmac, their distinctive red-white and blue paint sheme in stark contrast to the green or off-blue of the regular CADF fighters. His thoughts were interrupted a knock on his door. He allowed passage and turned to see who had disturbed him.

"Comrade-General," his adjunct, Colonel Kamarov addressed. "We've just been radioed. Air Force One is requesting clearance."

"The Premier is coming here now?" the General asked.

"Apparently, he wants to personally welcome the class," Kamarov explained.

"It seems you just can't keep a pilot from the sky," Goborev mused.

OOC: i'll have another 'official' post up, where we have a ceremony welcoming the new class. plz be patient as school begins. also, i'm going through the personnel and figuring out the pairs. if you sent two pilots, those are your wingmen, no problem. if not, you'll be assigned one.

Noiri and Kenzi stepped out of their F-22B's. It had been a long flight. Their fuel tanks were low, but they managed to smmoth it out and land safely. Kenzi stepped out into the airfield, Noiri right behind him, Noiri was as green as you could get, a rookie; He didn't know much about combat flying, as he had only been in one failed sortie to shoot down a missile. They both wore the standard issue blue and yellow aviators, and held their helmets (emblazoned with their personal flight callsign, plus the traditional Pikachu on the opposite side. ) under their arms.

"Come, let us get acquainted with our teachers, Noiri."

"Yes, sir."

They walked on, toward the main buildings.

"Who're they?" Sara asked, nodding towards a pair of fighter pilots who were walking towards the main building.

"Don't rightly know," Dmitri answere. Must be some of the new students."

"Are those their planes by Hangar C?" Ross asked.

"Looks like it," he answered. "They'll be disappointed when they have to fly the training planes in the beginning." He turned back to some crumpled sheets of paper from his jacket.

"Are you gonna give a speech?" Sara asked, peeking over his shoulder.

"Sure...am" his voice trailed as a new figure crossed the tarmac. It was an A380 Airbus rolled down the path. It was white with red and yellow trim, the bold words reading, "Commonwealth of Free United States," scrolled along the fuselage. The tail displayed the distinctive hammer-and-sickle. "When'd the Premier decide to show up."

"Probably when he heard you were going to represent a Commonwealth pilot to the world," Ross joked.

The white and blue F-15S/MTD touched down on the tarmac runway. After it was taxied to parking the pilot, Captain Adrian Winters, stepped down from its cockpit. With the rest of Sorceror Squadron on a stand down from Operation Crossbow, he was here alone.

His flightsuit was grey, and his helmet was emblazoned with his callsign "Wildcard" on the front and a hand of cards on the back. Under this he wore aviator sunglasses.

He looked around. Spotting what he guessed was the main building, he started towards it.

"Had to be me, of all the people at this time, it had to be me" he muttered to himself, as he removed his helmet, displaying his short-ish brown hair.

(((OOC: What pilot doesn't wear aviators?)))

OOC: Well here I am. Not to happy with the post though... I feel like I should add more, but this is just introductions for now so I guess it's okay.

Jake Tuner got off the bus and walked towards what appered to be an air base. The same air base he was going to waste time "training" in. To say the least, Jake hated the idea of training with a bunch of... Strangers. His home, Mu Chephei, was highly isolated and thus didn't have much interaction with other nations. It didn't help that Jake's home was a chain of islands down in the South. Way South. It took him six 747 airliner flights to get here. All of which had to land and refuel several times. Damn this large planet. Damn the massive oceans and the diplomats! Why had he have to suffer a weeks air travel to improve relations? Jake thought to himself as he walked up to (what he believed to be) the front entrance. He handed over his papers and identified himself to the Guards. Answered their questions. Once they realized he was one of the rookie pilots to be trained at this (or least Jake thought to be a) fine air base. He walked in the base, sure to avoid anyone who seemed to be working plus the runways as well, and headed towards a building the guards told him to go to to meet his instructors.

2nd Lt. (OF-1) Jake Tuner wore the "standard off-duty" flight suit of all Mu Chepheian pilots. A short sleeved shirt, baggy pants, sneakers, and of course sunglasses. This "standard off-duty uniform" (SOD-U for short) was designed by fighter pilots and to comfort fighter pilots. He had received his SOD-U from his former instructor at the 7th Wing, as a going away gift. Man, how he missed that unit. There he got to make mistakes and learn from them. Here... If he messed up then he made, not only himself look bad, but his former unit. More importantly he would be making his country look bad and it wasn't even a power. Yet.

Neiflheim ADB
18 Approach

There were few things as incredible as the sight of a heavy bomber coming in to land, and this moment was a perfect example. Nearly 150 feet long, wings extended fully forward, the enormous B-1B bomber slowly lowered itself to the ground and settled onto the runway in a picture-perfect landing. The air was filled with the roar of four GE F101 engines as the bomber slowed and taxied onto the ramp, eventually coming to a stop. Ground crew rushed to place chocks under the tires; a minute later the crew access door behind the landing gear opened up and a ladder extended downward, and seconds after that the crew climbed out of the bomber.

First came the Defensive Systems Operator, 1st Lieutenant Tomoyuki Yamashita. He was followed by Major Sora Akanegasaki, perhaps one of the finest Offensive Systems Operators in the entire Terran Air Force and certainly one of the most overqualified. The last two to exit the aircraft were a curious pair. Captain Eric Ren was short and stocky, wearing a pair of sunglasses that seemed entirely too large for his head. Colonel Sango Karyuudo, on the other hand, was tall and thin, to the point that it was hard to imagine him fitting into a cockpit.

They gathered several feet from the aircraft, huddled amongst themselves, as various men and women rushed about fitting lines and hoses to their B-1, the well-known "The Emperor's Own". They looked at the airfield, the dozen different kinds of aircraft parked around them, the collection of drab buildings, and each other. Colonel Karyuudo spoke first.

"Good landing, Captain."

Captain Ren grinned and nodded.

"Where do we head, sir?" asked Major Akanegasaki, admiring a nearby F-22. Lieutenant Yamashita was looking over the Major's shoulder at a brightly-colored A380, escorted by at least a dozen vehicles. It had apparently landed recently, as it was still making its way across the tarmac.

Sango tilted his head to one side, indicating a group of the squat, gray buildings. "If my instincts are correct, there lies our destination, Major. Let's go greet our hosts...and remember, you're representing our home."

There was no argument, and as no shuttles had arrived the pilots picked up their gear and strode off in the direction of the Advanced Fighter Weapons School, mindful not to be crushed by the still-taxiing A380.

The Orbathain aircraft touched down on the runway, Mac's F/A-16 firsts then Showtime's F-40. The pilots got out of their aircraft and met on the tarmac, conversing briefly. They had only met twice before, to recieve tests and breifings. It would be the first time a Navy and an Airforce pilot would be trained together. They both walked towards the building. Both wore the standard olive drab flightsuits and helmets. The difference between both their suits was in the logos on the shoulder. One suit bore the naval emblem while the other bore that of the airforce. Each had been wearing the standard issue sunglasses which they tucked into their flightsuits.

Parade Grounds, Neiflheim ADB

The pilots had been greeted and assembled in a cordoned off portion of the base's parade grounds. None of the heavy's were there yet, but Colonel Polenin knew that it would all begin momentarily. Noticing a flash of light off of a shoulder star, he immediately called, "Atten-shun!" He was impressed how quickly the pilots came to attention as the Premier and General Goborev walked onto the stage. At the Premier's permission, the General began his address.

"Good morning, comrades and aviators. Today marks the beginning of an intensive five week course that by the end will mold you into a true combat aviator. You will leave with the skills and knowledge to defend your countries against any aerial threat, and the ability to teach your skills to your countrymen upon your return. It is my sincere pleasure to welcome the INternational Class of the Advanced Fighter Weapons School." After a bout of short applause he continued, "And now, the President of the People's Commonwealth!"

The Premier stood up, accepting General Goborev's salute before taking the podium.
"As representative of the Supreme Soviet, I would like to extend the welcome of not only the defense forces, but also of the People. International cooperation is the first step towards bringing together disparate nations for the hope and promise of lasting peace. Having taken this course when I was a naval aviator of the Martime Defense Force, let me remind you that this is meant to be the most intensive course you are ever to take in your lives. The instructors before you are tried and true aviators; aces all. Listen to their instruction and you are sure to become fierce fighter pilots. Remember the motto of this school, "Curahee," meaning, 'we stand alone together.' Welcome to the Commonwealth."

There was anoter round of applause as the Premier gave the podium over to Polenin. Handing the papers over to Sara, he thought, "To Hell with it." I may as well wing it.

"My name is Lt. Colonel Dmitri Polenin, and I will be your lead instructor through this training course. Like seapower, airpower has come to determine a nation's dominance on the battlefield. This has been true since the Second World War and will continue far into the next century. The knowledge you recieve in the following weeks has been learned through blood, sweat, and at the cost of thousands of pilot's lives. The training here teaches you not only how to kill your opponent, but how to stay alive. Make no mistake, we're gonna make turns and burns, and the louder you scream, the faster and the harder we'll fly you. And if you feel sick once you step outta that cockpit, we'll go up and do it all over again. Welcome to Top Gun."

As he finishedh is sentence, a diamond formation of Agressor F-15s streak across the sky, leaving red and yellow contrails in their wake. They split off over the parade ground, hitting their afterburners in a ballistic climb.

OOC: i may say more, but since the ceremony is basically over, feel free to mingle. classes start tomorrow ;P

The two pilots were happy about how brief the parade was. In Orbath, parades could often last for hours and it was common for soldiers to pass out while standing there. As soon as they were dismissed, they decided to get to know the other pilots a little better. The sort of walked around aimlessly, searching out someone who looked approachable.

IC:

A F-15K came down on final to the base, and it landed and taxied to where the other planes were. Hopping out of it, was two people, a man and a woman. The man, was tall, thin, and battle worn, with a handlebar black mustache, this person was Colonel Arnold, the famous ace from Calizorinstan, and the woman in the back was Lieutenant Macintire, a Calizorinstani student that had been sent.

They walked towards the bulidings..

OOC: I apologize for not being on for a while, I've been having computer problems..

OOC: Who doesn't?

IC:
The schedualed Hurtian MV-22, one of such a precious few remaining in Hurtian stocks that they were pulled from all active combt operations, landed on a vacant patch of tarmac about 3 minutes late due to the prevailing weather conditions and a forced landing because one of the air-tankers en-route were grounded for minor cracks found on their wing roots.

As the rotors continued churning, four men hopped out, two were clearly pilots, the other two simply were hauling the aircrew's possesions, flight gear, and made sure they reached their destination safe and on time before they left.

This left Pilot Lt. Willie Deckard and WSO/Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Rick Armstrong standin on the tarmac awaiting retrieval from a jeep, or some other vehicle...

After standing there for about 2 minutes they decided to walk to the nearest building -a hangar- and see about acquiring a faster means of local transportation, plus directions.

After the cerimony (which they arrived slightly late -Missing the General's and Premier's opening statements- after stealing a tractor)

After sorting out the formalities (being detained at gunpoint sort of makes you want to clear things up very fast), returning the airport tractor, and promising never to pull a stunt like that ever again, they went out to the hangars to take a closer look at the planes they'd be flying.

The silver & black a400 began its approach around Neiflheim ADB, radio chatter going on and off for headings and permissions, the sun reflecting off the unpainted silver on the top of the fuselage. Inside was precious cargo: three ACES instructors, a top pilot, a few MoD personell, and Lieutenant Ramille's entourage - primarily, her boyfriend, the chief mechanic for her flight, and her plane's groundscrew master.

"So we're running a bit late, Colonel." Maj. Parrino, stifled in his 11 years in the air force, his wrinkling face slightly beaded with sweat. His dark grey uniform fitted just a tad bit too tight; his long arms too long for his A Type. The light from the window seemed to bleach his face; his pale blond goatee just barely distinguishable. "Otherwise, the plan remains unchanged. We will rendezvous with the Tyranians, and petition for board nearby. From what I understand, we both are doing this mostly for insight on foreign tactics; in essence, we're gonna try to compare notes. I have permission from MoD to show the Tyrandians limited sensitive information; hopefully this could work as a good bargaining chip. Most of the other envoys are or were at one point client states; a good chunk use Candrian planes - so you probably trained them Colonel - , or are familiar with them; we're mostly doing this for states with limited contact - Tyrandis, FES, AHT, TSS, Prestonia, the like. Hopefully this could be a good meeting."

"I hope so, for our sake." Lt Col Rosales was deeply settled in his seat. The piano black rim on his cap shimmered, the gold olive leaves etched on reflecting the light into the pressurized cabin. His sun-tanned, leathery wrinkled skin notched up a bit over his greying eyebrows. He folded over a few dossiers over his lap, skimming through them a few times before they needed to land. Rosales was almost perfectly developed for a fighter; a buck ninety, still fit to fly, not a hair over 6 feet, fast reflexes, great eyesight, and, most importantly, a quick-thinking, creative mind - new maneuvers flowed through his arms the same way that most other pilots reacted.

This was why he was sent - even now, he could still be seriously considered one of the best pilots in the force. It was rumored back over Frozopia he had nearly 20 air to air kills; of course, there was no radar cover up there, so only 2 are ever actually acknowledged - even today, "Rosie" only ever records 2.

Lt Ramille sat a few seats behind, fast asleep. Shoulder-length brown hair covered her olive face, which concealed gold eyes - most definitely, pilot's eyes. A good head sat on her 5'6" frame - quick witted, and a natural leader. Of course, it didn't matter here - she was dead tired after a 16 hour trip and two stopovers on base.

FUS - Neiflheim, this is CM-355-A5, Requesting landing permission, over.


OOC: oh soz.

"Nice speech," the Premier said to Colonel Polenin.

"It's nothing, sir," Dmitri answered with a dismissive wave. Nearby, Sara stood silent, unable to comprehend that the most powerful man in the country was standing before her.

"I remember your class," the Premier said nostalgically. "I never thought you'd end up an instructor here."

"Having your whole squadron shot down...inspires you," Polenin explained.

"I bet it does," Premier Galindo responded. His eyes turned to a figure over the Colonel's shoulder." Who's that?"

"That's one of the foreign instructors," Dmitri said as he turned to look. "Colonel Arnold, I believe?"

"I reviewed his record," Galindo said. "Very impressive."

"Yes, we are lucky to have him," Dmitri admitted. "I have only spoken to the man once myself. I believe he will exude all the qualities we expect in an instructor."

OOC: still working on my lecture. there'll be links you need to follow, so let me know if they don't work or whatever...rest easy for class tomorrow

Skies Over Free United States
58mi from Neiflheim ADB

"Ghostrider to Viper, approaching airbase, please broadcast clearance permission, over." Lt. Phillip Katz's voice cracked over the radio as he banked his F/A-15 to the right in order to get closer to his flight lead. "How 'bout you do it Phil? I'm real shy around strangers, ya know," came the reply of his partner and flight lead Colonel Morgan. "Geez Viper, how'd you ever get to Colonel if you won't even broadcast a simple request," Katz joked. Flipping frequencies, he spoke smoothly and clearly into his headset. "Neiflheim command, this is Ghostrider, request permission to land, over," he said in his businesslike tone. "Granted, assemble in stack and await further clearance, over," came the reply.

After a short time circling around, the two planes landed and their pilots were able to stretch their legs for the first time in nearly eight hours. "So how do you think you'll do Ghostrider?," Morgan quipped to his trainee. "I'm a bit nervous but given my training I think Top Gun is mine," Katz replied. "Good, that's what I like to hear."

OOC: Yeah the post is shit but not much else to write.

OOC!: I might not be here during the week, but I'll be on on the weekends, and I can catch up. The tests are on fridays, yes? At what time? I'll need to study. XD

OOC: that's correct. e-mail all answers to cfusafws@yahoo.com. tests are on the honor system, please don't google your answers, especially on the short-answer questions. thanks.

OOC: I'll get the landing and the reception together.

Their skin was dark Gray, so dark that is was nearly black. A large outline of a dragon was emblazoned on the top of both aircraft in a slightly lighter gray. The large Blue Star of the Karshkovia Republic stood out on the vertical stabilizers. Under the star, one aircraft had the outline of a tiger, while the other had an outline of a lion. They flew with only two short-ranged IR missiles on their wingtips and the three external fuel tanks, all painted in the same scheme. The two "Terminators" shot through the sky at Mach .96 .

Captain Dimitri Andropov breathed deep as he scanned his instruments and then the sky around him. He was in his element, his second home and his new aircraft was an extension of his body. His dark brown hair belied his ancient Karshkovian heritage, his piercing yellow eyes took in all the available data. This combination, along with his quick reflexes, steady hand, and intelligent combat flying gave him the well deserved callsign "лев" or "Lion".


Andropov had thousands of hours in the air in various aircraft, some in service and some that were still beyond top secret in Russia. He had visited space and returned a handful of times, and no matter how many times he flew it was always an exhilarating experience.

Dimitri allowed his thoughts to wander on how he arrived to this moment. He remembered that he had become disenchanted with Russia's economy and how he often was only able to get flight time by throwing his seniority around. He had flown in Russia with the goal of conquering the next test aircraft. Now when he flew, it was because he was flying to defending something good. Something right. He had met and listened to President Radchenko's dream of a strong and just Karshkovia and found it was there he belonged. There he could make a difference.

At that time Karshkoiva had nearly no true fighter pilots. Slowly, he and Matryonan had trained the young men and women into true pilots worthy of a fighter, however they still needed much work and even with the addition of foreign trained pilots joining the Karshkovia air force, it was a long road that lay ahead of Andropov.

Ah First Lieutenant Matryonan Bazhukov. Dimitri looked to his right and aft to see the second Su-37 tucked in near his wing.

Matryonan Bazhukov, or Marty as her english speaking friends called her, had a callsign of "тигр" or "Tiger" and a temper to match. Her high cheekbones, angled jawline, jet black hair and deep brown eyes gave her a very stunning beauty even in her late thirties. She was very cunning, often lulling other pilots into a sense of false confidence of her skills, then springing the trap and getting the 'kill' before they even realized she had tricked them.

She had nearly as much time behind the stick as Dimitri and most of it had been as his wingman. They had met in their old squadron, becoming wingmates then lovers. Due to Russia's policy on fraternizing, they had left Russia together and joined the Karshkovia Air Force under the agreement that they would be allowed to fly together and live together. President Radchenko's only stipulation was they were to marry if he was to agree to the proposal, and neither Dimitry or Marty raise any objection to that. When they flew, they both carried their wedding rings in their flightsuits' left breast pocket.

Marty caught Dimitri looking back at her and she waved, giving him a "thumbs up". He waved back and returned to scanning the sky. Marty was very excited about this opportunity. While she had over 3,000 hours in many different aircraft, she had never had an opportunity to hone her skills and bring back some new knowledge to teach her students in Karshkovia. Marty was also thrilled with her new aircraft. When she and Dimitri had joined the Karshkovian air force, all they had to fly were MiG-29s and Su-27s. A few Su-33s were made operational which Dimitri had earmarked for his squadron, the 199th "Black Dragons". That was the craft that she and Dimitri had trained the best of Karshkovia's pilots in and Marty though she had found the perfect aircraft. Until she had flown the Su-37. Karshkovia had bought a few from a military supplier and Prime Minister Borofsky had personally introduced her to this magnificent aircraft, her aircraft.

It had taken the Su-37 nothing to get to 55,000 feet, a slight bank to the south and then a straight sloping climb. On their assent she had looked around outside of the aircraft and noticed a storm front was gathering far off the southern coast of Karshkovia, well over the ocean. That was far far behind them now and here the ride was a smooth float. A silk road on which her aircraft glided along. The tops of the lower layer of status clouds were at fifteen thousand feet tonight with the sun's glow softening the wispy edges of the clouds far below. The tops of the upper layer of cumulus were just below them at 50,000 feet. Vapor trails flowed behind them, marking a silvery path on which they flew.

To fly a state-of-the-art fighter in an endless blue sky, to have someone to yank and bank with and try to outwit, then to go home and think about how it had been while planning to go it again tomorrow...all with the person she loved beyond all others - what had life to offer that could possibly be sweeter? Marty felt silly to think on these things however.

Well, maybe it wasn't silly. Real combat seemed to be coming some time in the future, almost like a terrible storm just over the horizon that no one wanted to acknowledge. Fighter pilots make plans for next week, next month, next year and beyond while refusing to acknowledge that their safe, secure little world could disintegrate at any time.

Marty looked across the invisible river of air flowing between the two plane and saw Dimitri in his cockpit. He was looking Marty's way. They stared at each other's helmeted figures for a moment; no words needing to be exchanged, then Dimitri looked away as his exterior lights flashed on and off, signaling they had reached the point were they were to start their decent well over the ocean.

Twenty minutes later they flew together on the glide slope, the black fighters descending out of the sky like angered wraiths to the runway's tarmac where their tires screeched out on touch-down the nose gear of their aircraft kissed the ground a moment later.

On instructions from the tower, they parked their Su-37s next to a pair of F-15S/MTD, and cut power to their engines. Dimitri sighed as he unbuckled himself and secured the aircraft. This was the anti climax of every flight, and his body was aching to return to the sky, but his stomach growled out a protest of that idea.

After he had climbed out of the cockpit and lowered himself down the ladder, Dimitri used the exterior panel to lower the canopy and raise the aircraft's internal ladder. He turned to see Marty was already walking towards him with her bag of personal items slung over her left shoulder, her black flight helmet under her right arm and her wedding ring on a necklace around her neck, just over her dogtags which stood out against the black flightsuit. Mirrored aviator glasses hid her dark brown eyes, but her large smile said it all as he shoulder length black hair glistened in the light breeze.

Dimitri met her between the aircraft similarly attired and with his own wedding ring displayed on his chest. The difference being that Dimitri's flight suit was outfitted with the very distinctive and noticeable cosmonaut badge with seven silver stars below it, each indicating a different launch. Each also wore three small silver 'I's on their left arms, the placement, color, and size of the 'I' being the internationally recognized symbol which indicated 1000 hours of flight time.

Because their bodies were still adjusting to the lower altitudes, wearing the rings just wasn't an option at this point and their fingers were still to swollen from the flight. They walked together, making small talk between themselves while they traversed the distance between the aircraft and the parade ground they were told to report to when they landed. Dimitri was a fairly large man, just barley qualifying as a pilot due to being exactly 1 cm shorter than the maximum height a pilot was allowed to be. Beside him, Marty was nearly the opposite, just over the minimum height a pilot was allowed to be. Dimitri was outgoing and chummy with everyone while slow to anger. His laugh was deep and heartfelt, and his voice strong.

Marty, on the other hand, was quiet and demur though quick to anger. Her shapely body couldn't be completely obscured in the flight suit, and her light, lilted laugh suited her entire being. Because of these attributed, their relationship often confused people. They just seemed too opposite to work, but yet the bond was there and very very strong. Marty's 5' 4" frame was dwarfed by Dimitri's 6' 5" yet they seemed natural walking together.

When they arrived at the parade grounds, they looked over the other pilots. Some looked happy to be there, others were acting like they were bored, while one or two looked quite unhappy.

After the speech

Dimitri chuckled to himself at Lt. Colonel Polenin's comments. He had said that himself to new pilots year before and now again recently in Karshkovia. With over 3,100 hours in various high performance aircraft and even in space, they would need to do quiet a lot to make him even the slightest bit ill. Marty either, he thought. The Colonel seemed a very likable man and anything they were willing to teach, Dimitri was willing to learn.

Neiflheim ADB, 125 mi. NE Meridian City, CFUS; 0830 hrs. Commonwealth Mean Time

Colonel Dmitri Polenin walked the halls of the school swiftly. Passing a classroom, he glanced inside where Commander Marta ‘Gidget’ Ross was beginning her lecture to a group of Commonwealth pilots. It was an ambitious program, Dmitri decided, considering the fact that a Commonwealth class was being taught alongside a coalition class. Reaching for the door to his own class, he stopped when his cell phone rang. It was a text message from Sara, reminding him about going to the store before coming home. Switching the ringer off, Dmitri headed into the classroom.
“Good morning, comrades,” the Colonel said, placing his command cap on the desk. “As senior instructor at this institution, it is my job to make sure that by the end of this course you return to your homelands as experience aviators.
Let us begin,” Polenin started. “Today we will begin with the basics of flight dynamics. Already being pilots, I assume you know the fundamentals of what makes an aircraft fly. So, we will simply skim this area and lead in to is applications within the confines of aerial combat.

“First off, there are four factors which affect flight; thrust, drag, lift and weight. Thrust, in the sense of our planes, consists of the power given by our jet engines. This is given in a thrust/weight ratio usually measured in foot-pounds. Most fighter planes have a thrust/weight ratio of 0.7-0.9, although new generation F-16s and F-15s have a ratio of 1.0 or more. Thrust equates to power, and that in turn can translate into either speed or altitude. The transition will be covered more closely once we begin explaining Basic Fighter Maneuvers.

To understand the differences in thrust ratios in various engine types, this diagram will be useful.
http://engines.fighter-planes.com/Specific-impulse-kk-20050824.png
http://engines.fighter-planes.com/JetSuitabilityEn.png

“Lift, on the other hand, is the force of airflow generated over the surface of a wing. As air flows past a wing surface, it moves faster along the top of the wing and slower along the bottom. This produces higher air pressure underneath the wing and less above the wing. This differential in air pressure creates lift and allowed the aircraft to stay aloft. The theory behind this is called Bernoulli’s Law. The following figure is the basic principle behind these theories.
http://weblab.open.ac.uk/firstflight/images/howplanesfly/air-flow-diag.gif

“Now we are onto drag. Drag can be explained as the resistance of airflow over the surface of an aircraft. To combat this, aircraft are designed to have as little rough edges along its surface. Even so, engine cowlings, bombs, external tanks and missiles all create drag. Drag is the cause of all stalls, which occurs when airflow oer the surface of the wing is no longer sufficient to create lift. Drag is most important in the design of an aircraft. There are two design theories; the NATO plan and the Soviet/Russian plan. NATO countries such as the UK, US and France, design their planes to have aerodynamic surfaces along the entire craft. Russian planes, however, only have the leading edges aerodynamically designed. This is due to the belief that the rest of the surface is less important than the areas that touch the air first, leading to a cost-effective design. See the diagram labeled ‘Total Drag,’ in the link provided.

http://classicairshows.com/Education/Aerodynamics/SimpleAerodynamicsPartFour.htm

“The last factor in flight dynamics is weight. No matter what, your aircraft will be susceptible to its own weight, and therefore is limited by its own design. Weight will win out if thrust becomes too high or drag becomes too low. If either is the case, the power of gravity will take over the…’flight’ of your aircraft.

“Now that you have a basic overview of the physics of flight, your mission today will to get acquainted with your trainer aircraft, the F-20A Tigershark. For those of you familiar with Mig fighters, there will be Mig-21bis for your use. You will also be required to place your fighter into a stall and through your own control, bring it back into stable flight. Dismissed.”

OOC: i assumed some ppl here may not have been so good @ physics, so i just skimmed the principle theories. if you have questions, RP a question and i'll answer...though it might take a while. try a hand at RPing flying if you're new to it. THERE WILL BE A QUESTION FROM THE DIAGRAMS ON THE TEST.

also, if you came w/ a wingman/wso you have your own wingman. (wso's as i have stated are being turned into wingmen). for those w/ one person; here's your partner:

Mu Cephie and Kulikovia

Prestonia and Cazelia

Tyrandis and Ustio

if you wanna change, discuss amongst yourselves. my pairings are arbitrary, so i have no problem w/ you switching wingmen. but you can do it once and only once.

(((OOC: My guy's here alone. There's only one. That's one hell of an introduction post though!)))

IC: Cpt. Winters chuckled to himself following the opening ceremony. It had been quite an introduction. Obviously the Top Gun program was big if the Premier of the Nation was going to open it personally.

But the bit that was making him laugh was the bit about flying harder and faster. As Sorceror Squadron's Lead, he knew that few other things could teach you how to stay alive than the heat of a real battle, and a good kite. The F15S/MTD was one of the most advanced aircraft aircraft on the base, aerodynamically.

The other pilots were either leaving the hangar to their craft to retrieve equipment, or mingling with the instructors and Premier

Winters had never been one for meet-and-greets

see the above post.

PS: sorry the lesson is posted late.

pair of F-15S/MTD

(((OOC: My guy's here alone. There's only one. That's one hell of an introduction post though!)))

IC: Cpt. Winters chuckled to himself following the opening ceremony. It had been quite an introduction. Obviously the Top Gun program was big if the Premier of the Nation was going to open it personally.

But the bit that was making him laugh was the bit about flying harder and faster. As Sorceror Squadron's Lead, he knew that few other things could teach you how to stay alive than the heat of a real battle, and a good aircraft. The F15S/MTD was one of the most advanced aircraft aircraft on the base, aerodynamically.

The other pilots were either leaving the hangar to their craft to retrieve equipment, or mingling with the instructors and Premier

Winters had never been one for meet-and-greets

(((OOC: Sorry, i missed that. My post took 4 minutes to compose and write)))

The next day

The lesson went quite well, though it's much of it's contents were well known to Winters, as all pilots in the Ustian Air Force are required to know the insides of their aircraft, in the event that no engineer is present to make repairs. The only thing that came now was the Hop, and Winters was curious to meet his wingman, Major Natsumi Ishihara, from Tyrandis. He was also worried. It had been a while since he'd flown anything less manuverable than the F-15S/MTD, and was not sure whether he could still handle an aircraft like the F-20. He put that thought aside, another thing battle tought him: Doubt Instills Fear, and Fear Prohibits Victory.

OOC: a bit of a mistake there. ISP isn't exactly useful for determining thrusts; that chart however is a good example of what type of engines can dominate at different speed regimes; for ex. showing why most modern fighters use LBturbofans, why big cargo craft use HB or UHB turbofans, propfans, or turboprops, and why missiles typically use rockets, or dual mode rocket/ramjets.

OOC:
High T/W ratio = faster acceleration out of a turn
Weight will win out if thrust becomes too high or drag becomes too low
Pretty sure there's a typo in that statement.


Pilot Lt. Willie Deckard and WSO/Co-Pilot/wingman 2nd Lt. Rick Armstrong
after seing the sleek and agile F-20s, couldn't wait to take it through their paces, and were somewhat astounded when another pilot [Cpt. Winters] showed up and almost proclaimed them to be as agile as a flying brick.

Still, they went to class the next day, listened through the lecture, and perked up when they heard they'd get to test out the stall limits of the planes...

They wasted no time in preparing to take to the air in their own personal 'supersnic go carts of the sky'.

OOC:
Do I post my stall recoveries here or do I E-mail them?

OOC:
when another pilot [Cpt. Winters] showed up and almost proclaimed them to be as agile as a flying brick.

(((OOC:Ahaha, i love that. But what are your guys normally flying?)))

OOC:
High T/W ratio = faster acceleration out of a turn

Pretty sure there's a typo in that statement.


Pilot Lt. Willie Deckard and WSO/Co-Pilot/wingman 2nd Lt. Rick Armstrong
after seing the sleek and agile F-20s, couldn't wait to take it through their paces, and were somewhat astounded when another pilot [Cpt. Winters] showed up and almost proclaimed them to be as agile as a flying brick.

Still, they went to class the next day, listened through the lecture, and perked up when they heard they'd get to test out the stall limits of the planes...

They wasted no time in preparing to take to the air in their own personal 'supersnic go carts of the sky'.

OOC:
Do I post my stall recoveries here or do I E-mail them?

OOC: lol, i did screw up. skip that, reverse it. i wrote it right before i posted, and i was still half asleep. sorry, but i worked late and didn't have my lecture ready. i'll be sure not to do that in the future.

IC:

Within his Agressor Mig-21, Polenin prepared for takeoff. With the flightline clear, he pushed up the throttle and taxiied down the runway. His fighter lifted off the tarmac, and he pulled his fighter into a wide holding pattern, waiting as the other fighters took to the air.

OOC: post recoveries, problems and everything IC in the thread

"Nice speech," the Premier said to Colonel Polenin.

"It's nothing, sir," Dmitri answered with a dismissive wave. Nearby, Sara stood silent, unable to comprehend that the most powerful man in the country was standing before her.

"I remember your class," the Premier said nostalgically. "I never thought you'd end up an instructor here."

"Having your whole squadron shot down...inspires you," Polenin explained.

"I bet it does," Premier Galindo responded. His eyes turned to a figure over the Colonel's shoulder." Who's that?"

"That's one of the foreign instructors," Dmitri said as he turned to look. "Colonel Arnold, I believe?"

"I reviewed his record," Galindo said. "Very impressive."

"Yes, we are lucky to have him," Dmitri admitted. "I have only spoken to the man once myself. I believe he will exude all the qualities we expect in an instructor."

OOC: still working on my lecture. there'll be links you need to follow, so let me know if they don't work or whatever...rest easy for class tomorrow

OOC: I had a funeral to go to yesterday, and I was busy doing some stuff, so I am sorry for missing this, I'll just RP my introducing myself, then taking off.

IC:

Colonel Arnold approached Colonel Polenin and said "Hello Colonel, I'm here. I believe I'll be waiting for the class to end, and that I'll be flying the Mig-21?" He chuckled and he said "Ironic that I'll be flying the plane that I've shot down 12 of in my military career.."

OOC: I had a funeral to go to yesterday, and I was busy doing some stuff, so I am sorry for missing this, I'll just RP my introducing myself, then taking off.

IC:

Colonel Arnold approached Colonel Polenin and said "Hello Colonel, I'm here. I believe I'll be waiting for the class to end, and that I'll be flying the Mig-21?" He chuckled and he said "Ironic that I'll be flying the plane that I've shot down 12 of in my military career.."

"Well," the Colonel answered, "It should be interesting for you to see the world through the eyes of the adversary, shouldn't it?"

Marty and Dimitri both appreciated the detail of the lesson though it was something they had learned years before. However, it was good information for the start of the training.

After suiting up in their black flightsuits, Dimitri and Marty met up on the flightline. Dimitri's flight suit was outfitted with the very distinctive and noticeable cosmonaut badge with seven silver stars below it, each indicating a different launch. Marty's flight suit was outfitted with the Russian Federation Test Pilot badge. Both also wore three small silver 'I's on their left arms, the placement, color, and size of the 'I' being the internationally recognized symbol which indicated 1000 hours of flight time. The exchanged a kiss and climbed into their respective aircraft.

After taking off, Dimitry and Marty joined Polenin in the air, waiting for the others.

OOC:
(((OOC:Ahaha, i love that. But what are your guys normally flying?)))

Modded F-4 Phantom IIs (maybe unmodded Su-34s+Su-30s in land-attack and resserve units), and they initially did quite well compared to an [NS] advanced fighter such as the F/A-103, even with 2:1 odds against. OFC, they got mauled shortly afterwards [after being tacticaly outnumbered 4:1 and a rapid change in the ROE*].

I suppose my guys are in the air already, since they suited up and hopped into their planes last post...

So, are they in seprate planes? (And I'd assume they are)

*Four unstealthy F-4s and some MANPAD-SAMs managed to ambush Eight F/A-103s, and actually downed every single plane before any of them could even say "WTF?", let alone return fire. Thankfully it was just another friendly excercise. After that they started engaging any offending aircraft with various ALRAAMs rather than dare appraoh them up close. In essence, they treated a 30+ year old airframe like a 6th gen fighter with their own '6th gen' advanced fighter planes from then on out. Not because the plane was better, just because the opening shots were that humiliating (and they didn't know about the SAMs).

Likewise, such long range engagements would give the WSO much more time to react to incoming fire and act accordingly, meaning instead of using a single AIM-9 up the stovepipe, they had to spam every fighter they came across with AMRAAMs in hopes that one wouldn't get fooled by ECM.

And that was the signifigance of Lt Willie Deckard's infamous flight.
It made stat-crunchers sit back and say 'woah'

OOC: ok, guys. part of the RP is to help w/ writing out flying, so if you're new to air combat RPing, go ahead and write something. we're here to help.

Approximately 80 miles Northeast of Neiflheim ADB
B-1B "The Emperor's Own", Colonel Karyuudo commanding

Although not truly part of the "training" portion of these exercises, the Terran aircrew were just as new to the surrounding terrain as any of the candidates, and as such any opportunity to explore the landscape would be time well-spent.

Which explained why the crew of The Emperor's Own were roughly 80 miles northeast of Neiflheim ADB, seated in their usual crew positions in the B-1B.

At 48,000 feet.

Inverted.

With wings swept back.

Currently engaged in a 600-knot, near-vertical dive.

Captain Ren was grinning as he fought to keep her in one piece, wrestling with the stick and laughing. Lieutenant Yamashita was hanging onto his harness with a deathgrip, fighting back the urge to vomit into his air hose. Colonel Karyuudo and Major Akanegasaki merely sat back and breathed normally, exchanging jokes over the radio, as if insane maneuvers were just a routine part of life...and to be fair, for those two they almost were.

Lieutenant Yamashita's eyes were getting exponentially wider as the ground got increasingly closer, and the Colonel finally decided that the Captain had had enough fun and took control of the aircraft. The Emperor's Own leveled off at 8,000 ft without even the slightest problem.

"Nice flying, Captain." stated Sango.

"Thank you, sir." Ren replied.

At this point the Major cut in. "Just a minor addendum, Eric. Planes don't fly too well after they make a 50-foot deep crater. We humans don't fly too well after that, either. I like living, if you don't mind."

"Oh, don't worry about it Major. If I get us killed, I'll buy you all drinks!"

"I don't think death works that way, Captain."

"Not my problem, then. How're you holding up back there, Yamashita?"

The Lieutenant began speaking. "I--not---..." There was a horrible retching sound, punctuated by Major Akanegasaki exclaiming "Gross!" over the comms. Colonel Karyuudo merely checked his watch.

"92 seconds!" he exclaimed. "That's a new record, Lieutenant Yamashita! We've never had a DSO last so long through his first experience with Captain Ren's 'warm-up' routine. Welcome to the crew of the Emperor." He began to chuckle.

The Lieutenant gurgled his thanks (at least, that's what it sounded like) over the comm, still trying to clean himself up. Colonel Karyuudo stopped laughing and returned control of the aircraft to Captain Ren.

"Captain, it's time to get a good feel for the terrain. Take us down to the deck and practice some terrain-following, but be gentle; Yamashita has had a long day." said the Colonel. "Remember, being dead looks bad on your service record." he added.

Major Akanegasaki sniggered. The Captain grinned and threw the Emperor into another gut-wrenching maneuver. The Colonel sat back to enjoy the ride. Lieutenant Yamashita just began to sob over the radio.

OOC: I'm new to very detailed air combat.

The lesson was something both pilots had heard before. Despite this, both pilots saw it as a good refresher. They couldn't wait to get in the air.

Both walked out of the building, taking in the air. The sky was a brillant bright blue and only a few small clouds floated along like white balls of cotton. It was the perfect day for flying.

''Hey Mac, you nervous.''

''A little I guess, even back at home there isn't so much pressure.''

''Yeah remember the CO's speech.''

''If you fail, you fail our country, yeah I remember.''

Both stopped talking as they approached their aircraft. They were F-20s. The pilots had expected crappy, well used aircraft. They were shocked to see that these aircraft sparkled as if they were brand new. Both pilots walked around the aircraft, performing the 150 or so checks that were required before they took to the air. Both nodded to each other as they climbed into the cockpit. Another 90 checks later and they were ready to start the engine. After a few more checks. they radioed for clearance. Once they got that, they watched the air traffic controller's directions. Within minutes they were taxing down the runway and soon soaring into the sky.

Approximately 80 miles Northeast of Neiflheim ADB
B-1B "The Emperor's Own", Colonel Karyuudo commanding

Although not truly part of the "training" portion of these exercises, the Terran aircrew were just as new to the surrounding terrain as any of the candidates, and as such any opportunity to explore the landscape would be time well-spent.

Which explained why the crew of The Emperor's Own were roughly 80 miles northeast of Neiflheim ADB, seated in their usual crew positions in the B-1B.

At 48,000 feet.

Inverted.

With wings swept back.

Currently engaged in a 600-knot, near-vertical dive.

Captain Ren was grinning as he fought to keep her in one piece, wrestling with the stick and laughing. Lieutenant Yamashita was hanging onto his harness with a deathgrip, fighting back the urge to vomit into his air hose. Colonel Karyuudo and Major Akanegasaki merely sat back and breathed normally, exchanging jokes over the radio, as if insane maneuvers were just a routine part of life...and to be fair, for those two they almost were.

Lieutenant Yamashita's eyes were getting exponentially wider as the ground got increasingly closer, and the Colonel finally decided that the Captain had had enough fun and took control of the aircraft. The Emperor's Own leveled off at 8,000 ft without even the slightest problem.

"Nice flying, Captain." stated Sango.

"Thank you, sir." Ren replied.

At this point the Major cut in. "Just a minor addendum, Eric. Planes don't fly too well after they make a 50-foot deep crater. We humans don't fly too well after that, either. I like living, if you don't mind."

"Oh, don't worry about it Major. If I get us killed, I'll buy you all drinks!"

"I don't think death works that way, Captain."

"Not my problem, then. How're you holding up back there, Yamashita?"

The Lieutenant began speaking. "I--not---..." There was a horrible retching sound, punctuated by Major Akanegasaki exclaiming "Gross!" over the comms. Colonel Karyuudo merely checked his watch.

"92 seconds!" he exclaimed. "That's a new record, Lieutenant Yamashita! We've never had a DSO last so long through his first experience with Captain Ren's 'warm-up' routine. Welcome to the crew of the Emperor." He began to chuckle.

The Lieutenant gurgled his thanks (at least, that's what it sounded like) over the comm, still trying to clean himself up. Colonel Karyuudo stopped laughing and returned control of the aircraft to Captain Ren.

"Captain, it's time to get a good feel for the terrain. Take us down to the deck and practice some terrain-following, but be gentle; Yamashita has had a long day." said the Colonel. "Remember, being dead looks bad on your service record." he added.

Major Akanegasaki sniggered. The Captain grinned and threw the Emperor into another gut-wrenching maneuver. The Colonel sat back to enjoy the ride. Lieutenant Yamashita just began to sob over the radio.

Neiflheim Air Control

"What in the Gorram...?" Began Colonel Kamarov. "Were they cleared for these maneuvers?"

"Negative sir," the ATC answered. They had been monitoring the B-1Bs flight, and had been shocked when they hit mach speeds over landmass.

"Get them back here," Kamarov ordered.

78 mi. NE Neiflheim ADB

The pair of Su-35 Super Flankers banked into a wide arc as the bomber appeared on their radar. In the lead fighter, Captain Yvgenni Sidorov ordered his wingman to radio the flight.

"Emperor's Own, this is Guard Flight. Turn course 240 to Neiflheim ADB. Acknowledge."

Even before waiting for a response, the two fighters pulled up alongside the bomber, flankng it on both sides.

"Repeat, turn course 240 and follow Control instructions for touchdown at Neiflheim."

OOC: this is hotdogging, which i said you can't do. not only is it not necessary for training, it is not permitted in the real military, which is what we're trying to simulate.

Armstrong took off before Deckard in his F-20, and leveled off after a climb (without afterburners) to 15,000 feet within 30 seconds after liftoff.

Decard, not wishing to be stood-up by his own WSO, engaged full afterburners and nosed into a vertical climb to 20,000 feet before the plane threatened to stall, he then leveled out, the plane handled a bit shakey and lopsided to the near-stall, but he then gunned it up above and behind his own wingman and proceeded to dive on his 5 o'clock high.

Armstrong responded to this by breaking right and climbing, causing the dive to overshoot. "May as well get on with these stall tests before we do something that may get us in trouble..."

Deckard, though dissappointed, remembered that his level-headed WSO was right once again. "Just making sure you remember how to fly".

Deckard's plane, now at 10,000 feet, made a high speed ballistic climb until stall w/o afterburners, to keep things challenging, he tried to keep his WSO in crosshairs.

Armstrong's F-20 was meanwhile still in a steep right turn, and took advantage of the stall to turn around and face Deckard's plane head-on.
"I win"

Deckard responded to this false claim bluntly just as his plane was starting a stall: "Nope, you were a sitting duck in that stall" He then re-engaged afterburners and let the nose down to regain airspeed and control.

"Yes, but now you are going to be a sitting... You should really lay off the reheaters..."

"I like seeing what the absolute limits are..."

This repeated yet another time...

"We don't have the time to practice a vertical rolling scissors..."

"Oh yes we do..."

Deckard rolled onto his back and pulled down into a dive immediately behind Armstrong.

Armstrong, not wishing to oblige, did a vertical barrel woll while dumping WP flares, then pulled out at 10,000 feet AGL, leaving Deckard to plummet in an ever thickening smoke plume. However, he didn't pull up at 5,000 feet...

"Deckard, pull up already dangit!"

4,000 feet...

Armstrong watched the flares falling to the ground...

The flares passed 3,000 feet...

He was pretty sure Deckard would follow the flares to the ground

2,000 feet...
1,000 feet...

Impact...

...

"On your six Armstrong, stop watching the fireworks and pay attention to your surroundings!"

Armstrong looked around in confusion, but saw nothing...

"Deckard... Where are you exactly?"

His question was promptly answered when a plane in a steep climb pulled up alongside.

"That was a dirty trick, and had I not known you better, I would think you were genuinely worried I was dead. You should remember that the smke also made it impossable for you to see what my plane was doing."

"So you pulled up as I fired the flares and darted under my blindspot..."

"When in doubt, overshoot, think we did enough stalls?"

"I don't think we actually did ANY stalls"

"Oh fine... be that way..."

Deckard cut his engines and pulled up in a gradual climbing stall, 1,000 feet above the airstrip.

"Time to see how well these planes can dead-stick..."

"Um, you should relight those engines before you crash..."

"With what fuel?"

"Then isn't this an emergency landing?"

"I haven't stalled yet, so this isn't an emergency, and besides, they want me to stall... ah, here it is..." He extended landing gear and slats.

"Deckard, that isn't a stall... that's a landing flair..."

"Picky..."

Deckard then pulled sharply back on the control stick, at about 1,000 feet AGL on final approach, airspeed quickly bled from 120 mph to 60, even with flaps extended, he was in for a full stall.

Deckard then let the nose down, and gently pulled back on the control stick, balancing attitude (more back pressure = faster change in attitude), and airspeed to keep optimum lift (chord angle and airspeed over wing). Slats, flaps and landing gear all fully extended now.

Deckard was now about 10 feet off the ground as he eased the nose up in a flair to dump just enough airspeed to gently lose lift, he then let the nose settle back into near-level flight as the wheels touched tarmac.

"This is Maverick. Requesting a pushback and tow on runway 17."

As the speed bled off on the runway, he gave sharp right rudder and left control stick to send the plane off to the side, clearing it for Armstrong.

"Armstrong, you are clear to land. You know, you'll need your own callsign if you're gonna fly solo..."

"Roger."

Armstrong did a more typical and less stressful powered landing, which was flying down low and slow, cutting engines to idle, and aggressively flairing out.

IC: Cpt. Winters climbed aboard his F-20. Once inside, he sat for a minute, looking at all the dials, attempting to work out which was for what. After about 10 minutes, he put his helmet on, now confident he knew how the F-20 worked.

"Tower, this is Wildcard, requesting permission to take off"

__________________________________________________

Minutes later Winters was in the air, flying over the beautifull snow-capped mountains of the Free United States. He had to admit some things about his first impressions of this program. One, that the scenery was stunning, and that Two, the F-20 wasn't exactly a flying brick, as was his first impression, and indeed it did have it's moments in that pure blue sky, but it was nothing compared to the F15S/MTD.

"Okay, a controlled stall" he muttered to himself, trying not to be distracted by the scenery any longer. He yanked back the stick untill the F-20 was going vertical and waited for the stall light to flash.

"15,000 - 16,000 - 17,000" he counted as his altimiter spun round. Finally, he was greeted by the sound of the stall warning light coming on. Slowly but surely the F-20 came to a near complete halt in the air. As it closed in on 50 knots, Winters hauled the stick back further, pulling the entire aircraft over the top and back into a dive. The speedometer reached 200 knots at 10,000 feet, at which point he pulled it up again to level off.

"This trip might not be as bad as i thought" he chuckled to himself.

"Tower, this is Wildcard, requesting permission to land"

___________________________________________________

After landing (OOC: Any one you walk away from is a good one!) Winters looked around at the other pilots walking away from their F-20s and MiG 21s.

"Looks like the competition is going to be tight here" He muttered

(((OOC: FUS, i didn't know where we were meant to be flying this over so took a guess. If it's wrong i'll corect it

And where the hell is my Wingman?)))

OOC: basically, neiflheim air space is a 100 mi. radius of the base. too far south, though, and you enter Capitol District Air Command. they don't like wandering aircraft.

also, Cal is supposed to post today's lesson. maybe it'll be up later, idk. if not, i'll post one up before the night is through. once it's up, we immediately change days fyi.

OOC: basically, neiflheim air space is a 100 mi. radius of the base. too far south, though, and you enter Capitol District Air Command. they don't like wandering aircraft.

OOC:So this 100 mile radius is like, what terrain?

Captain Lewis 'Sheriff' Johnston and his wing-man Lieutenant Sean 'Mojo' Highbourne seemed to be some of the least experienced fighters at the new school, which was a huge impact. The two of them were two young to have fought in the Commonwealth-Kreatvye War, which was the last large engagement in Commonwealth history. Since then only few aircaft have taken to the skies against the Commonwealth, otherwise most of the time the runways had been destroyed by ground and naval forces, leaving only ground support missions for them.

They sat in class, it was like back in BAQ - Basic Aircraft Qualification. Nothing new, but it was interesting to hear it from a different source, the whole thought of learning from another nation was completely new.

Finally they were done, they rushed to their quarters, eager to break to the sky. They hadn't bothered to listen to which aircraft they were assigned to. Somehow word had told them they were going to continue to train in an F/A-18 model. So when they arrived at their assigned once again they were shocked to see the dawfed F-20. Mojo rolled his eyes.

"Son of a bitch. I swear I hate this plane." He walked over to the plane's chief. "Chief, Lieutenant Highbourne Royal Commonwealth Air Force. Got a question for you, are these our planes? These... F-20s? Are you sure there isn't any F/A-18s for us?" He hung his head upon the hearing the answer.

The two looked in their flight package and found the manual or check list for the F-20. They begun their initial pre-flight checks, assisted by the ground crews for the first time to make sure nothing was over looked, it had been several years since either of the men had seen or been in a F-20. They jumped into the cockpit and did their checks there before finally getting the chance to start the single engine. Sheriff tapped the top of his closed canopy, signaling to Mojo he was ready. He in turn saluted the Captain and urged his jet forward towards the strip.

"Tower, Sheriff and Mojo requesting take off and flight patten outta here."

Minutes later they were on the strip side by side. They looked at each other, nodded and cranked the throttle forwards, throwing them back into their seats. They remained on the ground far longer then usual but it was all in an effort to gain loads of speed before yanking on the stick, pulling them nose up then banking left and right. Climbing to a height of 20 000 feet they begun to test the aircraft, throwing it into controlled dives, stalls, annd overall basic combat maneuvers. The stick was a little touchier then the F/A-18 and it took some getting used to.

"Well," the Colonel answered, "It should be interesting for you to see the world through the eyes of the adversary, shouldn't it?"

John nodded and he walked out to his MIG-21, started it, and took off to join the fight. As he flew in the air, he heard radio crackles, and he said "Everyone, this is Red Bear Two Zero, ready to join the fight."

OOC: I'm a bit late, so sorry. I'll post later on in the day..

74 miles Northeast of Neiflheim ADB
B-1B "The Emperor's Own", Colonel Karyuudo commanding

Captain Ren was about to ease the Emperor into a shallow drive, to scout out the local terrain, when he noticed a pair of Su-35s sidle up on either side of the B-1B. "Uh, Colonel?"

Karyuudo leaned forward, peering out the window. "I noticed them closing, but assumed they were coming along to observe."

"Want me to go low and lose them?" asked Ren.

Sango frowned, and bounced his gloved hand off of Captain Ren's helmet. "No, of course not Captain. You fly these two into the ground and none of us get to leave alive. Looks like somebody's not happy with how the 184th flies back in Terra."

A second later the call went up. "Knock it off, knock it off, knock it off." Captain Ren immediately leveled off, reduced throttle, deployed flaps and air brakes, and even briefly opened the bomb bay doors. The Emperor's Own bled speed incredibly quickly, and instantly went from being a miniscule blip on Air Defense Radars to a contact roughly the size of a beach ball, radiating on every frequency. The bomb bay closed again. Sango took control of the aircraft.

"Roger that, Guard flight." began Colonel Karyuudo. "Neiflheim Tower, we have killed our stealth aspects and are inbound on Neiflheim ADB from the Northeast at 240 knots, altitude 10,000 feet. ETA 20 minutes, request vector to Runway One-Eight Approach. Our apologies, Tower."

As the bomber began an agonizingly slow turn back towards the airbase, Captain Ren slammed his hand against a cockpit window. "Cao, I thought they wanted real pilots." he cursed.

Major Akanegasaki's voice piped up over the comm. "They do want real pilots, Captain. Explains why they're so disappointed in you."

"Quiet, both of you." cut in the Colonel. "They're good people; I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. They do things differently here, and if they push, we follow their rules."

As the bomber continued its slow (and loud) approach towards Neiflheim ADB, Sora spoke up one more time.

"Man, they're going to be pissed."

OOC: FUS, how do you want me to post the lesson, in a classroom format, or an air to air format..

IC:

John called out as he rolled in behind a F-20 from the six o'clock position, he was unsure of whoms "Captain Winters, you are cannon fodder!" He clicked a button to signal cannon shots, and he shook his head and said on the radio "Always remember to check your six, that's the most critical thing.."

He continued "Let me show you a split S maneuver, the bare minimum altitude is 2000 feet for one, and if you are at 1800, you aren't going to make it!, if you find yourself in that position, do a Cuban Eight, and roll out of it!" He demonstrated a perfect Split S.

OOC: FUS, how do you want me to post the lesson, in a classroom format, or an air to air format..

IC:

John called out as he rolled in behind a F-20 from the six o'clock position, he was unsure of whoms "Unknown F-20, you are cannon fodder!" He clicked a button to signal cannon shots, and he shook his head and said on the radio "Always remember to check your six, that's the most critical thing.."

He continued "Let me show you a split S maneuver, the bare minimum altitude is 2000 feet for one, and if you are at 1800, you aren't going to make it!, if you find yourself in that position, do a Cuban Eight, and roll out of it!" He demonstrated a perfect Split S.

OOC: You can put Cpt. Winters as the "Unknown" F-20 if you like, Since his Wingman hasn't yet turned up

OOC: You can put Cpt. Winters as the "Unknown" F-20 if you like, Since his Wingman hasn't yet turned up

OOC: Okay I edited it. Now all I have to do is wait for your IC reply.

OOC: Okay I edited it. Now all I have to do is wait for your IC reply.

OOC:Ok

IC: A blaring warning came on in Winters' F-20, indicating that he'd just been shot down by an instructor.

"Sonofa..." he grumbled as he checked his six, spotting the Instructor aircraft

A voice came on the radio "Wildcard, you are cannon fodder! Let me show you a split S maneuver, the bare minimum altitude is 2000 feet for one, and if you are at 1800, you aren't going to make it!, if you find yourself in that position, do a Cuban Eight, and roll out of it!"

Winters watched as the instructor soared past and performed the maneuver flawlessly

(((OOC: What is John flying and what is his Callsign? I'll edit the post once i know such things)))

OOC:Ok

IC: A blaring warning came on in Winters' F-20, indicating that he'd just been shot down by an instructor.

"Sonofa..." he grumbled as he checked his six, spotting the Instructor aircraft

A voice came on the radio "Wildcard, you are cannon fodder! Let me show you a split S maneuver, the bare minimum altitude is 2000 feet for one, and if you are at 1800, you aren't going to make it!, if you find yourself in that position, do a Cuban Eight, and roll out of it!"

Winters watched as the instructor soared past and performed the maneuver flawlessly

(((OOC: What is John flying and what is his Callsign? I'll edit the post once i know such things)))

OOC: He's flying one of the school's MIG-21 Lancer 2000's, and his call sign is Red Bear Two Zero.

74 miles Northeast of Neiflheim ADB
B-1B "The Emperor's Own", Colonel Karyuudo commanding

Captain Ren was about to ease the Emperor into a shallow drive, to scout out the local terrain, when he noticed a pair of Su-35s sidle up on either side of the B-1B. "Uh, Colonel?"

Karyuudo leaned forward, peering out the window. "I noticed them closing, but assumed they were coming along to observe."

"Want me to go low and lose them?" asked Ren.

Sango frowned, and bounced his gloved hand off of Captain Ren's helmet. "No, of course not Captain. You fly these two into the ground and none of us get to leave alive. Looks like somebody's not happy with how the 184th flies back in Terra."

A second later the call went up. "Knock it off, knock it off, knock it off." Captain Ren immediately leveled off, reduced throttle, deployed flaps and air brakes, and even briefly opened the bomb bay doors. The Emperor's Own bled speed incredibly quickly, and instantly went from being a miniscule blip on Air Defense Radars to a contact roughly the size of a beach ball, radiating on every frequency. The bomb bay closed again. Sango took control of the aircraft.

"Roger that, Guard flight." began Colonel Karyuudo. "Neiflheim Tower, we have killed our stealth aspects and are inbound on Neiflheim ADB from the Northeast at 240 knots, altitude 10,000 feet. ETA 20 minutes, request vector to Runway One-Eight Approach. Our apologies, Tower."

As the bomber began an agonizingly slow turn back towards the airbase, Captain Ren slammed his hand against a cockpit window. "Cao, I thought they wanted real pilots." he cursed.

Major Akanegasaki's voice piped up over the comm. "They do want real pilots, Captain. Explains why they're so disappointed in you."

"Quiet, both of you." cut in the Colonel. "They're good people; I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. They do things differently here, and if they push, we follow their rules."

As the bomber continued its slow (and loud) approach towards Neiflheim ADB, Sora spoke up one more time.

"Man, they're going to be pissed."

Neiflheim ADB

A pair of MP Humvees roared across the flightline towards the taxiing B-1 bomber. Once the bomber was pulled into the nearby hangar, two MPs piled out from the lead Jeep, weapons holstered.

Office of the Commandant

"Article 92, Failure to obey an order or regulation. Article 98, Noncompliance with procedural rules. Article 111, Drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle aircraft or vessel. And finally; Article 133, Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. By performing your dngerous stunt over populated areas, you have compromised the security of the People and these laws which govern military decorum," General Gorobev explained. "As convening officer, I have it within my power to place you in stockade while awaiting repatriation, or if your government allows it, general courts martial."

"General," Colonel Polenin spoke up. "The bomber mission has become a key element to the training regimen for Week 2 and 3 already. It would be near impossible to create a new curriculum in such a short amount of time. I would suggest non-judicial punishment."

"Fine," the General grumbled. "You are hereby confined to quarters for three days and placed on bread and water restriction for two. Dismissed."

OOC: i operate on the ucmj, and according to it, these articles were violated. if you wish to appeal, feel free to do so. here's the link: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm.htm

Cal, my format was lecture, then flight. but if you wanna teach it just as flight, go right ahead. just remember to give me the Q & As for the exam.

Neiflheim ADB

A pair of MP Humvees roared across the flightline towards the taxiing B-1 bomber. Once the bomber was pulled into the nearby hangar, two MPs piled out from the lead Jeep, weapons holstered.

Office of the Commandant

"Article 92, Failure to obey an order or regulation. Article 98, Noncompliance with procedural rules. Article 111, Drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle aircraft or vessel. And finally; Article 133, Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. By performing your dngerous stunt over populated areas, you have compromised the security of the People and these laws which govern military decorum," General Gorobev explained. "As convening officer, I have it within my power to place you in stockade while awaiting repatriation, or if your government allows it, general courts martial."

"General," Colonel Polenin spoke up. "The bomber mission has become a key element to the training regimen for Week 2 and 3 already. It would be near impossible to create a new curriculum in such a short amount of time. I would suggest non-judicial punishment."

"Fine," the General grumbled. "You are hereby confined to quarters for three days and placed on bread and water restriction for two. Dismissed."

OOC: i operate on the ucmj, and according to it, these articles were violated. if you wish to appeal, feel free to do so. here's the link: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm.htm

Cal, my format was lecture, then flight. but if you wanna teach it just as flight, go right ahead. just remember to give me the Q & As for the exam.

OOC: I've sent you the Q & A's for the exam. I forgot about your lecture then flight, I'll do that next time.

OOC: that's ok, Cal. different countries do have different methods, right?

OOC: that's ok, Cal. different countries do have different methods, right?

OOC: Right, mine prefers the classroom in the air method, which he is used to.

IC:

John looked out the side of his MIG-21 to see if the student, in this case, Captain Winters would follow his example of the Split-S. He was frankly amazed that he was in control of a plane he had fought against! Talk about irony, he thought, before snapping back to reality.

Polenin followed through with his own flight of trainees, showing them the ability to change power towards your advantage. He banked, pumping the brakes as he lifted the nose, barrel-rolling smoothly onto the F-20s six o'clock.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xv5Ugm4WWMA

note: i'm supposed to be epstein, not the Migs.

Armstrong looked up towards the now ensuing dogfights, and gave a sour look at Deckard...

"Next time, make sure you get those ground crewmen to top off your tanks... I still have half a tank left..."

"Sorry about that... Wasn't expecting them to go into a dogfight of their own..."

Deckard then retuned his radio to the control tower:
"Belay request for a pushback, replace with a drop tank, power mule, and a quick splash and dash, I'm pretty sure I have enough runway in front for a takeoff run."

Armstrong taxiied off to the end of the runway, and idled the engines...
"Tower, this is Rick Armstrong, requesting hot refueling on runway 17, it looks like Maverick is gonna be grounded for awhile..."

ooc: what are the f-20s armed with? apart from their cannons?

Delesa;13392321']ooc: what are the f-20s armed with? apart from their cannons?

OOC: right now, the F-20s are unarmed as you aren't firing at targets. starting maybe thurs. (gotta talk to Cal.) drones and ground targets will be set up for practice. regularly, an F-20 can be armed w/ 2 AIM-9 sidewinders, four AIM-7 sparrows or four 2000 lb. bombs.

OOC: Right, mine prefers the classroom in the air method, which he is used to.

OOC: Same here

IC: "Okay, Red Bear" Winters muttered, "Let's see if i can give you a run for your money"

Winters rolled the plane onto it's back, and pulled the stick back hard, closing the throttle as he did. As the horizon came into sight he opened the throttle again, looking around for Red Bear's MiG

"How's that for a split-s, Red Bear?"

OOC: Same here

IC: "Okay, Red Bear" Winters muttered, "Let's see if i can give you a run for your money"

Winters rolled the plane onto it's back, and pulled the stick back hard, closing the throttle as he did. As the horizon came into sight he opened the throttle again, looking around for Red Bear's MiG

"How's that for a split-s, Red Bear?"

IC:

John smiled and he replied "That was an excellent Split S for a first try, it does need a little more improvement, but it's a start." He checked his six to make sure no enterprising student had snuck up behind him.

Polenin opened the door to his class and walked in. He nodded politely to the aviators as they took their seats. This time dressed in his flightsuit, the lightning bolt-and-crow insignia on his shoulder faded like his suit. Unlike most pilots, Dmitri preferred to have his old suit, a token from when he’d been just another young pilot out of flight school. He placed his helmet on the desk, indigo with a crow over the visor.

“Good morning,” the Lt. Colonel greeted them. “As a historian by training, most of my classes will focus on the history of combat aviation. Now then, airpower had been used to the extent of reconnaissance since the American Civil War, but it didn’t become an offensive tool until the advent of the First World War. Innovations, including automatic weapons and internal-combustion engines created the first of the fighter planes. Some of the most notable of which were the German Fokker series, the British Sopwith Camel, and the French Spad VII and XIII, the latter of which was used by American aviators such as Eddie Rickenbacker. The Fokker Dr. I triplane is notable as the plane of choice for Manfred von Richtofen: the Red Baron. Along with the infamous Baron was another noteworthy ace, Oswald Boelcke. He would create what is now known as Boelcke’s Dicta, a set of strategic rules for air combat that are still true today. They are as follows:

1. Try to secure advantages before attacking. If possible, attack with the sun behind you.

2. Always carry through an attack once you have started it.

3. Fire at close range and only when your opponent is properly in your sights.

4. Always keep an eye on your opponent and never let yourself be deceived by ruses.

5. In any form of attack, it is important to assail your opponent from behind.

6. If your opponent dives on you, don’t try to avoid his onslaught, but fly to meet it.

7. When above enemy lines, never forget your own line of retreat.

8. Attack on principle in groups of four or six, when the fight breaks up into a series of single combats, take care that several do not go after one opponent.

“Though many would assume that some of these laws are not applicable to modern warfare, where long-range missiles have largely outdated the need for close-in machine guns, it should be noted that even during air combat of recent times, most of the battles took place within 500 yards of the opponent and well under supersonic speeds. Thus, an F-22s ability to cruise in mach speeds is irrelevant as long as its opponents can maneuver comparably in subsonic speeds.

“These rules that Boelcke created has led much to standard combat aviation around the globe. His creation of large, well-organized formations has led the development of our wingman principles and the make-up of the modern fighter squadron. In warfare, a pilot does not take off with the intent of achieving personal glory. He takes off as part of a whole that is set on the goal of defeating the enemy. As Boelcke himself stated, “Everything depends on sticking together when the Staffel goes into battle. It does not matter who actually scores the victory as long as the Staffel wins."

“The video which I present today shows how these laws applied to dogfighting within the Korean War between Mig-15s and F-86 Sabres. Pay close attention to the tactics used in the beginning of the engagement. There will be a question from this footage on the exam.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dBBz4Eo4Gak

“The last thing you must know about the ace pilots you have heard of today. With the exception of a few like Eddie Rickenbacker, all these men, trained and honed in battle, were shot down. They died in their planes that had struck fear in the hearts of their enemy. With that in mind, we will practice mock engagements in which you will have to demonstrate your understandings of the Dicta as well as this week’s previous lessons.”

OOC: i am a history major, so most of my lessons will be usng history as the primary emphasis.

OOC: Notes you forgot to mention the Voisen III (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voisin_III)...
Same tactic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEnDjwXnj3Y)

Odd tactic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITRLk9b9AcY)

*Buttons behaving funny...

IC:
Willie Deckard listened with false enthusiasm, hoping it would get the lecture over with so he could get back in the air, having not loaded his own plane with sufficient fuel, and dumping full afterburning the whole time pretty much made him miss all the dogfighting with non-hurtian opponents, which was why he even showed up to begin with...

At least he wasn't "shot down", as he had heard over the chatter earlier that oe of the aces made a roockie mistake on the last flight.

OOC: yea, well, WWI is the weakest of my war history.

IC:

Climbing into the seat of his Mig, the Colonel placed the wallet-sized photo of Sara on the instrument panel before donning his helmet and strapping in. He went through start-up and brought his fighter onto the flight line. From across the way, he could see the other Agressors preparing as well. This'll be fun, he told himself, let's show these guys why the German Staffel was so feared."

IC:

John, started up his MIG-21 Lancer 2000, and taxied to the runway, and took off, and he was only too happy to show the new pilots the effectiveness of the German Staffel. As he looked at the somewhat update cockpit, he thought "I must be luck, all those time's in combat I could've died, but didn't.." He snapped back to reality, and started checking his radar for the rookies that would appear.

The two Orbathian pilots welcomed the lesson. It was a good refresher. They were glad to get out of the classroom and back into their aircraft though. They taxied down the runway, taking off into the air and slowly soaring upwards. It was going to be interesting.

The two Orbathian pilots welcomed the lesson. It was a good refresher. They were glad to get out of the classroom and back into their aircraft though. They taxied down the runway, taking off into the air and slowly soaring upwards. It was going to be interesting.

As per the training regimen, the Agressors had split off from the trainees early on, and were ready to bounce them given the chance. Colonel Polenin scanned the skies, searching for his first victims. From below, he spotted a glint of aluminum; a pair of F-20s were coming in on his 11 o'clock. At his signal, Polenin and his wingman-Commander Ross-rolled in for the attack, screaming in on the trainees 2 o'clock.

OOC: watch the vid to know what i'm doing...

The pilots spotted the aggressor aircraft, diving and coming in at 12 o'clock.

''Looks like we've got ourselves a fight.''

The aircraft turned and increased altitude, heading straight towards the aggressor aircraft.

Good going, Polenin said silently as they turned into the attack instead of away. But that's only the first part. The planes blew past one another, and he immediately craned his neck to keep his eyes on the trainees. Pulling the stick back, he hit the breaks as he initiated an Immelman. The G-forces shoved him into his seat, and Dmitri flexed his diaphram to compensate. Within seconds he had pulled the Mig onto the lead fighter's 9 o'clock, just shy of the engagement cone.

2 o'clock high is from above and to the front right quarter BTW...

Willie Deckard this time went up with an F-20 heavily laden with fuel and drop tanks, he still went up to the F-20's ceiling with afterburners lit, then let the engines cool off in the thin air as he cruised around waiting for his wingman to arrive. During which, he decided to fly inverted so that he could get a glimpse of all the planes and clouds below.

Armstrong took only internal fuel, but was already confident that he could manage what fuel he had, besides, a drop tank would place him at a disadvantage. His plane went into a steady, spiraling climb to altitude.

If you don't have any idea what they are about to try (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tFX78bLM-Y)

The pilots hadn't had a chance to react before the aggressor appeared at their nine o'clock. They turned once again, pressed into their seats as the aircraft faced the ''enemy'' head on.

The pilots hadn't had a chance to react before the aggressor appeared at their nine o'clock. They turned once again, pressed into their seats as the aircraft faced the ''enemy'' head on.

John noticed the two Orbathian's facing one of the instructors, and he chuckled as he turned towards the second one, and he hoped that they would pick up his incoming MIG-21..

ooc: Guys, I can't keep up with the posting here unfortunately. Real life just prevents me from posting a new lesson every night. I was able to get my pilots in the air waiting for others so we could do some group work on stalls but the next morning I find we are already on the ground, back in the air and doing a new lesson. Not that it is a bad thing but I found that I don't have the time from work and such to keep up with daily posts. Possibly every other day. Maybe in a few weeks when my schedule lightens up a bit. Sorry all.

Neat thought would be doing a 'Red Flag' event in the future. Thanks for the RP, I apologize for the inconvenience.

OOC: I have Dogfighters: Season 1 on DVD. XD. Sorry for actually missing all of this, but does anyone want to take control of my pilots? Noiri and Kenzi? I really don't have time. I might actually pull out and just do the written section, actually.

thats fine, rofl. the exams are supposed to be the actual ranking system. the rest is supposed to help those who aren't very good at writing air combat. and karsh, you were only responsible for Friday's lesson, you know hat, right? i thought i'd posted it. i'm sorry if i didn't. if u still can't do it, it's fine. i'll take over fridays. thanks for your participation.

ooc: Oh, I can hit up friday's lesson. Just TM me on what you need. IRL I am an IFR private pilot and military aircraft buff so this is right up my alley.

ooc: ok, it seems like this RP is slowly dying. and w/ the whole forum thing yesterday, i wasn't able to post up the exam. Here's theexam. Since there was no lesson Friday, I am only posting up questions from the first four days. I'll work on the grading system, and let you know what it is when I post up test scores. Plz either TG the answers or e-mail them to cfusafws@yahoo.com

Test 1
1. From the video clip provided on Wednesday, please state two or more of Boelcke’s Dicta that are utilized during the dogfight.
2. What is the Split-S maneuver and how do you execute it?
3. State three of Boelcke’s Dicta not given for question one.
4. What is the danger zone in combat aircraft, meaning, which is out of the clock numbers, the most unwatched in new pilots?
5. Describe to the best of your ability, the principle of Bernoulli’s Law.
6. What is the usefulness of the Cuban Eight Maneuver?
7. What is the cause for a stall?
8. Besides the Split-S, what other maneuver of the simple maneuvers is the most useful?

Hopefully I didn't double TG.
And that you don't mind that I double checked the wednessday video.
#3 is hard...
Didn't catch any practical use of C8 in thread or videos...

#63 is a right hand barrel roll upon their left-rear flank, had it been a true Immelmann it would have landed on their 6 or 5 o'clock high instead, as Orbath was in a right hand climbing turn, follow through would have sent you to either his direct rear or right flank, not his left. Therefore you went on the outside of his turn, a barrel roll.
(Or half a barrel roll, but whatever...)

IC:

John continued to turn on the wing Orbathian, hoping that by now, that he'd of seen him, else he was going to have to click the button, and confirm it as a kill.

Hopefully I didn't double TG.
And that you don't mind that I double checked the wednessday video.
#3 is hard...
Didn't catch any practical use of C8 in thread or videos...

#63 is a right hand barrel roll upon their left-rear flank, had it been a true Immelmann it would have landed on their 6 or 5 o'clock high instead, as Orbath was in a right hand climbing turn, follow through would have sent you to either his direct rear or right flank, not his left. Therefore you went on the outside of his turn, a barrel roll.
(Or half a barrel roll, but whatever...)

ooc: sorry, sorry for screwing up the details. i was in class writing that and my professor gave me a dirty look, lol.

PS: for question one, i think it should probably be 'state at least two,' instead. sorry for giving u a hard time, hurtful.

also, the tests will be graded and postd along with my next lecture on monday.

ooc: sorry, sorry for screwing up the details. i was in class writing that and my professor gave me a dirty look, lol.

PS: for question one, i think it should probably be 'state at least two,' instead. sorry for giving u a hard time, hurtful.

also, the tests will be graded and postd along with my next lecture on monday.

I thought I gave six answers to #1? Which didn't leave much to add to in question #3...
Including one that would require someone to know that MiG Alley was over North Korea and very close to the Chinese border, and that MiGs would generally attack as the F-86s generally reached their 'point of no return'...

Well, it looks like everyone's bailed from the RP. Hurtful, you were the only one to turn in an exam. I'll try this again, I guess, once we've found enough ppl who can stick with it for more than a week. Thanks to Cal and Karsh and whomever else I've forgotten who helped out on this RP. I wish we could have done more.

Class Dismissed.

Well, it looks like everyone's bailed from the RP. Hurtful, you were the only one to turn in an exam. I'll try this again, I guess, once we've found enough ppl who can stick with it for more than a week. Thanks to Cal and Karsh and whomever else I've forgotten who helped out on this RP. I wish we could have done more.

Class Dismissed.

Woah. Didn't i send you my exam? Well, if you want i'll help you run the next one.

Woah. Didn't i send you my exam? Well, if you want i'll help you run the next one.

ok, two ppl turned in their exams. out of how many participants? that means less than 10% were actually committed to this.

ok, two ppl turned in their exams. out of how many participants? that means less than 10% were actually committed to this.

Next time, I could host it in my nation, because it has a lot of SEPECAT Jaguars that we could use as training jet fighters..

Well, it looks like everyone's bailed from the RP. Hurtful, you were the only one to turn in an exam. I'll try this again, I guess, once we've found enough ppl who can stick with it for more than a week. Thanks to Cal and Karsh and whomever else I've forgotten who helped out on this RP. I wish we could have done more.

Class Dismissed.

Does that mean I win by default?
(Note: I had to copy before sending it, but it didn't confirm it being sent, so I copy-paste-set it until I got confirmation, hence my apology if I double TGed)

If the RP continues, could it be assumed that hardly any of the pilots bothered to take the first test, went AWOL, and got themselves inebreated on-duty?

If this RP restarts, I will not be joining.

Next time, I could host it in my nation, because it has a lot of SEPECAT Jaguars that we could use as training jet fighters..

thanks cal. you're one cool cat. would u mind if i still had most of my instructors, though?

ok, two ppl turned in their exams. out of how many participants? that means less than 10% were actually committed to this.

OOC: I appologize... RL stepped in and killed any chance I had. I'll keep an eye out. again sorry.

ok, two ppl turned in their exams. out of how many participants? that means less than 10% were actually committed to this.

Free United States, I actually checked twice per day, and had a post written up for my bomber crew while they languished in their bunks, but I was waiting to post it until after the exam, to avoid gunking up the test results. I'm still committed to any RP you'd like to do. For the record, I think it was an excellent idea and well-executed. :D

Free United States, I actually checked twice per day, and had a post written up for my bomber crew while they languished in their bunks, but I was waiting to post it until after the exam, to avoid gunking up the test results. I'm still committed to any RP you'd like to do. For the record, I think it was an excellent idea and well-executed. :D

and i would have loved that idea, but it seems the others (not including cal and ustio et al.) weren't as committed. maybe you can help me (along w/ the others) in making one that will last more than a week.

PS: i was also hoping of having some 'off-duty' scenes where my guys talk to your guys, but i kept forgetting.

I more meant that I felt your idea was well-executed. Perhaps in the future we'll be able to work together, but until then good luck. ^^

I'd like to apoligize myself. I found it hard to keep up with a lesson each day, I'd recommend one or two per week in the future and now I'm having computer problems. Good luck in your future attempts.

thanks cal. you're one cool cat. would u mind if i still had most of my instructors, though?

I wouldn't mind at all, this could be called Top Gun Redux or something..