Continued from Part 1 http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sho...gn-s-Challenge
33. With daylight becoming a challenge, Pete jumps into item number 4 immelmann…
34. and lumbers through the fast straight, immelmann card, slow straight sequence
35. Referencing the destroyer, Pete plans the Split S to set up position for items 6 and 7
36. Rolling into the Split S, the adrenaline of the maneuver kills his growing fatigue
37. He feels the heaviness of transitioning through the last component of the Split S
38. Item 5 Split S is complete (Stall, Immelmann, Fast Straight). Pete pulls another stall...
39. which positions him for both the Overdive and bombing run to follow. He dives hard
40. Pete feels weightless during completion of the Overdive (Stall, Dive, Fast Straight)
41. Item 6 complete, Pete uses a 4 card hard bank to prime his bombing run, but...
42. believes he released the sand bag too late (3 counters used instead of 2 for 5K to 7K)
43. He does his best to watch for impact, but due to fading sunlight banks to set up again
44. Pete is unable to see the impact of the sand. Frustrated, he concentrates on the next
45. Pete’s radio chirps, “Jenk, you better start wrappin’ it up, suns hittin’ the water”
46. Fatigue, presumed failure, and sunset start causing mistakes. He releases the 2nd bag
47. Pete sees the bag’s missed plume of water and again wants to set up another run…
48. only to realize that was his last sand bag. He found he was well into sloppy flying
49. That was 3 attempts, with the 2nd being aborted due to holding a bank for too long
50. That was it… Pete sinks at the thought he will be landing as an Ensign.
51. He bled the last bit of altitude as he corrected himself, “Snap up Ensign”
52. He continued in thought, ”You are a Naval aviator, get back on deck like one”
53. Attention to checklist, “Tailhook. Landing Gear. Flaps. Brakes. Initiating Approach.”
54. “Concentrate on the deck not the darkness,” Pete also knew his approach was high…
55. and that he was committed without enough deck to get back airborne because of it
56. If Pete was going to abort the landing he would have to throttle up and out now
57. Relief… The LSO orders him down by signaling “Roger”… and follows with…
58. a proactive full throttle (in case of miss). Pete responds with full throttle then…
59. Bump Bump… Tap to slow… Pete remembers how good deck feels on landing.
60. The aircraft stops while roaring to be let go. Pete quickly looks to the Deck Officer
61. The Deck Officer gives engine shut down, and Pete gladly complies (with a stall card)
Pete had completely forgotten the fact that he had just failed the Ensign’s Challenge; and instead, concentrated on releasing his muscles to a relaxed state.
“That was a night landing,” he scolded to himself, “are you crazy?”
Almost delirious from adrenaline, Pete looked out of his opened cockpit at the ship's lights glaring into his eyes. He couldn’t remember seeing a more beautiful sight.
He grabbed his equipment from the cockpit as he exited his aircraft, and without looking back, walked through the crew door and down to the mess hall.
Although it was after service hours, the officer’s mess remained unlocked for the benefit of returning pilots.
Pete drank an orange juice while he settled his nerves.
"How strange," Pete thought, “One moment you are on fire with fright, and the next you are sipping orange juice in a half darkened abandoned mess hall.” Pete didn’t make it 15 minutes before the exhaustion hit him.
He staggered to his quarters while still hearing the roar of his aircraft’s engine in his head.
Pete made note that he could not even begin to imagine what combat would be like.
What he did know, given the exercise knocking him down a peg, was that maybe now he would be a little more willing to listen to those seasoned pilots that, until now, he was sure he knew more than.
All Pete remembers from that point was being careful not to wake his bunk mate. Less out of courtesy, and more that he did not want to share his failure with anyone yet.
The next day:
Pete was in uniform, complete with that morning’s breakfast of pancakes and a new attitude.
He knew some day soon he would be taking the Ensign’s Challenge again, but beyond that… He was going to be one of the best naval pilots on inventory, and that was going to start by being one of the best Ensigns aboard this ship.
His appointment with his squadron commander wasn’t for another 10 minutes, so Pete simply stood outside of the Commander’s quarters patiently.
Surprisingly, his Commander John Dayton was ahead of schedule as well.
Dayton was peering through his half opened door with a poorly disguised smile.
“That bad,” Pete thought to himself.
Dayton continued to welcome Pete in, asking that they forgo the standard military decorum for just this one time. “It was too early for that,” he quipped with a smile.
He gestured to the 2nd chair situated next to Commander Dayton’s citation adorned desk.
“Pete,” Dayton continued, “if I may cut straight to the chase because I was hoping to grab some breakfast before the mess closes for morning chow, how do you think you did yesterday?”
Pete responded, “Well, I…”
Dayton interrupted Pete and quipped, “Pancakes Pete, mess is offering pancakes this morning.” Dayton then paused and looked at Pete in dramatic silence.
Pete understood Dayton was attempting to loosen things up by soliciting Pete to gesture for the debriefing to continue. Pete awkwardly gestured for Dayton to continue, and they both smiled.
Pete, here is how you scored:
1. Complete a takeoff from the carrier’s catapult system:
Exemplary
Dayton added, “The only observation was the 6 point turn you made shortly after takeoff.”
Pete remembered banking the wrong way shortly after take off, and due to virtual stall speed, had to pull out of the bank slowly to preserve the slip stream.
Dayton continued, “I marked that one down as adding a little pizzazz to your performance.”
2. Complete a proper climb to the aircraft’s service ceiling
Exemplary
3. Complete a proper Dive
Exemplary
4. Complete a proper Immelmann
Exemplary
5. Complete a proper Split S
Exemplary
6. Complete a proper Overdive
Exemplary
7. Complete level bombing between 5K and 7K meters using dummy sand bag ordnance (it is required that the designated target be hit once)
Exemplary
Pete interrupted unintentionally, “Sir, I never hit the target!”
Dayton clarified the statement, “You never hit the target after the first attempt. In fact, the manner in which you continued circling back and attacking the Roberts showed real initiative Pete. You may have thought you were too high for the attack (use of 3 climb counters on the bomb card instead of the 2 required for altitudes 5 through 7) but physics doesn’t lie, Pete. The Roberts reported the 250 pound pile of sand as littering their deck shortly after you had landed (3 counters would have brought the bomb card past the front of the ship, whereas your actual altitude [level 5] caused the point of impact to be the front of the ship).
Dayton continued:
8. Complete successful fuel management (do not run out of fuel during the exercise)
Exemplary
Dayton inserted, “You still had 92 lb of fuel remaining after landing”.
9. Safely land back aboard the carrier without damage to the aircraft
Exemplary
Dayton added, “Night landing Pete? I have colleagues that have never had to complete a night landing. We thought you were just showing off at that point.”
10 Complete a successful engine shutdown
Exemplary
Dayton concluded the conversation, “Pete, I saw you stagger away from the aircraft. No celebrating. No shouting. No boasting. I believe you demonstrated the true nature of the exercise… To wear you out early with the climb, bobbing and waving, and then to have you demonstrate what really matters; the attack (in your case, the continued attack). All of that sealed with a landing approach while utterly exhausted. Hell, you even remembered to bring the flaps up before shutting down. What questions do you have Pete?”
Pete began to ask, ”Well, I…”
Dayton interrupted, “Pancakes, Pete.”
Although it took Pete a moment, he studied Dayton’s expression, then concluded on queue, “I don’t have any questions sir.”
Dayton concluded, “Dismissed Lieutenant.”
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