I fly above the forest for a while. Then, I see a large river. I lower the altitude, and then direct the vector toward the upstream part of the river along the riverfront. Both sides of the river are adjacent to flat plain lands. In the distance, I see farmlands or meadows. White houses are sparsely located here and there. However, visibility is hazy due to light rain. I cannot see anything in the distance.
There should be a dam, then a lake. Our scouting target is located near the vicinity. Almost one hour has passed after we took off from the base.
Eighty percent of my attention is concentrated on the upper sky above us. Paying attention to the lower sky below us is Tokino’s duty.
The canopy is getting wet. I look to the side, and find a vapor trail forming around the edge of the wing and streaming backward.
I lower the altitude even more. Probably because of the aftermath of the heavy rain, the river appears to be swollen. The soil-colored surface of the water is getting closer to me. I descend to the elevation that is a little higher than both of the riverbanks. It is a dangerous altitude if a bridge is within the vicinity. The throttle is hardly closed. If I do not hold it down, the aircraft tends to float due to the ground effect. I think that the number of raindrops hitting the canopy has increased. I swallow the saliva, and then the volume of sound surrounding me increases suddenly.
Tokino’s aircraft is flying in front of me on the right. Its cockpit is hidden behind the misty canopy, and the figure of the pilot is invisible.
The mountain is approaching. The width of the river is gradually narrowing.
The engine sound is stable. It sounds lyrical. It is the proof that we have a skilled mechanic. I know what is really precious. There is nothing more valuable than a skilled mechanic. You have nothing to lose by making him your lover.
The engine sound of my aircraft is overlapping with the sound from Tokino’s aircraft. Smooth sound. The sound is as comfortable to my ears as the touch of a smooth blanket.
I look back toward the higher altitude, the sky to the upper rear, several times. Fortunately, the sky is not too blindingly bright. The ground below us appears to be getting elevated. It is like the growth of the black forest is raising the ground level. It is as if I were traveling backward in the history toward the ancient times. There is no house or no road around the vicinity.
The river gently curves to the right.
Tokino leans the main wing sideways. I also lower the right wing. Every time I engage in a maneuver like this, I feel as if I were playing with a bobsled. In fact, I have never even skied. I have flown above the snow, but I have never touched it with my hands. My comrades say, in chorus, “If I were to crash, I would much rather do so on the snow.” I am not sure why they would say so, because I do not know what snow is.
Over the edge of the lowered wing, I see the mud-colored surface of the water. The sand of a sandbank is whiter than the river.
As planned, the dam appears in front of us.
Since I have expected it to be white, I am surprised by the fact that it is far more blackish than anticipated. Several streaks of black stripes are lined up on the surface vertically. I put the boost on the throttle a bit. I slightly put the control stick to the left to make the wings horizontally level.
I wait for Tokino’s ascent.
It is still a horizontal flight. Moreover, its speed is not increasing.
There is only about 300 meters of distance between him and the dam.
It is about time that he would raise the pitch of the aircraft.
However, Tokino has yet to start ascending. The dam is closing on and getting closer. I study the landscapes on both sides of the dam. It is too narrow for us to turn to the left or to the right.
Still, he is flying straight.
Is he sleeping? I think so in a moment.
He was looking like he was suffering from a hangover this morning ...
Oh, no.
This is the limit.
When I try to pull the control stick, Tokino lowers the right wing a little. He is revving up the engine. The reaction torque is causing the aircraft to tilt.
I too push up the throttle lever at once.
Tokino raises the nose of his aircraft. The aircraft is still leaning to the right. Is he taking the reaction torque into account? He is intending to ascend diagonally.
Needless to say, I remember the issue pertaining to the engine breathing.
I am adding my strength to my left hand on the throttle lever, but I have just decided to have faith in it and let go of the throttle lever.
What is ‘it’ that I am having faith in?
What am I believing in? I think so, with a little delay.
The engine starts racing in a few seconds. In the middle, the engine breathes once. The interval is so short that no human can control it for sure. Splendid, I feel.
The engine roars frantically.
The aircraft vibrates.
The vapor trail streams out from the nose.
I feel the acceleration on my back, see the cloudy sky in front of me, and wonder why I wish for nothing in a situation like this.
The angle is so steep that I feel as if I were climbing the concrete dam.
Although the velocity is decreasing, I am still barely ascending. Indeed, this is heavy, for sure. If the engine had a little more power, then the awkward time like this would have been reduced.
I fly over the dam and keep ascending. Of course, I adjust the attitude to a far more gentle angle.
I shake the aircraft, and look at the surface of the lake.
The surface in the distance is green. It seems to lead to the farthest part.
A road is to the right. I find a railway beyond the road.
I see a factory, located even farther.
While viewing the landscape, I ascend higher.
Before the velocity gets insufficient, I dare to control the aileron boldly and perform the inverted flight. With a half-roll, I regain the level flight.
I take a deep breath.
Tokino’s aircraft is still flying inverted at the higher altitude.
Again, I look down at the target.
I cannot find anything that is moving. No trace of humans. No cars.
As of now, we have not been shot from below. Attacks from underneath can indeed get nasty.
The absence of attacks is the proof that there is nothing in the target.
It means that we have come here to make sure so.
I always feel this way. I realize that I end up feeling disappointed for some reason, even though I should feel relieved when I encounter nothing in a scouting task like this. The aggressive side of me seems to live around my right hand that is gripping the control stick. He rails at me, I wanted to blast this baby. I am feeling the urge to take my glove off to see his face.
After making turns and drawing large circles, we are heading for the factory. Tokino is now flying normally. Executing an inverted flight for more than 10 seconds with this particular type of aircraft is dangerous. Its fuel system just cannot catch up on the maneuver. The fact that its mechanism is more fragile than humans is a situation that the one who is aviating the plane should feel comfortable about.
As far as my observation can tell, the factory does not seem to be in operation. I heard that the plant is designed for processing minerals. I find long belt conveyors, but cannot tell whether they actually work.
“Shall we go back?” I hear Tokino’s voice through the radio.
“Okay. Let’s do so.” I reply.
After seeing the cockpit of Tokino’s aircraft beside me, I look to the upper-rear direction toward the higher sky.
At that moment, I find three black dots floating in the gray part of the cloud.
-3-
That is very close. Their velocities are fast enough to catch up on us. We can do nothing but dodge the first attack.
Tokino’s aircraft turns to the right, so I am almost diving to the left. While skimming over the surface of the lake at full-throttle, I am looking for a nearby coordinate to escape to. If I choose to ascend without much thoughts, I will lose the velocity and be shot down.
I look back over and over again.
What are the types of the enemy aircrafts?
They have yet to shoot. Are they attempting to dive from the higher altitude?
The rain is getting a bit more torrential. We are getting lucky.
Although the aircraft is trembling slightly due to the vibration of the engine, I have not found any malfunctioning yet. I check the indicators for oil pressure and fuel, one by one. I get prepared to discard the drop tank.
I look back again. I do not see them nearby.
I take a deep breath slowly.
I turn off the music.
“Okay, let’s do it?” I utter.
I relax my shoulders.
Get my waist slightly up in the air.
I straighten up in the seat.
Slowly.
I move my knees.
In the meantime, I look around.
Ahead of me, a fish is jumping out of the river. No, that is not what is really happening. The enemies are shooting the machine guns. The sound follows with a delay. As expected, they are coming from above.
I dump the drop tank. I pull the control stick, while timing it with the reaction caused by the detachment of the tank.