I am ascending while rolling. I am not steering the rudder. I let the torque roll the aircraft. By doing this, I have no blind spot. I can locate their positions.
Unfortunately, there are two aircrafts.
They start shooting.
They are lunging at me.
I turn the nose of my aircraft to the closer of the enemy aircrafts to decrease the projected area.
However, it is already too close for me to shoot.
One enemy aircraft and I pass by each other.
Then, another one gets closer to me after that.
They look like they are good friends to each other.
As it has turned out, I am receiving no substantial attack.
While keeping my aircraft level, I start the spinning maneuver.
One of the enemy crafts descends a little too much, and tries to make a turn. Such a mistake involving the braking maneuver like that might turn out to be fatal. The other one ascends swiftly and is already getting ready for the second wave. This pilot seems to be more skilled. I am confirming that both of the enemy aircrafts are twin-engine Rainbows. They are superior to Sankas in respect of the velocities at low altitudes. Our advantage lies in the turning performances. However, the relationship between the velocities and turning performances is like that between banana flesh and banana peel. I mean, once a banana fruit is peeled, the only thing that matters is the interior.
Now, here it comes.
The other plane is taking too much time beneath me. Its life would be saved, if it ran away now.
Rolling to the left.
The wind sounds like a flute uncharacteristically. A beautiful sound.
It starts shooting at me.
I close the throttle and pull the elevator input with full strength. I grit my teeth to withstand the g force. After counting to three, I race the engine. The aircraft stalls once while pitching upward, it revolves like an acrobatic backward flip. Only a few pilots can pull this off. Also, only few aircrafts can withstand this acrobatic maneuver.
My combatively aggressive right hand unlocks the machine guns.
“May I shoot?” It asks me.
I plant my right foot firmly and steer the rudder. My aircraft is falling while sliding diagonally. Then, as I have calculated, the enemy craft from above passes by me. The opponent is lowering the flaps. Even though the pilot seems to be thinking that it is putting on the brake, I just send him an advisory message telepathically, “You are going a bit too fast.” I look at the left side, which is the direction that is opposite from the enemy plane that I am currently dealing with, and I notice that the other enemy plane is below me. I hold my breath.
“You may shoot. Go ahead.”
My right hand shoots the machine gun.
Control the ailerons to roll to the left. Flaps are deflected down. Elevators are steered to go up (deflected downward).
I break away to the left.
In the meantime, I ascend rapidly, to gain the altitude.
It has got to be the bull’s eye, but the target is still flying. There seems to be no damage inflicted. I just hope that the pilot is now scared a little bit. It is soon getting out of my sight.
The other slower enemy plane is ascending while turning. Is the pilot scared? I surely do not want to think so, though.
I am also ascending more.
Shall I escape into the cloud? No, it is a bit hard. I won’t be able to reach the cloud. Besides, I do not need such a safety net. I have decided to pretend to escape and turn over.
I check the instrument panel. The engine is working well.
I look back and confirm the enemy gradually closing in on my tail. I intentionally control the amplitude of my oscillation in order to have him follow me. I do not see the other enemy. That is the main concern for me. It has not ascended, maybe because it is suffering from some kind of damage.
In four seconds, the closer enemy will shoot me.
One, two, three.
I roll over to the right and then am inverted.
At the same time, I press the rudder pedal all the way down.
Snap roll.
In a moment, the enemy appears in front of me.
My right hand shoots the gun for the brief moment.
My left hand turns down the throttle.
I use both of my feet to fully reverse the rudder direction.
I follow through with the torque, and the aircraft stalls.
Finally, the other enemy has arrived.
Yes. That’s the way you do it. You are today’s main attraction, after all.
I roll over to the right. I point the nose of my aircraft downward.
I look back.
Where is the slower enemy?
I am still descending while rolling.
In the meantime, I am viewing several directions. Although I am looking into the distance, I cannot find Tokino’s aircraft. I know how far the dam is from me. I see one aircraft below me. What is it doing?
The aircraft creaks.
The black smoke passes by me only for a brief moment.
Whose smoke? Not mine.
I lower the left wing, and I enter the normal turning.
At last, I can breathe.
I am confirming both of the two enemy planes. Which one of them is issuing the smoke?
Throttle up.
Pull the control stick.
“Well, then ...”
I inhale the air deeply.
Then, I stop.
Roll over to the left.
I position myself in front of the ascending enemy. I then roll over to the right.
He starts shooting at me.
Down.
Roll.
I draw a narrow loop by deploying full flaps.
The movement of the enemy plane clearly lacks the sharpness. I suspect that parts of it have received damages. It happened when I first shot him.
This battle has already been decided.
I see the bottom of the aircraft from below.
Fire.
I escape from the vicinity with the right turn.
I confirm that the enemy is spitting fire.
I look for the other, slower enemy.
I look upward, just in case. Then, I roll over to assume the inverted flight and search below toward the ground.
While railing black smoke, the slower one is skimming over the surface of the lake. The shooting that I executed earlier seems to have hit this one also. In short, I have already won the respective battles in the initial phases. Just in case, I look around. There is no other enemy.
I pull the control stick to deflect the elevators, and then dive.
In the middle of the maneuver, I see the aircraft spitting fire crashing into the lake. It seems that the pilot has failed to escape from the cockpit.
How pitiful. I can come up with the expression. But probably, I am not really thinking that way. It is not my real intention, as if it were the message written with chocolate sauce drizzled on cake.
Whether it is piloted by a human or not, whatever is being downed is an aircraft. I cannot afford to invest my time on worrying about the aircraft’s visceral organs.
I approach from behind the other aircraft that is spewing the black smoke. Since its velocity is decreasing, it is the prime target. I catch up with it in a moment.
Just when my right hand is ready to shoot, the enemy plane lowers the right wing and the tip touches the surface of the lake. After the splashes, the aircraft spins around like a boomerang.
I circle around the nearby vicinity and confirm the crash. In the end, it stops with the nose of the fuselage tilted downward and dipped in water. I wonder for how long it will stay afloat. The pilot in the cockpit does not seem to be moving. Half of its canopy has already sunken. Maybe, he is waiting for me to leave.
I am leaving the area, and head for the dam. I pitch the nose of the aircraft upward, and gradually gain the altitude.
“They do not know who I am.” I utter to myself. Probably, my right hand is speaking.
Sweat is running down my forehead.
I take off the goggles once and rub my eyes with my left hand.
I check the fuel, the oil pressure, and the oil temperature. Then, I slightly shake various controllers (such as sticks and levers), just in case. There is no malfunctioning recognized on the aircraft. The engine roaring behind me is in good condition, as usual. The improvement over the engine breathing is splendid. I have to tell the mechanic crew about that, I think so. I am glad that I am blessed with a good aircraft. I am feeling comfortable about everything.
I fly over the factory, our scouting target, to the downstream side of the dam.
Neither Tokino’s aircraft nor enemy is within sight. The visibility is very low, no thanks to the rain.
When Tokino’s aircraft ascended rapidly in this vicinity in the initial phase, was he testing me? Or, was he giving me a chance to check the characteristics of the engine breathing? In the first place, is this modification implemented on Tokino’s aircraft as well?
Anyway, it is good for me that I learned of the timing at that time, because the enemies appeared right after that. It was important for me to be able to move around, while not minding the throttle. It is as if the aircraft had lost 10 kilograms off its body weight.
All I have to do is to go back. No enemy would come from the front.
I have decided to fly above the clouds.
“Hey, are you okay?” I hear Tokino’s voice through the earphones.
“I’m here.” I reply.
“Where?”
“I am leaving the target, and flying southward. I am approaching Point 2 shortly after.”
“Got it. I will be waiting at the higher altitude.”
It seems that Tokino is safe and sound. He is ahead of me.
For a while, I am heading straight south above the clouds. I locate Tokino’s aircraft in a couple of minutes.