In Flight, Part 1
Apr28
on April 28, 2011
at 12:00 am
Chapter: Day 23, Month of Darkness, 6563
Characters: Aileana Noels, Ishara
For those who are interested, Aileana is flying this universe’s version of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Aileana’s plane was a decommissioned military model that she purchased and restored off the civilian market. Her model comes equipped with Sargent Fletcher drop tanks, and is the A4-F variant. Due to it being in civilian hands, her A4 isn’t carrying any weaponry, though it is still capable of being armed with relative ease.
I always loved the A4. ‘Heinemann’s Hot-Rod’ is a hell of a good plane 🙂
If that Universe’s Aviation Administration is anything like our Federal Aviation Administration then her “Drop Tanks” would have to be fixed to the aircraft so that they can’t be dropped, making them “External Tanks”. As to “Heinemann’s Hotrod” being a hell of a plane, look at how long it was the mount of the Blue Angels and notice how it is STILL used as an Aggressor fro Red Flag and Top-Gun.
Of course, given that those drop tanks are rigged for emergency jettisoning, and given that another word for “big tank full of highly volatile fuel dropped from a great height” would be “incendiary bomb”, ‘unarmed’ becomes such a relative term…
The A-4 is still in use – and some are for sale. One of the great designs of all time.