Sky-cracking Rider

Boom! ~

It wasn't coming from the flight simulator's sound system, but the genuine roar of jet engines that entered their ears.

One didn't need to guess to know that it must be Instructor Ramaya providing one-on-one instruction to that "Rookie".

The tuition is really worth it (—.—)!

Show-offs should all be sacrificed to the heavens!

Karan Phillips, who was in the middle of flight simulator training, suddenly found it dull and let go of the joystick, letting the simulated aircraft auto-level, turning pilots of non-combat aircrafts increasingly into mere tools.

He grumbled in frustration, "This really is too unfair!"

There were two light taps on the shell of the flight simulator, followed by a voice filled with surprise.

"Huh? 'Piranha', you think so too?"

Ashka Copernicus, who was about to log into the adjacent flight simulator, just happened to hear Karan Phillips's complaint and immediately came over, saying the line above.

Students in the advanced training class addressed each other by their call signs, which might stay with them for life. Choosing the wrong call sign could lead to a lifetime of regret.

Call sign "Piranha", Karan Phillips speculated, "I bet 'Rookie' is some big shot's son, to receive such special treatment from Instructor Ramaya. If that's the case, why squeeze in with us? Just go for one-on-one the whole time."

"If you can't stand it, challenge 'Rookie' to a duel. Prove you're stronger and more deserving of Instructor Ramaya's attention, right?"

Tempun Schneider, who had chosen the call sign "Panda Claw", suddenly joined the conversation.

He was a self-funded student planning to find a job with a military contractor and had made his way into this industry through connections. He was also able to secure professional training at Old David's place, a contact not available to the average person.

After all, even if people knew the location, they couldn't just walk in.

No trespassing on private land; trespassers got shot, and no judge would side with the intruders. Read new adventures at empire

Hearing the complaints of his training classmates and sympathizing with them, Ashka Copernicus said disdainfully, "Fight? Too violent, not gentlemanly at all."

It wasn't as if he hadn't seen Chen Fei punch the Lockheed heir out cold with one hit.

If it were Ashka himself, probably half the force would have been enough to knock him out for half a month.

In the Western world, the strong prey on the weak, and that's what's considered gentlemanly behaviour.

"Hehe, you might have misunderstood me. What I'm saying is, you guys can use the flight simulator to challenge the other party to a simulated duel to prove your strength."

Tempun Schneider had some trouble understanding the thought processes of his classmates, who intended to be private pilots.

Jealousy breeding hatred; was this a case of paranoid delusions of always being persecuted?

"Uh…"

Karan Phillips began to ponder.

"What are you hesitating for? I think 'Panda Claw's' suggestion is a good one. I remember 'Rookie' has less than a hundred hours of flight time. Even if he is incredible, how much can that really amount to?"

Feeling confident that he wouldn't get a punch to the stomach, Ashka Copernicus became braver.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

In the end, the flight simulator is just a high-fidelity, super advanced toy. Getting into it feels no different from a virtual game. You don't get hurt or die in a bout within the game, which offers great value for money.

Therefore, it must be done!

The more Karan thought about it, the more it made sense. Clenching his teeth, he logged out of the flight simulator system, opened the canopy, and gave 'Pumpkin' a firm nod outside, saying, "Okay! I'll challenge him later!"

What kind of people are these? Tempun Schneider looked down on these two bullies who were cowards at heart.

"'Panda Claw', you coming?"

Ashka Copernicus stirred up Tempun Schneider again.

The latter, who was preparing to become a military contractor's combat pilot, should be capable in aerial combat. With his addition, perhaps they could beat up that kid an extra round.

-

Twenty-eight thousand feet altitude.

Sitting in the back seat of the T-7C "Red Hawk" advanced trainer jet, Instructor Ramaya said furiously, "Rookie, you're going too hard; I can't see your operations?"

In the middle of a variant roll climb, even as an ace, he was somewhat overwhelmed. Maybe because he retired and his bodily functions had declined, he suffered nearly half a minute of blackout, with a dark cloud hovering before his eyes, preventing him from clearly seeing the changes on the dashboard, and by extension, deducing Chen Fei's handling methods.

Now, it seemed he would have to review the flight data on the ground afterwards, forgoing the meaning of real-time guidance.

Chen Fei casually turned his head and said, "Instructor Ramaya, I think it's okay; the 'Red Hawk' still has plenty of margins."

"Idiot! The plane is tougher than the pilot. If there's an accident, it's the person who will suffer first. Don't you know your own G-Lock threshold?"

The maneuver of the trainer jet hadn't completely finished, and Instructor Ramaya was still pinned to his seat, unable to move, only his mouth was hard.

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"Eh? No, I haven't looked into that."

Before this, Chen Fei had always been flying a turboprop aircraft.

Big Mouth Monster's G-force limits were never mentioned by Chekhov Big Bear, nor did Deputy Squadron Leader Irinei Rusios seem to have emphasized it in her briefings; the G-Lock threshold is pretty much indistinguishable from not having one at all.

"OMG, you're a real rookie; you need to get a physical examination from a professional organization later on—just remember, don't go to the American Federation's institutions."

Instructor Ramaya really wanted to facepalm, but couldn't even lift his hands; suddenly, there was a release, thank God, the maneuver was over.

"Why is that?"

Chen Fei asked, puzzled.

With a casual push on the stick to level out, Chen maintained the T-7C "Red Hawk" advanced trainer aircraft at an altitude of thirty-two thousand feet. The weather was clear, and the sun's glare was intense, shining on the surface of the aircraft, which seemed to be wrapped in a halo, glistening in the high skies.

"Your physiological data qualifies as sovereign national defense secrets, damn it; looks like I'll have to modify the flight record later."

Instructor Ramaya finally managed the facepalm, but it overwhelmed him with a headache.

The conversation between the two would be saved in the black box, with at least hundreds of backup chips that had to be operated in sync in order to modify their just-concluded conversation. If the FBI got interested, it would always be a hassle.

Even with Old David's impressive connections, he couldn't refuse an FBI investigation order; otherwise, it would involve opposing federal security.

"Oh, I see; thanks, Instructor."

Chen Fei, being the epitome of an ordinary citizen, hadn't thought about all this.

"Figure out your own G-Lock threshold; based on your tolerance, design a proper G-Command, and match it with the aircraft—that's your tactical maneuver template. As long as you don't exceed those limits, you can ensure your flight safety."

The information Instructor Ramaya revealed touched upon Federal Air Force teaching materials. The entire training class was primarily about commercial flying, but one-on-one teaching could still leak some secrets.

Most aircraft are designed with various restrictions for the average person to pilot.

If an ordinary person were to pilot a Sky Knight's exclusive crystal jet, a single Extreme Rolling Air Combat Maneuver could turn the cockpit into a gruesome mess of flesh.

Of course, there are corresponding overload protection measures, but even if one doesn't die on the spot, serious injury is almost inevitable.

"Understood!"

Chen Fei nodded. No wonder neither Chekhov Big Bear nor Deputy Squadron Leader Rusios had uttered a word about letting him test-fly the MiG-28; instead, Boss Hana had directly arranged for him to train at Old David's private airfield—an official course on jet flight.

If he rushed into flying the MiG-28, the chances of danger were likely not low.

From this, it was clear that jet and turboprop flying were indeed very different.

Actually, just considering speed, once a jet gets going, it could easily be three to five times faster than a turboprop. Can there be a three to five times difference in anything? Definitely, they are different.

Instructor Ramaya took out a tactical clipboard, checked off a few items, and said, "According to the original plan, don't rush through the 14th and 15th maneuvers. You can take a minute to complete them; keep the amplitude small and leave some margin."

"Roger that!"

No sooner did Chen Fei reply than he pushed the control stick forward, and the cockpit felt like it had instantly become weightless.

The strong sensation of weightlessness hit, and Instructor Ramaya knew that he had just gone through gray-out and was about to experience a red-out.

"Take it easy, take it easy; dial back the power a bit, don't max out the engine. The 'Red Hawk' is a single-engine jet, not a crystal jet; it has limited power that can't be wasted. If you stall, it won't be as easy to recover as with a turboprop."

Before he could finish, his vision turned red.

Damn it!

Recovering from a stall in a turboprop is dead simple—just release the control stick. Tool-person pilots are the most superfluous presence in the cockpit, their greatest purpose being a human-shaped answering machine.

"Good job! Training over, return to base!"

Exhausted from the physical exertion, Instructor Ramaya breathed heavily. In fact, he hadn't seen anything, relying purely on experience accumulated in the Federal Air Force to judge Chen Fei's flying posture.

This student was indeed a good seedling, but too taxing on the instructor. A string of tactical maneuvers felt like an eternity.

He'd have to lie in a Schumann Wave Therapy Pod later; as one gets older, high-intensity, high-stress work becomes more challenging.

After the 14th and 15th tactical maneuvers on the syllabus were completed, it took a full five minutes for Instructor Ramaya to shake off the awful dizzy feeling.

"Is it over already? I was hoping to go a couple more rounds."

Chen looked on at the fuel gauge, which had 40% left.

"No, no, no, moderation is key; that'll be all for today."

Instructor Ramaya, with his eyes shut, shook his head. If he were ten years younger, he might still push himself for a gentleman. But now, it was better to take it easy.

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