BRIAN
I am sitting in a hangar staring at the magnificent jet that is displayed in front of me. I have to concentrate on what the instructor is telling me but I just can not keep my eyes off that plane. I do not know exactly what it is about a plane but for some reason, I just can not keep away from it.
"Captain Smith...Why don't you go ahead and tell everyone here what do you think are the five most common mistakes?"
I did not listen to one word that he said but luckily I know everything by heart. I might have fooled around when I was training to be a pilot but I have learned the hard way that I should know every last rule by heart. So, I stand up and say.
"Yes sir. I would say the biggest mistake of them all, and I will start with this one, never take your eyes off the target..."
I see the instructor almost looking shocked by my answers as if he was hoping to catch me off guard somehow and did not succeed. I know that most of the authorities on this base think that I do not know what the rules are but that is where they are wrong.
I watch as every soldier's eyes are on me and they are listening intently. Then when I come to the last mistake, I say.
"...But most of all, never piss off your instructor..."
Everyone laughs and then I take my seat. I watch as the instructor just rolls his eyes at me and then returns to his whiteboard. I listen carefully as he tells us exactly what our mission is today. I like this mission. I remember how this was one of my favorites.
Then we make our way to the jets and to my surprise I see they gave me my old jet back. I am so happy to know that I will be in a one-man jet as I love to do things my way. I put on my helmet and secure it tightly around my neck and then I get into my plane.
The moment that my body binds with the jet, I know that I am home. I can not stop the smile forming on my face. I know that today is going to be great. I make sure that the receiver is over my mouth and I am securely fastened. I have memorized my call sign as I know this is the first thing I need to know by heart. Then I open communications to the tower and say.
"Tower this is Bravo Romeo 05. Do you read me? Over"
LISA
I make sure that I am on the right frequency and that my headset is placed securely. I know that I will be keeping my headset on for quite a while and I remember how I always put it on a certain way so that it does not bother me. I open the file to see the mission that my pilot has for the day and I make sure that I know what is going on.
It is not long after I have turned into the right frequency when I hear my pilot talk to me. I would lie if I say that his voice is not soothing but I do not let this distract me because I am here to do one job and one job only. I need to see if this Captain Brian Smith is a danger to be enlisted in the Navy. I then quickly respond to his call.
"Bravo Romeo 05 this is Tower. We read you loud and clear. Over"
"I am ready for takeoff. Please advise if I am clear to do so. Over"
I check the monitors around me and the radars to make sure that there is no air traffic around him. I know exactly in which order the jets must take off and usually it is the higher ranks first. I can see that he is the leader of this squadron and therefore should leave first.
"You are clear for takeoff, BR05"
BRIAN
When I hear the woman's voice on the inside of my headphones, I remember the air controller that was assigned to me the last time I have flown. I also remember how much fun I had with him and if I recall correctly, we were not really friends.
I just smile and shake my head as I start to line up my jet to take off. I am going to have so much fun and I can not wait to be in the air again. I have reached the end of the runway and then I say.
"Bravo Romeo 05, entering runway for take off. Over"
"Roger, Bravo Romeo 05. You are clear for takeoff. Over"
As I stop just before I take off and I hear this woman talking in my ear, I realize that her voice somehow calms me. It is nice to have a woman's voice in my ear and not a man's. Then I start to charge the engines and it does not take me long when I am pushed back into my seat with the potent force that the engine exalts.
I almost want to laugh out of pure excitement because I can feel the jet leaving the ground and how he snatches me into liberation. I just have to whisper to myself.
"Fuck..."
Just to release some of the excitement that is flooding in my gut. Then, I am in the air in a second and I have to spin my jet a few times just to remember how good it feels.
LISA
As an air traffic controller, I have learned to listen to every sound that my headset receives. I know that Captain Smith will not be talking to me until he is in the air but then I hear a faint mumbling and I am almost certain it was a swear word. I do not know what to make of it but I have to ask.
"Bravo Romeo 05, this is Tower. Please confirm if everything is in order"
"Tower, this is Bravo Romeo 05. All are still in order. Over"
I do not know if I am out of practice and just heard things that weren't there but I have to rule out every possibility. But then the psychologist in me starts to kick in as I start to wonder, why would he swear?
BRIAN
Suddenly I am yanked back into reality when I hear that woman's voice in my ears again. She asks me if everything is in order and I do not understand why she would ask me a thing like that. I wish I can tell her how perfect everything is and how happy I am.
But I shrug the impression off and quickly get onto the mission. I speak into my radio again and then I say.
"This is Bravo Romeo 05. All squadron please acknowledge"
I know that they will be interpreting our radio communication and see if we are sticking to the rules or not. I know that once I am in the air I have to know that everyone else is in the air too. But first I have to learn if everyone can hear me and if I can hear them.
It is not easy because I have to know how many people are in my squadron and if everyone reacted to my radio call. I listen carefully to everyone that acknowledges and as soon as I know that I have the right amount of people reacting, I say.
"Please confirm that you are airborne. Over"
Everyone then confirms that they are airborne. I know that I am working with a bunch of rookies and that I should show them my leadership skills. Then I quickly announce our first move.
LISA
I listen to the communication that he has with his squadron and so far everything that he is doing is exactly the way he should. I start to wonder if my dad put me in the right place to find out whether he is mentally unstable or not. I am sure that if his skills are above average, he would not show his unstableness in the jet.
BRIAN
I know that our first mission will come through anytime now but first I have to act as if I do not know about it. I do not understand how they want me to go through training that I know by heart. But I guess if that makes them happy then I should probably do it. All I am happy about is the fact that I can fly this plane again.
Then I announce over the radio that we should split up into three teams and make sure to patrol the area. We are three jets in one team. I lead my two wingmen to follow me to our patrol area.
LISA
To be an air controller means that you do not always know what is going to happen. I know that Captain Brian Smith is an experienced pilot, hence his rank but I have realized that he is in training. I guess it is protocol when you take someone out of the field and put them back in again.
Suddenly, I am going back into my psychologist mode again as I start to wonder what kind of psychological effect this must have on him. He was once in authority and now he must be a rookie again. Then my superior walks up to me and says.
"The pilots will go through a series of tests for the following days. Each pilot's test will be different every day. I will give you the script for each scenario and you should please see to it that he does everything according to the protocol. They will be tested on their ability to follow orders"
I remember the first time that I started as an air traffic controller and how I was almost devastated by the narrow hoops the pilots had to jump through. I remember how two of the pilots did not make it. It was especially awful for me because I was one of the controllers of the pilot who got dismissed. He hands me the script and then I start to read through it.
It should be pretty easy for Captain Smith and the skills that he possesses. Then I call him over the radio.
"Bravo Romeo 05 this is Tower come in. Over"
"This is Bravo Romeo 05. Go ahead Tower"
"We have located an unfriendly in sector 19. Please escort them back home"
"Roger that, Tower. We are on our way. Over"
I do not know what it is about his voice but he seems to keep my attention in ways that he should not.
BRIAN
Just as I suspected my mission arrived. We make our way to section 19 and there we spot the airplane. It is clear by the markings of the plane that this is not one of ours. Now, I know that there is a right way and a wrong way to get them out of our country. I also know that I should do it the right way so then I can be an example for the rest of the trainees.
But nobody said that I could do it the right way with just a little bit of bending of the rules. We make sure to surround the jet and all I have to do is make contact with the pilot. I gesture with my hand that he needs to turn around but then he does not even acknowledge.
"Tower, this is Bravo Romeo 05. We have made contact with the unlawful bogey and he refuses to cooperate. We suggest a forceful approach"
LISA
I look down at the script and listen to what he has to say but it is clear that there is only one way he is supposed to react. I get back on the radio and say.
"Bravo Romeo 05, please proceed to establish contact and not the forceful approach"
"Roger, Tower. Over"
I am not sure if I have heard the sarcasm behind his answer correctly and if I was just imagining things but I am almost sure that he is not going to do what I say.
BRIAN
I hear every word that this woman tells me to do but there is just something within me that does not want to do that. I look over to the pilot and I see him looking back at me. It is almost as if he is trying to mock me in some way. Then I swear I see a smile. That was enough for me to decide to do it the forceful way.
I then make sure to maneuver my plane to get right in front of his plane. Then, when I am sure that I am in front and far enough to put on my brakes just to scare him, I do it. Just as I put on my brakes, I see that he is immediately disorientated and as he falls back, it takes him a while to get control over his plane again. But then he turns around and goes back home.
I hear every man on the squadron cheering me on and I can not stop smiling. I then get back on the radio and say.
"Tower, this is Bravo Romeo 05, unfriendly has returned home. Over"