When flying into Denver International Airport, there are many things that greet you as a welcome to Denver: the marbled purple and white peaks of the Rocky Mountains rising up from the western horizon, the iconic white fabric canopy that covers the main terminal like a huge tent, the crisp, clean air that can leave you short of breath if you aren’t used to the altitude.
But as you leave the airport and head west toward Denver, you get another welcome to Colorado in the form of a statue of a giant blue mustang. Rearing up on his hind hooves, the 32 foot tall statue is a signature welcome to any visitor to the Mile High City. His glowing red eyes might seem sinister, but he is the standout piece of a great effort to bring public art and Colorado symbolism to Denver International Airport and Denver as a whole.
We call him Blucifer.
But unbeknownst to many, Blucifer is not the only blue horse that can be seen around Denver International Airport. There is another horse, much smaller, measuring only five feet to the top of her head. She is not as fearsome as Blucifer, but she has many qualities that Blucifer does not possess. She is fearless, devoted, and is willing to do anything to her job of keeping the skies around DIA safe for travelers.
Oh, and this little pony can fly faster than almost any commercial airliner.
Her name is Rainbow Dash, and she is DIA’s weather caretaker and in-air air traffic control assistant.
Absolutely astounding work, this is one of those rare fictions where I get totally immersed in the world, and feel as if I'm actually there.
I'd say/think that this
I have to say, excellent work. Definitely a full 10.
8861240
Thank you! I'm a Colorado native so there was a lot of local stuff to draw from for this.
8862089
Fixed. Thanks!
8862502
I could tell, there definitely was a lot of love put into this one.
I liked it, but Aaron’s decision to continue a landing with a gear disagree instead of going around and working the problem was wrong. Like, career-ending wrong. He unnecessarily put everyone in danger because he committed to a landing when he still had plenty of options. If he’d run the checklist, still couldn’t get the gear down, and was then down to emergency fuel, then that’s the point where he’d have to commit to a landing that would put his passengers at risk and cause about six figures worth of damage. As is, though, he’d be lucky not to be fired even with the rescue.
Otherwise very good, looks like you put a lot of thought and research into it. Is Lark Bunting supposed to be any airline in particular? I know Great Lakes just closed up shop a few weeks ago.
8862668
Thanks. Yeah, I had a feeling I was really downplaying how risky Aaron's decision was.
On which airline Lark Bunting is an expy of, got it in one! Heh, it actually took me a while to come up with a good name that wasn't already the name of a real airline.
8879582
I mean, if a wheel is stuck then a wheel is stuck, he'd have to land eventually no matter what. But the plane is still flying fine, there's no reason to rush. He's gotta at least try to get the gear down first and then if that doesn't work brief the cabin for a possible crash, coordinate with ATC, ARFF, dispatch, burn off extra gas to reduce the risk of fire, etc. Even the safest way to touch down with an unlocked gear would've been covered in the quick reference handbook. Of course, you can't let the pendulum swing too far the other way either, if he was already too low on gas for some reason it would've been more reasonable.
The lark bunting is the Colorado state bird, right? It does make a good airline name haha, very poetic. Nice pick on the Dojet too, I don't think any US airlines use them but they're much cooler planes than the more common types of RJs or the Beech 1900s that the real Great Lakes used.