Here I am, about to take my next big challenge. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. After all the years of hard work, training, setbacks and pain, I’m finally going to get to fly. Not just fly though, I am going to be the first human being to fly the experimental fighter jet that my company designed. Though it was a test flight, it meant that my dream was going to come true.
Ever since I was little, all I ever wanted to do was to fly. There was no other feeling in the world like it. Flight is considered one of the greatest technological achievements in history and the people that could fly were, in my eyes, some of the most skilled people in the world. I remember the first day of school, when the teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. While most of the students responded with the usual fireman, policeman and doctor, I stood up and said:
“I want to be a pilot.”
As I walked to the hangar of the company’s compound, I stopped by a memorial. There was a statue of the pilot before me in full pilot gear saluting. He had been with the company for nearly 20 years, constantly going out as the test pilot and always pushing himself and his machines to the limit. Surrounding the statue were pictures of his various exploits in jets and other aircraft. Underneath it was a plaque.
In loving memory of Sam Peterson. A brave pilot, a good friend and a loving father. Gone, but never forgotten.
A tear rolled down my face as I looked at it. I then snapped to attention and gave a salute back.
“I hope you’re watching this.” I said “Because this one is for you…father.”
My father was my hero. I remember watching him fly all the aircraft he got to test for private companies or commercial airlines, I thought he was the coolest person on the planet. I would often dream of him taking me up in the planes, watching the world speed below me impossibly fast. The night after school started, my father came up to my room and sat beside me. He asked me what happened in class and I told him about what I said, he chuckled and put an arm around me before speaking:
“Well son, you’re going to have to work very hard if you want to be a pilot,” he said. “You’ll need to work really hard in school and pass all the pilot tests that are required. It’s a lot of hard work, but if you think you’re up for it, then I hope one day that you and I get to fly together.”
From that day on, those words had stuck with me, and I concentrated on getting to the level that Dad and I could fly together. I pushed myself in all school tests, focusing on becoming the best I could be. Mathematics and Science were my better subjects while English was the weakest. I wasn’t too bothered when English teachers chewed me out considering how high my other grades were. I never saw the point. When would studying tales of slow moving character relations or reading poetry from other cultures ever affect my chances of becoming a pilot? Never, was the answer.
I continued to walk towards the hangar, waving at a few of the people on the compound. I noticed familiar person walking towards me. It was my step-father, with a visitor’s badge around his neck. What was noticeable was his expression, his face was contorted with rage and he was radiating so much repressed anger that he could have functioned as a central heating system.
“ARE YOU INSANE?” he bellowed.
“No, I’m just doing my job,” I asserted, in no mood to listen to him.
“I’ve heard about this next flight of yours,” he said, trying to gain control of his anger “It’s based on the same jet that killed your father. And you agreeing to do this? Aren’t you the least bit concerned for your well-being?”
I rolled my eyes.
“That’s the whole point of experimentation,” I intoned while struggling to keep control of my emotions. “It’s not a sure thing, but it’s all in the advancement of science and technology, the subjects that I have studied and have excelled at all my life. People get hurt and even get killed in experimentation, but there is nothing malicious about it. You and mum seem to have forgotten that the storm that killed my father was a freak one.”
“True, but you are willingly flying into a storm this time around!!” He roared.
I sighed, and moved past him. “I can’t explain what we are doing in time, so if you’ll excuse me, some of us have work to do.”
“AS YOUR FATHER, I FORBID YOU FROM DOING THIS!!” Brian screamed, which caused me to freeze. I clenched my fists and forced myself to take deep breaths before rounding on him.
“Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you,” I snapped, picking my words carefully “You are NOT my father. You will NEVER be my father. My father is dead, he died doing what he loved to do and even in death he inspires me to fly. All you are to me is mum’s new man and I am very sure you make her happy, but you will never mean ANYTHING to me. My father is my hero, you couldn’t even hope to match up to him in my heart. Heck, Mr. Banderis is more of a father to me than you will ever be, because unlike you and mum, he actually gives a damn about what I want to do with my life.” I turned on my heel. “Now, don’t you have some beans to count?”
I walked away, leaving my step-father shocked where he stood. I had ended my relationship with my parents just before college so why should I care what they thought now?
When I turned 17, I was focused on getting my first pilot licence. It was a hard course, learning about aviation law and navigation, but at the end I was awarded my licence as a ‘Private Pilot’. I rushed home to let my father know the good news, me and him would finally fly together, only for that opportunity to be taken away from me.
My father was an experimental test pilot, he had been tasked with a new aircraft the company had been designing and… an abrupt storm started and a bolt of lightning hit one of the engines, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control and crash.
All the way up to the funeral, I couldn’t believe it. My father, my ultimate inspiration, the man who had made me want to become pilot, was gone. But as the day of the funeral came, as I stood there dressed in my black suit, standing alongside my mother, family, friends and his fellow pilots, the realization that it was all true hit me like a heavy weight.
After the proceedings, I wanted to be left alone. I stood outside on the porch, just thinking about all that had happened. I had brought my licence with me and it made me so angry to look at that I wanted to rip it in two.
“Your father wouldn’t have wanted you to do that,” said a voice. I turned to see the head of the company my father had worked for, Mr. Banderis. A smartly dressed man in his late 30s.
“What’s the point?” I asked. “Everything I worked for is now gone, my dream of flying with dad is now dead. This might as well mean nothing.”
“Really?” remarked Mr. Banderis, raising an eyebrow. “Did all that work you put in mean nothing to you as an individual? All those hours you worked on school exams and pilot training, now all wasted? You and I both know that’s not the case. While you wanted to fly with your father, I can tell by looking at you that you wanted to fly on your own. You wanted to fly faster and further than your father ever could, have your name set in the record books as the pilot that all others aspired to be like. Am I wrong?”
All I could do is stare in disbelief, how did this man know me better than I knew me?
“Well… Yes, that’s true. I do want to be the best, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else in this life. But now it feels like it doesn’t matter.” I nodded at my mother. “I think my mother will withhold all college funding if I study to be a test pilot.”
“I fear that you are right,” he acknowledged. “It would be an absolute shame if a pilot of your potential goes down without getting to fly for real. I requested your pilot exam results be sent to me and I was very impressed with what I saw. With more training under your belt you could become a truly great pilot.”
He handed me his company card.
“Think about it,” he said. “Your father was an amazing pilot and he would want you to follow your dreams. We only get one chance at this life and if you quit now, that’s 17 years of your life you’ll throw down the drain.”
With that, he left to get into his company car, leaving me to only stand there, looking at the business card.
Seven years had gone since that day and I was now a fully qualified experimental test pilot. My life had significantly changed since that day. After having a huge argument with my mother, I moved out of the house to live at a university and afterwards lived at the company’s private quarters. My mother had got herself a new man, an accountant named Brian. He had tried desperately to fix the family and while I would always respect him for his attempts, it came down to two simple facts. My mother still wanted me to quit my dream of being a pilot and I never saw Brian as any sort of father to me, he was a good man and I had no doubt he would make my mother happy, but he would never be my father.
Mr. Banderis had funded my entire college tuition and I was determined to make him proud. I worked hard, harder than I ever had and achieved a First in Aeronautical Engineering. After graduation, Mr. Banderis brought me into the company as the new test pilot. It was there I made some genuine friends, people who shared the same passion for flying and planes that I did. I felt happiness that I hadn’t felt in years when I was with them and it made me feel that this was where I was meant to be. I even found love in a fellow engineer named Alexis. Alexis was one of the sweetest people I had ever met, she was kind, caring and she was damn good at her job. She also was great at getting people to do what she wanted. Her silver tongue won her favor in most arguments and managed to convince people to do jobs for her.
Throughout college I had racked up the hours in flight training by flying everything from one engine bi-planes to multi-engine carrier planes, but this jet I was going to test was something in an entirely different league. The feeling was almost like that first time I flew during my first pilot class. Granted, when that class happened, I was there with a trained instructor and I wasn’t about to fly a jet that cost the company millions of dollars to research, design and make, all of which came down to whether I could successfully fly it... come to think of it, why wasn't I more nervous?
When I finally made into the hangar, the team of engineers that I worked with who I was glad to call my friends were busy prepping the new jet for launch. Along with them was my best friend Jack and my girlfriend Alexis.
“Morning,” greeted Jack “I heard the commotion outside, is everything alright?”
“Yes Jack,” I grumbled. “Just dealing with something from the past. Shall we go over the jet?”
“Was it your parents again?” Alexis asked, concern on her face.“I know it seems like they just want to control your life, but they are your parents whether you like it or not. They do care about you.”
I sighed, this was always Alexis’ way, trying to be the voice of reason was what she did best, but I was in no mood to forgive my parents.
“Alexis, thank you for caring,” I said, hugging her gently. “It’s just that they don’t seem to care that this is my life, and whatever I choose to do with it is my choice.”
Alexis gave me her patented ‘think about this’ look and I sighed in defeat.
“Fine,” I conceded. “I’ll try to talk to them, but only after the test and our date later.”
“Thank you, that’s all I ask,” Alexis hummed, kissing my cheek.
“Anyway,” I said. “Shall we go over the test?”
“Let’s,” he said, bringing over the folder with all of our notes, “The storm predicted today is perfect for the test, heavy rain and potential of lightning. It will provide useful data about how well the jet handles in intense conditions. Your job is to fly the jet around the compound and surrounding area and then land it back here.”
“—Also, if things get too hairy for you…” a voice went, which we turned to see it belonged to Mr. Banderis “Tell us you want to come in and we will stop the test. Your life is more important than any test results.”
I couldn’t help but well up a little bit. I meant what I said about Mr. Banderis becoming more of a father to me than Brian could. He was the only person, after my father, who believed in me. He funded my college, he kept me going when times were rough, and he was a great person to work under. I really was lucky to have met him that day.
“Thank you sir,” I smiled and saluted. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” Mr. Banderis stated. “So shall we begin this test?”
I nodded and put on my helmet. I climbed into the cockpit of the jet and heard static on my radio.
“Testing, testing, can you hear me?” inquired one of the scientists.
“Yes, I can hear you,” I groaned, trying to adjust for comfort in the seat “Why is it though despite the fact we spend millions of dollars on cutting edge aerospace technology, yet we still can’t afford more comfortable seats?”
“I’m sorry, but we have much better things to spend our research budget on than seating arrangements,” scolded Alexis, whose response made me blush. “If you keep complaining, then you’re footing the full bill for dinner.”
“I’m already footing the full bill for dinner,” I retorted.
“True, but then you’ll have to pay for a movie, there’s that romantic comedy I know you’ll hate,” Alexis sang, which made me groan.
“Can we focus on the test?” Jack interjected. “The hangar doors are opening up.”
I focused myself, realizing Jack was right, there would be plenty of time for worrying about my girlfriend when I wasn’t flying expensive jets around. The doors opened to reveal the day outside. As Jack said before, the weather was dreadful for most people, but for our test it was perfect: heavy rain.
Dad. Watch over me, this one’s for you.
The heads up display activated and showed me the route to take. Once I was given the all clear, I gently coasted the jet forward through the doors. As I passed the doors, I saw the runway stretch out before and pushed forward faster and faster until I reached takeoff velocity and as I reached the end of the runway, the rain pattering against the glass and anticipation building in my chest, the jet took off.
As the jet climbed higher into the air, that intense feeling of happiness that often came to me when I flew planes swept over my face. It was moments like this when I was going faster than most people would ever go in their lives, getting a good look at the view from the sky of the world below that made me happy to be alive.
I began flying on the course the other engineers had laid out, putting the jet through its paces. As I flew for longer, I grew more comfortable with the jet and started really pushing it, taking tighter turns and throwing in some aileron rolls for good measure.
“Oi,” I heard Jack say. “No time for showboating, we are trying to conduct an experiment here.”
“You’re too uptight, Jack,” I laughed, deep down I knew he was right, but I didn’t care because flying was I loved to do.
“Despite your showboating, we’re actually getting some great data here, it seems the new model is ready to roll out.” Jack said, matter of factly. “Give it one more lap around the place, but this time make it a long lap, give it few more kilometers away from here.”
“Roger that,” I acknowledged, taking the jet further out and pushing out every ounce of power I could out of the engine.
As I flew, I couldn’t help noticing the sky. Granted, we flew into this weather for testing purposes but it was getting progressively darker. The rain was hitting the jet harder and the sounds of thunder could be heard not too far away.
“Guys,” I gulped. “I think the weather is taking a turn for the worse, permission to come back in via a shorter route.”
“fly…...compound… storm…..” Alexis’ voice was barely audible.
“Hello, guys, can you read me?” I fretted, becoming more panicky. Not wanting to risk life and jet, I started flying back to the compound, but mother nature was having none of it. The winds picked to gale force conditions and made it near impossible to stick to my course. I changed direction, heading upwards, trying to escape the wind currents with everything the jet could give. the rain became harder and I tried to level off, but the winds made it impossible. As I turned the plane to try and make a run at the compound, but as I did, it became clear what was causing those winds.
To my left I saw a massive tornado, tearing up the countryside as it went. On its current path it would miss the compound but the winds were going to tear me apart. I pushed the jet as hard as I could, trying to get away from the tornado, but its pull was too strong, constantly pulling me in towards it. My body was straining for all the effort it was doing, but I kept going, just trying to hold out, but just at the moment where it looked like I would break free, my arms and legs seized up and the jet was pulled backwards into the eye of the storm.
I was thrown around like a rag-doll, alarms screaming inside the cockpit and my whole body started to seize in fear. There was no escape.
Well dad, t least I’m like you, and we both went down doing the thing that we loved.
I closed my eyes and held my breath, waiting for the end to come.
If this was death, then it was completely different from anything I had ever thought it would be like. I felt surprisingly warm and calm, despite the fact I couldn’t see anything. But something was moving, I could feel it and I didn’t like the fact I didn’t know what was going on. Suddenly, my hearing snapped on and I could hear something.
“Congratulations Mrs. Dash, it’s a colt.”
‘Colt,’ I thought ‘That’s what they call a boy horse, what is going on? Where am I?’
I felt like I was being given to someone to hold, I needed to know what was going on. Focusing on all my strength to the front of my head, I slowly opened my eyes. What I saw shocked me to my core, I was being held by a horse. A pastel blue coloured horse with a rainbow coloured mane with her strong pink eyes, teary eyed but happy look of a… of a mother that had just given birth. Wait, does that mean?
“Oh Soarin, look, he’s awake.” She said, softly “Oh, he looks just like you.”
I looked over to see that there was another horse in the room, this one was a lighter blue than the female was with a dark blue mane, it was clear that this one was male.
“Really, Rainbow?” he pondered, looking down at me with fatherly pride. “Because I believe he has your eyes.”
Rainbow and Soarin? What kind of names are those? This is really freaking me out!
“Congratulations to the both of you,” another voice spoke and I looked around to see another male pony, this time brown and wearing a doctor’s outfit. “Have you two decided upon a name?”
Rainbow and Soarin looked at each other and nodded.
“We have decided,” Rainbow proclaimed. “We’re going to call him Tornado Blitz.”