4416/Test flight, Cranston One

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Test flight, Cranston One
Date of Scene: 10 May 2018
Location: An undisclosed airfield marked for use by Icarus Aerospace R&D
Synopsis: Thanks to a timely intervention by Power Girl, the first test flight of the prototype aircraft goes off without any more than a minor hitch.
Cast of Characters: Shadow, Lady Blackhawk, Power Girl




Shadow has posed:
    Icarus Aerospace R&D wasn't a terribly successful company before it was acquired by CMS, something attributed by more than one unkind observer to their poor choice in names. Nevertheless, its scientists and engineers are competent and hard-working -- and for the past five months, they have been motivated and inspired by the occasional presence of Professor Reed Richards as they've worked on the design based on his inventions.

    A new propulsion system is only the start; once they had a feel for its capabilities they discovered they had to redesign the aircraft structure around it, in much the same was as jet aircraft required an entirely new design compared to propeller aicraft to properly harness its potential.

    The end result of five months of design, redesign, re-redesign and the occasional loud argument late at night over coffe now perches on the landing pad, a little larger than an Osprey but shorter and squatter than a Learjet, with almsot stubby-seeming wings that wouldn't be able to lift something its apparent size and mass on their own -- or wouldn't have, before Reed Richards discovered RVI propulsion.

    There is a certain apprehensiveness as well as anticipation, because today is going to be its first manned test flight -- and Natasha Cranston herself has come down to observe.

    In the control room, the chief engineer on duty swallows his nerves and goes over the pre-launch checklist, then after receiving all green from the ground crew calls the test pilot.

    "Cranston one, this is Control. All readings are green; begin takeoff at your discretion."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    Zinda Black sits in the cockpit of Cranston one, wearing an orange flight suit with a white helmet. She's a certified test pilot, and right now she's just about finished running down the systems checklist.

    "Roger that, Control. Cranston one, lookin' all good at this end." Zinda's Georgia drawl comes through even over the professional radio chat. "And... power on." The engines start their power-up cycle, and they're remarkably quiet as the airframe begins to vibrate.

    "Chase one, how're things lookin' over at your end? All set and ready?"

Shadow has posed:
    In Zinda's experience, every type of aircraft she's ever flown made its own distinct noise. Helicopters, a coughing rattle creeping up to a low drone depending on rotor speed; propeller aircraft, the continuous growl of a snarling predator; jet aircraft howl like a banshee mourning its prey, and so on... Cranston One makes none of these noises; the only thing she hears from the RVS drive is an almost calm-sounding hum of a buddhist monk seeking Nirvana.

    The cockpit is comfortably appointed and the controls are light to her touch -- as they should be, given that Lady Blackhawk was the primary aviator consultant for the control design. On the boards before her various telltales confirm Control's observation - all systems are operating within expected parameters, and it's a lovely day for flying.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    As the aircraft settles into the low hum, Zinda gives the instruments one more scan. "Everything still nominal, an' she's purrin' like a kitten." she drawls over the comm. "Liftin' off." Yoke in one hand, throttle in the other, Zinda eases back on the former and forward on the latter in a smooth, careful motion.

    The plane eases into the air and hovers about a meter off the deck while Zinda does another full instrument check. "Damn, she's gotta' light touch." the blonde offers, and her smile can almost be heard over the radio.

Shadow has posed:
    Cranston One's hum increases slightly in pitch as her engines push her away from gravity's grasp, the thrust gauge only barely moving. Over the comms, Zinda can hear the cheers of engineers seeing their work functioning as intended, but the chief engineer is bound and determined to stick to FTC levels of professionalism. "Cranston One, Control. Thrust vectors look good, straight through its center of gravity. You're cleared for primary maneuvering tests. Let's see how she handles on takeoff and final approach."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    "Roger that, Control." Zinda drawls. "Chase One, y'all ready to go? Landing gear up." The servos are almost silent as the wheels retract and doors close. And just for grins Zinda slowly twists the yoke to turn the hovering aircraft 360 degrees around a full circle, surveying the whole tarmac.

Power Girl has posed:
    Not too long ago, Power Girl received a routed text message from Oracle's server letting her know about this particular test-flight. As a result, the blonde is 'not too far away, listening in on her own radio,' as far as Cranston and Zinda are aware. It's a much more believable story than that she's sitting at the closest branch of STAR Labs, on a private balcony. There is no radio involved. Instead, she has oriented herself in a way that most of her aural perception is focused in on the airfield a number of miles away. This number is not a particularly small number.

    Though she doesn't respond over the radio, that is to be expected. When she hears the jet successfully flying, she's supposed to make her way over and join in on the festivities and be congratulatory. That's the plan.

    If everything doesn't go according to it, well. She's Power Girl.

    Sometimes, when a Kryptonian says they 'were here the entire time', it's a little white lie.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    Silence is consent, right? Zinda knows that the arrangements were made previously, and that's good enough for her. The aircraft hovers smoothly, hanging in mid-air over the tarmac much like a falling brick doesn't.

    There's a sound over the comm that sounds like a little giggle.

    With a sudden lurch the plane rises swiftly. Those who are expecting it, or who at least know the pilot, would look up and see the shrinking shape disappearing as the plane climbs smoothly.

    "G-force limiter works just fine, Skipper. Didn't even feel like she was fightin' me over it. Now let's see what this gal can -really- do."

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha smiles as she takes up her own comm. "Understood, Zinda. Cranston One has been cleared for high-speed maneuvering in a 200 mile radius as long as you stay above 20,000 feet. Feel free to impress us whenever you're ready."

Power Girl has posed:
    Back on the balcony, Power Girl sends off an e-mail or two in regards to some genuinely important STAR Labs Scientific Shenanigans. Then, in silence- as she listens in on the working test-flight and how the engines seem to be functioning properly- she makes her way over to the railing. Idly, she ensures that the buckles on her boots are secure, before slipping the wig she uses to maintain the image of Karen Starr from her head, setting it onto a dummy just inside the office proper- A long and laborious process follows where she removes the outer, business layer of her outfit at a more... Human pace than normal. Sometimes, you don't -have- to quick change, so you don't. It's very rare.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    "Roger that, Control. Comin' up on angels 20 in about five seconds. She climbs better than an F-15, an' she ain't even breathin' hard. Levelin' out, now. Easin' into forward flight."

    Cranston One is well out of visual range now, but it's on multiple radars. It moves very quickly now, accelerating smoothly. "She drives sorta like a Packard, but a lot faster." Zinda quips over the radio.

    There's a soft <boom> and the glass rattles in the tower as the plane goes supersonic. "Well that was easy. Gotta keep a light hand on the throttle."

Shadow has posed:
    Cranston One's engine hum deepens in pitch as Zinda opens the throttle, taking on a sense of urgency -- not yet straining as such, but a definite feeling that now it's putting in actual effort. A minor shudder ripples through the aircraft as she breaks the sound barrier, and one of the displays in Zinda's field of vision shows a diagram of the fuselage shifting configuration, adjusting itself to minimize the air resistance at supersonic speeds.

    "Cranston one, Control. We're reading you at an air speed of 680 knots, ground speed 675. Telemetry is showing a bigger drop in fuel efficiency at mach speeds than we'd anticipated, but still outperforming jet aircraft by a factor of 80 plus -- and it's unlikely we'll be flying the commercial flights supersonic unless there's an emergency. How does she handle?"

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    "Like drivin' on the highway, Skipper." Zinda drawls. She turns the yoke, snapping the plane through a series of 90 degree quarter-turn rolls. "Controls are still light. Don't even feel like Ah'm supersonic." Banking, Zinda pulls the plane into a wide, sweeping turn.

    "Controls may be light, but with that G-force limiter she turns kinda like a bus. Mach indicator stayin' above one-point-oh." At supersonic speeds most jets only have steerage, at best. "Makin' another pass. Gonna push the speed a bit this time."

Shadow has posed:
    "Understood, Zinda," Natasha responds on the comm. "I suspect it wouldn't be wise to disengage that limiter when you have passengers on board. Let's see how well she handles with it on for now; there'll be time to put her through her paces without a leash later."

Power Girl has posed:
    Eventually- whistling while she works- Power Girl is ready to head to the airfield. It isn't a matter of dawdling as much as it is that, since nothing has gone wrong, she doesn't need to kick it into high gear. Once she is ready, she makes her way out onto that same balcony, and rises into the air at first slowly- though for her the term means around seventy miles per hour- and then, when she reaches a few hundred feet off of the ground, her speed doubles on itself, and then doubles again, to reach the altitude of the plane.

    Without a word, then, Power Girl spans the miles' worth of distance in moments, if not less. The sound of her acceleration, instantaneous as it is, will reach the ears of the people in the city slower than Power Girl reaches the airfield, arriving outside the tower's windows with a similarly instant deceleration and accompanying rush of air that sets all of the windows mildly aflutter, despite being held rather securely.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    "No complaints here, Skipper." Zinda replies, finishing the banked turn. Throttles ease forward and the plane accelerates. "Needle stoppin' right on mach one-point-niner. Just like she's s'posed to. Gonna' ease her back now, since Ah'm comin' up on the other boundary of the test space."

    The only one who could actually -see- what the plane is doing is Kara. Zinda brings the jet into a slow, descending spiral to bleed off both speed and altitude. "Back subsonic again, an' headin' in. Gonna try a regular landin' this time."

Shadow has posed:
    "Roger that, Cranston One," Control responds. "Airspace is clear for touchdown on Runway Two."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    It's not a long descent from 20,000 feet, and Cranston One takes it in slow, sweeping spirals. "Control surfaces returnin' after supersonic flight. Lowering landin' gear."

    There's a near-silent whir as the gear doors open, then on the left side there's a <clunk>.

    "Uh oh, that ain't right." Zinda checks the indicator lights. "Yeah, Control. We got us a problem with the port-side gear. Near as Ah can tell it's stuck halfway down."

Shadow has posed:
    "Cranston One, Control. Telemetry confirms. Looks like the actuator's stuck," comes the immediate response. "Abort regular landing and come back in for VTOL touchdown on Helipad One. We'll have a maintenance crew standing by."

Power Girl has posed:
    Inaudible to those inside the tower, Power Girl clicks her tongue and lets out a soft. "Yup."

    This comes shortly before Zinda's warning, as Power Girl is watching the plane, not the controls.

    Even as Zinda is speaking to the personnel in the tower, there is a crack, as something breaks the sound barrier a few feet from the windows. Reinforced as they are almost certain to be, they take the hit of her sonic boom quite well- but it is bound to be a little jarring for those inside.

    By the time Natasha is responding, Power Girl is already at the gear itself, inspecting the actuator. One might expect something dexterous and brilliant- but this is Power Girl. Instead of attempting to somehow repair the actuator, her hand comes down to the back of the wheel and- following a brief estimation of strength- she presses it forward. By force, if she has to, she'll have the gear down.

    It's -almost- subtle in that nothing is likely to be torn apart- but for the sake of safety, she'll also weld most of the actuator components together to keep the landing gear in place, when it meets the asphalt, the last thing she'll do before detaching and flying alongside through the landing process.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    The problem is a sticking servo, and with a little force (relative to what's available), the gear moves down and locks into position. From the cockpit Zinda looks over and, seeing the caped blonde, gives her a thumbs-up.

    "Negative, Control. We're good for conventional landing as planned. Port side gear is down and we have confirmed lock." Zinda quips back almost casually.

    It's a slow, smooth, gentle touchdown. An Air Force landing. And with Power Girl on her wing, Zinda isn't too worried about mishaps. Conventional landing or no, it's still a very short approach to touch-down and an easy decel. Wheeling the bird around slowly, Zinda stops on the marker and declares. "Cranston One powering down. Let's get that gear looked at, but everything else went just fine."

Shadow has posed:
    Exclamations of surprise and dismay are quickly stifled when the control room recognizes the... Distinct... outfit of one of New York's more famous heroines, and there is a brief but heartfelt cheer as Power Girl fixes the landing gear in mid-flight. Control, however, maintains their matter-of-fact voice even as a smile threatens to split his ears.

    "Roger that, Cranston One. We'll have the engineering team ready. For now, come on home - there's a bottle of champagne with your name on it waiting in the chiller."

    A moment later, Natasha's voice cuts in. "Well done, Zinda. And my thanks to your friend. Power Girl, on behalf of Cranston Multinational I'd like to extend my thanks, and an invitation to the post-flight festivities that my engineers thought they'd managed to clandestinely arrange..."

Power Girl has posed:
    Power Girl does everything short of carry the plane to the ground. When the plane lands, and the occupants begin to clear its hatch, Power Girl comes up and over the top of it to land alongside Zinda, approaching the tower alongside the pilot at a much more human pace than just a moment before. There didn't seem to be any urgency on her features, instead just this calm and collected exterior that belies none of the stress that she might just have been plausibly under. Probably, it was because something like a crashing test plane- or jet liner, for that matter- isn't exactly stressful for her.

    It isn't until the others are coming out to meet them- or alternatively, that they're headed inside to meet Control and Cranston herself, that Power Girl actually responds. "That's nice of you, but I don't know how long I can actually stay. There's always more that needs doing, but I don't mind doing it."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
    Zinda equalizes the cabin pressure and opens the doors, which seem to work just fine. Helmet tucked under her left arm (white with the Blackhawk logo), she slowly descends the steps like she was royalty. For a moment it looks like she might hug the taller super-blonde, but instead Zinda flashes a wide smile. "Thanks for th' help, sugah."

    The tower gets a wide, enthusiastic wave and then Zinda turns towards the offending gear. "Almost a perfect test-flight, but Ah'll call it a success all the same."

Shadow has posed:
    "Indeed," Natasha agrees, smiling warmly at Zinda and Power Girl, before extending a hand to the latter. "Again, my thanks. And by all means, we'd be honored to have you as a guest while it lasts. A hero's work may never be truly done, but that doesn't mean you can't occasionally take some time to relax."

Power Girl has posed:
    Offering a shrug, Power Girl responds- "Anytime, but I wouldn't make a habit out of it." she states, walking alongside the not-quite-so-tall woman. "Almost perfect is fine, probably."

    Then, they're inside, greeting Natasha. She takes the other woman's hand in her gloved own, shaking firmly- but not too firmly- but altogether inexorably. Natasha's hand might not be in pain, but despite that, there's this sense of inescapability that is likely to hit the first time you shake hands with a Kryptonian, like having your hand encased in stone- or some stronger, stranger material.

    "Sure, I guess. But the moment I hear sirens from Metropolis, I'm going to have to go."