“How do I turn off the front ones?” I ask Kylie.
“You don’t have to. I programmed it so only one group can be calibrated at a time. Kind of a failsafe mode. Pressing another indicator will automatically turn off the power to the calibrated controller and power up the new one.”
“Good thinking,” I say as I press the second indicator.
Jen continues to call off numbers so Kylie can make the adjustments. Seven seems to be the most common number, and the girls quickly complete the initial lifter calibration.
“I’m going to move to the outside to set the pitch controllers,” Jen informs us. “Since the back tubes are the ones that will tilt you forward, I think we should start there.”
“Sounds good,” I say, trusting her judgment. “But can’t we do the final power adjustment on the lifters first?” I ask Kylie.
“You do that later because I can’t be in here for that. It would mess up the balancing. Let’s calibrate the PCs. Ready Jen?”
“Go for it!” she replies.
I press the indicator for forward pitch control. Refining their routine, Jen calls out numbers to Kylie who bobs up and down over the top of the cowling to hear the instructions. Despite the additional area Jen has to cover around the outside of the saucer, she no longer has to crawl underneath and finishes quickly.
“That’s it!” I hear Jen say.
“Ok,” Kylie says looking down where I sit. “This is where I get off. Let’s get rid of this extra flooring. Then we have to take the planks and scaffold down before you’re ready for part two of the calibration.”
“Wait!” I exclaim. “You haven’t shown me what to do yet.”
Kylie smiles. “What do you think you should do?”
I look at the screen. “Press the ‘Set’ button?”
“That’s a good start,” she answers, climbing out onto the planking. I press the button. The subtitle at the top changes from ‘Tube Calibration Mode’ to ‘Group Calibration Mode’. Color fills part of the gray outline of the indicators; blue for the least power, green in the middle, and red for the top of the power band. “Just like with the first process, you press one indicator in the group you want to adjust. Then slide your finger up or down the individual indicators to increase or decrease the amount of power.”
“But how will I know how much?”
“Watch the horizon indicator from the old crop duster. When you’re done, press ‘Set’ again and you’ll go into flight mode.”
“Can I call you?”
“Sure. Now hand those planks up to me.”
Feeling nervous, I get out of my seat to remove the temporary floorboards. Kylie slides them down the planking where Willie and Jared can carry them away. Then I lift the plank hangers off the cowling so the planks can be retracted onto the scaffold frame. Finally, the scaffold’s frame is rolled away. I feel alone and isolated. Looking up, my friends, Gramps, Mr. Charles, and Uncle Earl, are all standing together on the left side watching me. I wave awkwardly before returning to the pilot’s seat. This is it! The first operational test of a new method of flight. I wring my hands. They’re all sweaty.
My phone speaks, announcing the caller. I pop my headset on. “Hi Kylie.”
“How’s it going in there?” she asks gently.
“A little scary.” I expect her to say ‘glad it’s you and not me,’ but that’s something her brother would say. Kylie is more considerate than that. “I’m going to adjust the lifter group now.”
I press the front indicator, and feel power surge through the saucer like a lightening bolt from far away. A flashing green status message appears over the lifter group.
“Ready to Load Lifter G-bits”
“What the…”
“Oh yeah,” Kylie’s voice rises in my ears. “I forgot. To do this calibration we need to load you up.”
“I guess I forgot, too,” I say. “This is too weird.”
“Just new,” she replies. I hear her inform everyone else that it is time to load the bits. I lift myself up slightly so I can see what is going on. Jen and Cheri are handing Jared and Willie envelopes. The guys crawl underneath. I sit back down.
“Hey man,” Willie greets me through the front of the gyro frame beneath. I can hear Jared a few seconds later, “All loaded in back.” Then they both disappear again, reappearing on either side moments later with more envelopes. I hear Jared pat the underside of the saucer to indicate they are done inserting the bits just as if he had finished fueling an airplane.
“Ok.” Kylie’s voice comes again, confirming that her brother and Willie have completed their task. “Ty?”
“Yeah?” I answer apprehensively.
“Press the ‘Ready to Load’ message to acknowledge it’s been completed. And Ty?” she quickly adds, “have your other hand over the lift indicators just in case.”
A chill runs through me. “In case what?”
“Well, I’m not sure where I left the values for the simulated calibration when I did it. You might shoot up to the roof. Just be ready to pull the indicators down if you have to. Ok?”
I don’t answer. Positioning my right hand fingers over the lifter indicators, I reach up to acknowledge the ‘Load’ message. Looking up at the ceiling of the building, I hold my breath and touch the screen. My craft jumps a little bit. To be on the safe side, I slide my fingers down the indicators anyway. I hear laughing over my headset.
“I was not!” Kylie emphatically states to someone.
My voice is a little shaky. “What’s going on?”
“Jared thinks I was just messing with you, and was retelling about when you guys were down cleaning the maglev tunnel that first day; about the sled ride he set you up for.”
“Oh that.”
“I wasn’t, Ty. Honest.” I hear the sincerity in her voice.
“So what’s next?” I ask, wanting to move on.
“Try and raise her up off the ground. Then you can use your cockpit indicators to adjust the power. I think you should start with the left and right, but it’s up to you. We’ll probably pull the jack stands out from under you, too.”
I like her suggestion. “Left and right then. Here goes.”
I watch the colors light up, following my finger as I slowly slide the right hand lifter indicator to add power. I feel the craft’s weight shift also. Looking at the horizon indicator on the instrument panel, I can visibly see the change. I slide the left hand side. As it comes up, the indicator rolls back the other way. I can also feel the craft lean backwards. Apparently the rear lifters need to be powered up a little. It is a little like pulling the strings on four corners of some object to get it to level out.
As I slide my finger on the rear indicator, I feel the change tilt me forward. I hear the crash of steel on concrete.
“That’s too much, Ty!” Kylie’s voice sounds anxious now. “You’re beginning to slip forward! Ease up!” I slide the indicator back to what feels level. She confirms, “That looks good.”
“What was that noise I heard?”
“One of the jack stands toppled over when you began to slide forward, and the tip of the gyro-point was dragging a little.”
“But everything’s ok?”
“Yeah, you moved about three feet forward, but you look like you’re floating level. If you think it feels okay, press the ‘Set’ button to save those settings.”
I press ‘Set’. The levels on the lift indicators reset right where the blue and green colored zones meet. “How come I didn’t see any change in my dial for front to back?” I want to know. Kylie asks the others. In the background I hear her dad explaining that the vertical speed indicator works a lot like an altimeter which is based on air pressure. Since I’m not going up or down, it can’t determine any change. Kylie begins to relay the answer.
“I heard,” I interrupt. “I guess some of these instruments are only going to be so helpful.”
“It’s a different type of flying,” Kylie reminds me. “You might have to trust
your senses more.”
My attention is drawn to the screen. Another message has appeared.
“Ready to Load Pitch-C G-bits”
“I’ve gotten the next message about the pitch bits,” I inform Kylie. Again, I hear her tell the others we’re ready for the next step. I stand up to watch as best I can. This time, Willie and Cheri work together on two groups, while Jared and Jennifer load the others. As they return to where Kylie, Gramps, Mr. Charles, and Uncle Earl are standing, I sit down again.
“Just like before?” I ask Kylie.
“Yep,” she answers. “Only this time you can expect a little more movement. Jen thinks that as you add power to the PCs, you’ll probably rise up a little, so try to adjust them quickly.”
“Can’t anybody tie a rope on this thing to keep it grounded?” There’s no answer. “Just kidding,” I add. “Here goes.”
I acknowledge the load sequence with my fingers over the indicators. The craft tilts left so I slide the right indicator down. Quickly, as instructed, I press the front and back indicators to adjust them next. Tilting forward this time, I slide the back indicator down until I feel level again. That was pretty easy.
“Tyler?” Kylie’s voice says softly.
“That was great!” I exclaim, feeling like everything has been balanced out perfectly. I press the ‘Set’ button. The levels on the pitch control indicators even out half-way up the blue colored zone. The heading at the top of the screen changes to ‘Flight Mode’. I hear the gyroscope wheels below me come to life. Looking down, I watch them spin up to speed in opposite directions, vibrating the craft a little like a washing machine. I vaguely recognize the hy-ped’s old wheels.
“Tyler?” Kylie’s voice comes through again, a little louder this time. “You’re slowly rising up towards the ceiling!”
I don’t feel any motion. Looking up, I see the rafters getting nearer. I panic. “What should I do? I thought everything was calibrated?”
“It is. It’s just that the combined power of all the bits is more than what’s needed, just like Jen thought. There’s a small indicator to the left of the lifters. Slide it down.”
“It’s almost all the way down now!”
“Well, slide it down as far as it goes before you…”
I feel the craft abruptly stop. I look up from the display. The top of the cowling, on both my right and left, is pushing against a steel rafter. About ten inches above my head is the underside of the roof. Had the helicopter bubble been on, I probably would have cracked it.
I slide my finger down the indicator. The saucer slowly begins to drop. I feel the touch of the gyro-point on concrete. I sit back to exhale a short sigh of relief. Then the adrenaline rush of excitement comes on again. Our craft has flown on its own!
“You hanging in there, Tyler?” It’s Jen’s voice in my headset now.
“I’m doing just fine,” I reply quietly. “This is so cool!”
“Yeah, it is,” she agrees. I can hear the smile on her face. “Everybody out here is amazed at what just happened.”
“So, what’s next?” I ask eagerly.
“We think you should give the rudders a try to see if the thing will spin.”
“Sounds good to me.” I place my feet on the game controller rudders which have replaced the actual foot controls. “Press right to turn right, I’m guessing.” I can hear the wheels below me change in pitch as one slows down and the other speeds up. The saucer begins to pivot to the right. I watch the compass on the instrument panel respond. As the dial reaches forty-five degrees of change, I bring the rudders back to even. The wheels slowly adjust to equal RPM, but I’ve continued turning to about half way between forty-five and ninety degrees. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”
“It’ll probably respond a little quicker in the air. Right now you’re having to compensate for the friction of the point on the concrete too.”
“Uh huh,” I reply. “Well, let’s try that.” I reach for the throttle lever on the left side of my seat. Watching the lift indicators, I begin pulling up on the lever. The indicators respond by moving into the green area. “How high am I?”
“About five and rising.”
I let off the lever a little. “Let me know when I’m just hovering.”
“Hold it. Too much,” Jen informs me. I pull a slight bit more. “That’s good.”
“I’m trying the rudders again, back the other way.” Again the tone of the wheels change as the craft begins pivoting back to the left. As Jen has surmised, it does respond much quicker in the air. I equalize the rudder controls again.
“Hi Ty,” Jens voice greets me. “You came so far around you passed us up.” I try to peek up over the cowling but I’m too high up to see anyone.
“Overshot at little, I guess.”
“Just a little.”
There was just one more thing to try. “I’m going to tilt to the left and see what happens.”
“Ok. We’re ready.”
Slowly, I tilt the joystick to the left, and watch the horizon indicator deviate from its calibrated marks, the one on the right side rising, the left one falling. They are synchronized of course, with equal amounts of power being added or reduced on either side. It feels like two positive sides of a two different magnets being held together; smooth and slippery. I feel the gyro-point begin sliding on the concrete. “PULL UP!” I think I hear somebody yell, but my reflexes have already started that and bringing the joystick back to center. The craft quickly rights itself, but now I feel myself rising. I lessen my pull on the lifter throttle. Looking up, I can see the rafters about five feet above my head again and the left wall is only twelve feet away. I almost crashed the saucer through the hangar’s back wall!
“The gyro-scope may pivot me slowly, but everything else sure responds with sensitivity. I’m going to go right a little now.”
Without waiting for clearance, I tilt the joystick gently to the right, immediately feeling the sliding motion. I hold the throttle steady thinking I will just end up where I started. I look at my indicators, trying to judge the identical amount of time I had moved left. Looking up I watch the side wall of the hangar pass in front of me. I am definitely coming down on a sideways glide path. Then, suddenly, I’m outside the building!
“What happened?” I yell bringing all of the controls to their neutral position. “That was incredible!” Then I think about what could have happened if Dad had stayed around and his truck would have still been parked where I just exited. A wave of relief breaks over me, then the adrenaline kicks in again. The saucer is working incredibly well for its first flight.
“Tyler! What are you doing?” I hear Jen yell over the phone. Behind her voice, the noise of many running feet can be heard.
“Shit!” I cry. “I don’t know! Just doing a test flight. It happened so fast.” I look around, and down through the gyro-frame. It looks like the point is still hovering about five feet off the ground. I look up. The stars are fading as morning comes on. I feel elated. It really is a new day in many respects. I slowly begin to pull up on the throttle.
“Tyler!” It’s Kylie’s voice again. “Where are you going now? Put the saucer away before somebody sees you!”
“It’s still dark enough. And nobody’s up at this time. I’m going up to have a look around.”
I feel the saucer rising, fresh air gently washing over my face. It is a cool, still night. I watch the roof of the hangar drop out of sight on my left while the old helicopter altimeter dial counts slowly upwards. I stop at one hundred feet. Looking past my feet, down at the ground, I notice I’m drifting forward with the morning breeze. I pull back on the joystick. The saucer dips, slipping backwards until I can see the other vehicles parked in front of the hangar to the side of the huge door I just exited. My altitude has dropped a little. It’s a wonderful new feeling. It would be a new feeling for anyone in the world.
“Tyler?” I hear Gramps voice now. “What are you doing, son?”
“Just
testing it a little, sir,” I reply quietly from my silent world.
“You know there are things other than prying eyes that might see you,” he states calmly. “Remember, we’re at the northern end of the missile range, and they have some pretty sophisticated radar and satellite imaging devices.”
I hadn’t thought about that. I throttle down until I’m almost touching the ground. Pushing the rudders, I face the building, and ease the stick a little right. When I am aligned with the big door again, I tilt the saucer forward and inside to where it had been built. Setting it on the point, I spin the gyro-scope once more to return the craft as close as I can to its original position.
“Are we putting the jack stands back underneath?” I ask.
After a quick conversation, Gramps answers. “Yes. Raise it up a little.” I can hear the jacks being slid along the concrete floor again. “Ok. They’re in position. Set her down, Tyler, gently.”
I feel the jacks catch the saucer once again. “Now how do I shut this thing down?” I ask whomever is on the phone at this point. Kylie’s voice comes back to me, wonderfully sweet and gentle.
“Press the ‘Cancel’ button that appears below the ‘Flight Mode’ screen title.” The button changes its text to ‘Start Simulation’, and displays the saucer image I had seen before I entered the backdoor password.
“Ok. I’m back at start simulation,” I report.
“Press ‘Esc’ to close the program.” The screen reverts to the desktop display. “Then just shut down the computer like normal.” I press the ‘0’ button on the rack mount chassis. The screen goes black, and I hear the almost inaudible sound of the fans completely disappear. “Only one more thing,” Kylie says.
“What’s that?”
“Look to your right. On the u-frame inside the cowling is the ignition key from the hy-ped. You’ve got to turn that off to shut down the fuel cells. Then turn off the hydrogen.”
“Ok. Everything’s off. I stand up for the first time. Everyone is back in the hangar. Mr. Charles has closed the big door. Kylie is the only one smiling. “How do I get out of here?”
“Willie says you can probably crawl out through the gyro-point frame, just don’t put too much weight on the wheels.”
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