Call Back {Top Gun Maverick - Completed}

10: Canyon Training

The next morning came too quickly. Everyone sat in their same spots, with Maverick at the podium in front.

"Time is your greatest enemy. Phase one of the mission will be a low-level ingress attacking in two-plane teams. You’ll fly along this narrow canyon to your target. Radar-guided surface-to-air missiles defend the area. These sams, they’re lethal. But they were designed to protect the skies above, not the canyon below," Maverick informed. 

He looked at Hennessey, the twins, and Rebecca for a second longer than everyone else. He was worried about them and having to send them on the mission.

"That’s because the enemy knows no one is insane enough to try and fly below them," Fanboy commented.

"That’s exactly what I’m gonna train you to do. On the day, your altitude will be a hundred feet maximum. You exceed this altitude… Radar will spot you and you’re dead. Your airspeed will be six-hundred and sixty knots minimum. Time to target: Two and a half minutes. That’s because fifth-generation fighters wait at an air base nearby. In a head-to-head with these planes in your F-18s, you’re dead," Maverick continued.

Everyone tensed up. This was a suicide mission at this point. And they all knew it. Even Maverick.

"That’s why you need to get in, hit your target and be gone before these planes even have a chance of catching you. This makes time your greatest adversary. You’ll fly a route in your nav system that simulates the canyon," The screen behind Maverick showed an example of the simulated canyon.

"The faster you navigate this canyon, the harder it’ll be to stay under the radar of these enemy sams. The tighter the turns, the more intensely the force of gravity on your body multiplies. Compressing your lungs. Forcing the blood from your brain. Impairing your judgment and reaction time."

Everyone looked at each other. They're bodies had to handle all of that, and that was only the first part of the mission.

"So for today’s lesson, we’re gonna take it easy on you. Max ceiling: three-hundred feet. Time to target: Three minutes," Maverick finished, "Good luck."

Everyone got in groups of two, ready to take their turn on the course. Coyote, Phoenix, and Bob were up first.

"Time to target is one minute thirty. We are two seconds behind. Increase to 480 knots," Bob informed.

"We got to move, Coyote," Phoenix said.

"Copy. Increasing speed," Coyote sped up, Phoenix followed closely behind.

"Oh!" Coyote suddenly hit the brakes, barely avoiding the simulated canyon wall.

"Oh, shit!" Phoenix panicked and pulled up, barely avoiding crashing the jets. That however, meant she flew above the ceiling. The solid beep of tone rang in Natasha and Bob's headsets.

Once they were back, Maverick played the record of their run. Everyone watched as the signal from Phoenix and Bob's plane turned red when it went over the line.

"Why are they dead?" Maverick asked.

"We broke the three-hundred foot ceiling, and a S.A.M. took us out," Phoenix answered.

"No," Maverick turned to Coyote, "Why are they dead?"

"I slowed down and didn’t give her a warning. It was my fault," Coyote explained.

"Was there a reason you didn’t communicate with your team?"

"I was focusing on…" Coyote started.

"One that their family will accept at the funeral," Maverick stated. Everyone looked down or at their WSOs. That made everything feel more real.