Cowboy Casanova

10

"This is hop 31. Two weeks till graduation. Top Gun trophy is still up for grabs so every point counts. You will proceed down the one-seven-zero degree radial looking for MiGs. You will engage all that you find, destroy them, and return to base. Banshee has the lead. Any questions?" Viper waits a few seconds. "All right, let's go. Move like you've got a purpose." A group of us fly in formation over the Pacific, searching for MiGs. We spot them and engage. We fly scissor patterns, slashing past each other, angling for position. I hear a barrage of information exchanges between pilots and RIOs. Hangman and I swoop close together on each other's wing, moving on each other, testing. We glance at each other and nod. It's between us. No one else has a chance to win the Top Gun trophy. Suddenly an MiG rises up out of the clouds in front of us and Hangman takes off, getting the advantage.

"On bogey. I can get him in 30 degrees or more." Hangman tells the group, flaunting. His ego must be through the roof right now. I roll my eyes. I fly around him, trying to get in a good position but he won't budge. The MiG sees us and takes a hard left.

"Looks like you missed your shot." I speak to Hangman, and he glares at me through the canopy. Hangman struggles against the G's to bring his nose to bear. We go around into a Lufbery - a tight circle, and now I have the advantage but I can't close. I can't line up the shot. I grunt and strain as the G force pushes me down. Hangman pushes in front of me but I can tell that he is struggling to get the shot. "I can come in right here." I tell him, trying to get him to work with me instead of against me.

"Stay where you are. I need another 20 degrees and then I've got him." I roll my eyes, his ego getting in the way of the exercise.

"Shit! I'm in a great position to go in right now."

"Just five seconds." I groan as Hangman still struggles to find a good position.

"Fire or clear the hell out. I've had enough of your bullshit." I hear Hangman grunt, annoyed and his ego still high.

"I can get him. I'm in right now. Come off high right." I am pulling a lot of G's, but can't target my weapons. I continue to turn in a hard circle, going round and round without gaining. Hangman stays, refusing to let me get in there, even though I could've ended this minutes ago.

"No, just five more seconds." I ignore him, diving down between the two jets, pulling 6.5G's, exposing my underside to Hangman. I hear him yell out his choice of curse words as he flies away, to turn around and get more speed. However, his jet zooms through my path, and I have to slam the stick forward to avoid a collision. He swung by way too close. As I pass through Hangman's turbulence, the blast distorts the airflow to my left engine, the warning signs going off as the engine flames out.

"Shit, shit, shit." Full thrust on the right, engine swings the tail around in a yaw. I slam the stick right to correct it but it's too late. "My plane's coupling up!" I yell into the headset, trying my best to do what I can to not crash and potentially save the aircraft. The plane couples one yaw to the next, the tail swings around which becomes an ever increasing flat spin, like an out-of-control frisbee. "Shit. This is not good. I'm low. I'm low." There's voices coming through the headset but I can't hear them, not over my own panic. I am pinned to the instrument panel by centrifugal force, but I desperately try to reach back for the ejection lever, but I fall short by about a foot. "I can't eject. I repeat, I can't eject. I'm going down with the plane." The plane is spinning ever faster, out of control. All I hear is a hurricane of wind and noise and I shut my eyes tightly. The canopy blasts away and I rip myself from the instrument, reaching back to the ejection handle, yanking it as hard as I can. I knew I was far too low to the ground to make a graceful landing. I needed to brace for impact. Things happen in a split second. I bring my head closer to my body, trying to go into a fetal position. Almost instantly, I impact the spinning canopy. And then the lights go out.