Thursday, Oct. 10
Jack had seen a single momentary blip on his radar bearing 060 degrees and 25 miles as he had performed his initial search sweep. Given the vast technological advantage of his Raptor adversaries, he knew he could not use his radar full time as designed. A stronger steady low PRF frequency radar signal would be detected and trigger a hostile threat designation of his Starfighter. He made what he often referred to as a SWAG, or scientific wild ass guess, for the heading the Raptors were on and computed a intercept course. This time he limited the sweep to a twenty degree arc of the sky at his altitude of FL350. His speed was up to Mach .95 and his adrenaline began to pump just like back in the '60s. The Raptors were both in a gentle right hand turn when Burner's radar showed two distinct targets at his twelve o'clock and 31 miles. He switched the radar back to Standby and slammed the throttle as far forward as it would go. Jack glanced back inside to confirm that the burner light at his backside was a good one. The mach indicator needle swung past Mach 1 and kept climbing as Jack riveted his attention to the deep blue expanse of sky before him.
"Smoke, any talley?" Barney asked his wingman over their discrete common frequency as he began a clearing turn back to his left.
"Nada, Quaker. You sure he's really out here?"
"According to Blackjack he is. We'll start a turn back north in one minute. If we don't catch any sign of him on the next pass northbound, we'll just crank up the radar systems. He ain't stealthy."
"That's a 10-4."
Burner's eyes weren't like they were back at the Academy. Age had taken a toll. He no longer could see 20-10. They had deteriorated all the way back to 20-20 and he strained to see the distinctive gray shapes against the deep blue at 41,000 feet. He eased the throttle back as the F-104 passed through Mach 1.8 so as not to exceed the 1.9 Mach max maneuvering speed with tip tanks. Both tanks were dry, but there was no way he would jettison his baby's tanks on a training mission.
Suddenly, there they were! The lead element had climbed slightly and was starting his cross over his wingman as he initiated a turn back to the north. Neither could spot the much smaller silver craft as she pointed her needle nose directly at them. Burner slammed the throttle back to its stop and pulled up hard as he toggled the Sidewinder switch active and searched for a tone.
Bravo 32 was still heading south watching his flight lead cross overhead when Burner called, "Delta 22, Fox Two."
Rolling left to pull lead on the turning Raptor, Burner thumbed the Guns mode active and centered the HUD pipper on the cockpit and squeezed the trigger.
"Delta 22, Guns."
Inside Bravo 31, the activation of the Starfighter's gunsight AN/APG-30 radar triggered a major caution warning that brought Barney's head back inside the Raptor for just a second. He processed the information quickly and then attempted to turn into the threat, but as he looked to his nine o'clock, a silver streak rocketed by at almost Mach 2. His head snapped around just in time to catch Burner doing a slow victory roll through 50,000 feet. What the fuck just happened?
"Bravo 31, kill. Bravo 32 kill. Delta 22, Blackjack, I see you are approaching the southern end of the exercise area. Say intentions."
"Blackjack, Delta 22 exiting the area. Test complete. Advise other elements to RTB."
"Blackjack copies, Delta 22 contact Longshot on 238.8, squawk 3125."
Jack slowly pulled the throttle out of burner as he continued his roll. The deep blue sky at that altitude was something few people ever got to witness personally. He could even detect the slight curvature of the earth. He stopped the roll wings level inverted. For a couple seconds, he hung there, weightless and took in the spectacular view. He could see the snow capped Sierra Nevadas in California, the Pacific Ocean beyond and the full extent of the Colorado River basin from the Utah border to the Grand Canyon all the way to Lake Meade. For a few seconds he was twenty-five again.
Archie was livid. What the hell does Blackjack mean "Bravo 32 kill?" He too, got a three second radar warning when Burner targeted Bravo 31. He had cleared to his right, and then back left and rolled to follow his flight lead in the northern turn.
"Quaker, what the hell is happening?"
"We're dead, Smoke. Didn't you hear Blackjack?"
"Yeah, I heard the man! Where the hell is Burner?"
"You didn't see him fly right between us?"
Archie was stunned. That's not possible! "Negative. When did that occur?"
"About twenty seconds ago just after I crossed over you."
"No shit!?"
"He blew through us like a dose of salts through a goose."
"How did that happen?"
"Don't know. But we're gonna find out. Rejoin on the left for recovery."
"You got it."
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