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scoonts.theminotaur-第81部分

小说: scoonts.theminotaur 字数: 每页4000字

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tay in the flight attitude it was in when the controls were released。 Negative stability; on the other hand; meant that once the plane was displaced from wings…level; it would tend to increase the rate of displacement if the controls were released。
 〃So the fly…by…wire system is the first place to look;〃 Jake Grafton said; 〃Smoke; you saw this whole thing up close and personal。 Do you have anything you want to add?〃
 〃No; sir。 I think the movie captured it; got even more of it than I remember seeing at the time。 We could sit and niggle over her decision to recover from the second spin instead of ejecting; but I doubt that would be fair。 It was a prototype and she's a test pilot。〃
 Jake nodded。 He agreed with Smoke; as he usually did。 He had tried keeping Smoke Judy at arm's length after that night he saw him in West Virginia; yet except for that unexplained sighting; he had nothing else against the man。 Judy was proving to be a fine officer and an excellent pilot; a man whose opinions and judgment could be trusted。 Which was precisely why Jake had assigned him to fly the chase plane。
 They discussed the test results they had and decided how to proceed。 As Jake had told the admiral; his report was going to be written with the data the group had gathered。 The reason for the crash would have to be included; if it could be established by the time he was ready to submit the document。 So this evening he assigned the bulk of his staff to piling test results and the rest to investigate; or monitor the contractor's investigation of; the crash。
 〃Except for the people who are working with TRX; the rest of you need to get back to Washington and dig in。 Admiral Dunedin and SECNAV will want the report ASAP。〃
 Jake Grafton came back to the hospital about tea that night to look in on Rita and talk to the doctor on duty。 When he was finished; he dragged Toad off to the VOQ。 〃If you're blaming yourself about this; you'd better stop;〃 he said when they were in the car。
 Tarkington was glum。 〃She fought it all the way down。 The controls were just too sensitive。 The plane was out there on the edge of the envelope…high G; high angle of attack…and every time she thought she had it under control she lost it again。 She kept saying; 'I've got it this time。'〃
 〃She's not a quitter。〃
 〃Not by a long shot。〃 Toad looked out the passenger's side window。 〃A hundred and twenty pounds of pure guts。〃
 〃So now you're telling yourself you should have ejected on the second departure。〃
 〃Only a thousand times today。〃
 〃Why didn't you?〃
 〃I should have。〃
 〃Why didn't you? Because she is your wife?〃
 〃Naw;〃 said Toad Tarkington; swallowing hard。 〃That wasn't it。 For just a few seconds there I was flying with you again; over the Med; and you were telling me to hang in there。 Toad…man; hang tough。 So I hung tough。 I wanted to give Rita that chance。 She was asking for it。 So I sat there and watched the altimeter unwind and waited for her to perform her miracle; and look…I may have killed her; or crippled her for life。〃
 〃It's all your fault; is that it?〃
 〃Aw。 Christ; CAG。〃
 〃Well; if you'd been in the front seat and she'd been in the back; what would you have done?〃
 〃About what Rita did。 If I were as good a pilot as Rita。〃
 〃I've been around these planes for a few years; Toad; and let me tell you; there are no right answers。 Some answers are better than others; but every option has unforeseen twists。 If you had jumped when the plane departed the second time; with fifteen or sixteen thousand feet of altitude; you and Rita would have spent the rest of your lives thinking you jumped too soon; that you might have saved it if you had hung in there just a little longer。 My father always called that being between a rock and a hard place。〃
 Toad shook his head。
 〃Years ago; in Vietnam; I learned that you can't second…guess yourself。 You have to do the best you can all the time; make the best decision you can in the time you have to make it…which is always precious little…and live with the consequences regardless。 That's the way flying is。 And occasionally you're going to make a mistake; nick it up。 That's inevitable。 The trick is to not make a fatal mistake。〃
 Jake Grafton's voice hardened。 〃Flying isn't chess or football or checkers! Flying isn't some game! Flying is life distilled down to the essence…it's the straight; two hundred…proof stuff。 And Rita knows; she's a U。S。 Naval Aviator。 She chose this line of work and worked like a slave to earn that ride today。 She knows。〃
 〃Yes;〃 Toad admitted。 〃She knows。〃
 
 At 3 A。M。 Rita's mother answered her phone in Connecticut。 She had obviously just awoke。 〃This is Toad Tarkington; Mrs。 Moravia。〃 You know; the guy who married your daughter? 〃Sorry to bother you this time of night I tried to call earlier…〃
 〃We were at a party。 Is everything okay?〃 She was wide awake now and being apprehensive。
 〃Well; not really。 That's sorta why I'm calling。 I thought you should know。〃
 She went to battle stations while Toad tried to collect his thoughts。
 He interrupted her torrent of words。 〃What it is…Rita and I jumped out of an airplane today; Mrs。 Moravia。 Rita's over in the hospital now。〃
 He could hear her talking to Mr。 Moravia。 The pitch in her voice was rising。
 〃Anyway; Rita's banged up pretty good and I thought you should know。〃
 〃How bad is it?〃
 〃She's in a a; Mrs。 Moravia。 She hit the ground before her parachute had time to open。〃 Silence。 Dead silence。 Toad continued; 〃Anyway; I'm with her and she's getting the best medical treatment there is and I'll call and let you know when anything changes。〃
 Mr。 Moravia spoke now。 Perhaps his wife had handed him the phone。 〃What's the prognosis; son?〃
 〃She could die; Mr。 Moravia。 She's in bad shape。〃
 〃Should we e out there?〃 He didn't even know where Toad was calling from。
 〃Not now。 When she es out of the a; that might be a good idea。 But not now。 I'll keep you advised。〃
 〃Are you okay?〃
 〃Fine; sir。 No injuries。〃 Nice that he should ask; Toad thought。
 〃We'll pray for her。〃
 〃Yes; do that。 I'm doing some of that myself。〃
 
 Harry Franks; the program manager for TRX; stood in the middle of the hangar issuing orders。 A small army of workmen were placing wreckage in piles as he directed。 They had been working since dawn。
 He greeted Jake Grafton without enthusiasm。 〃Give me five more minutes and we'll go upstairs;〃 he said; then pointed to a pile for a forklift operator with a piece of what looked like outboard wingtip。
 Jake and the manders wandered toward the door; trying to get out of the way。 The plane had exploded and burned when it hit; so the pieces that were left were blackened and charred。
 In an office on the second floor; the engineers from the pany that had manufactured the fly…by…wire system; AeroTech; were pleting the setup of their equipment。 An AeroTech vice president sat on one of the few chairs; sipping coffee and watching the final installation of the network of wires that powered and connected the test boxes。 He didn't look very vice presidential。 He and the engineers had flown in early this morning and had had only a few hours' sleep。 He stood up to shake hands with Jake。
 After the introductions; they got right to it。 The only surviving processor from the crashed prototype was carefully removed from its bent; damaged box and its innards exposed。 It was physically examined by the assembled experts with all the curiosity of a group of med students examining a man with a new disease。
 Jake backed off to let the experts have room。 He found himself beside Harry Franks。 〃Tell me again how the fly…by…wire system works。〃
 〃The aircraft had negative stability;〃 Franks said; hooking his thumbs behind his belt and warming to the subject。 〃Most high…tech tactical aircraft today have negative stability。〃 Jake nodded。
 Franks continued。 〃A human cannot fly a negatively stable machine。 It would be like trying to keep a barn door balanced on top of a flagpole。 So puters actually do the flying。 In that way we could build a highly maneuverable aircraft and optimize its low…observable…stealth…features without worrying that we were promising or negating the ability of the pilot to control it。 No

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