In order to allow the glider to run, the Ministry of Construction, in accordance with Roland's request, built a track on the edge of the stone ridge that pointed straight to the sea, and the two ends of the track were raised upwards, like a crescent moon.
When the experimental prototype is lifted into place, as long as the fixer is released, it will start to slide under the action of gravity until it rushes out of the track. The entire acceleration process is somewhat like a roller coaster of later generations, but it is far less exciting.
Of course, these alone cannot guarantee that the wings can get enough lift, so Wendy needs to create a little advantage by herself.
Once over the rocky ridge, the height difference of up to 15 meters with the sea is a period of ample adjustment space. At the speed of the glider, whether it is climbing or falling into the sea, the driver and the ambulance can be prepared.
This is also the reason why Roland put two seats on the prototype from the beginning.
Now that both Lightning and Maisie are fighting in the wilderness, the responsibility for rescue is naturally handed over to Tilly.
The latter readily agreed.
"Get on the plane," Roland estimated that it was almost time, and turned to the two of them.
Wendy nodded, clenched her fists as if to cheer herself up, and then walked towards the aircraft with Tilly.
…
When she got on the plane, Wendy realized that it was bigger than she thought.
In particular, the two pairs of straight wings on the top and bottom of the head, no bird can compare with them, even Maisie who has been transformed into a beast, is also a little short in length.
Under the blowing of the sea breeze, the slender wingtips could see obvious shaking, which made her feel a little uneasy. She always felt that once it took off, as long as a strong wind blew, it could be broken.
Although Roland mentioned that this is a normal phenomenon, the strength of the aluminum frame can fully cope with various maneuvers during low-speed flight, and the toughness of the skin painted by Soraya is also much stronger than ordinary leather and cloth, but the two wings It is really thin, and compared to its size, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a piece of paper.
"Sir, if you're ready, just let me know," the soldier's words brought Wendy back to her senses.
"I see, um... The first thing to do is..."
"Confirm whether the rudder surfaces are normal." Tilly behind her comforted, "Don't be nervous, even if there is a problem, I'll be watching you."
"...Thank you." Wendy felt a lot at ease when she heard these words. That's right, she was not the only one who had listened to the flight principle class that His Majesty told her. Make some mistakes.
"First, the tail elevator, controlled by the main lever."
Wendy took a deep breath and pulled an iron rod in front of the seat with both hands. There was a creaking sound from below. She knew that it was the sound of the bottom wire pulling the tail. Before the prototype was built, she made Have practiced hundreds of times on the simulator table.
"Elevator is normal, next is... um, rudder." Tilly continued.
However, the components on the simulation platform are much simpler. Two vertical poles, two pedals, and a few steel cables make up the whole of it. Wendy has a hard time believing that with these few things, she can make the glider in His Majesty's mouth. Fly like a bird, after all it's not much more complicated to operate than a bicycle.
If the lift rod is a rod that can only move back and forth, then the direction control rod can only move left and right, the card seat has fixed their trajectory, and the bicycle faucet can still turn around.
"The rudder is also normal, and finally the ailerons."
According to His Majesty, most airplanes have three sets of wings, one at the front and the other at the back, and the three just form an "earth" symbol when viewed from the front. The rudder that stands up is similar in function to the rudder of a boat. If you imagine the wind as a current of water, its deflection can change the direction of the nose.
The first shorter horizontal bar is the elevator, also known as the tail, the nose rises when it is raised, and the nose falls when it falls, like a rudder lying down. Both are very well understood, and Wendy can use the chapter "Decomposition and Synthesis of Forces" in elementary physics to deduce how it works.
And the last horizontal bar represents the aileron. It was not until she saw the real thing that Wendy understood where the word "auxiliary" came from. It was embedded behind the big wing, and its area was less than one-tenth of the former. , connected by a steel cable passing through the skeleton to the pedals under his feet, just one on each side.
It is different from the previous two. It must be raised while falling to be effective. The diametrically opposite forces on both sides will cause the aircraft to deflect or even roll. It is also the most important control component in flight.
Wendy once asked His Majesty, since the rudder can cause deflection, why should an extra pair of ailerons be installed, and His Majesty's explanation is that these three rudder surfaces do not work independently, and each action requires them to be completed together. If you swing the rudder, it is easy to cause lateral movement of the body, and when turning sharply, you need to lower the elevator to stabilize the altitude.
Because of this, he needs a detailed test data to write the instructive "Flight Manual" what operations need to be taken to achieve maneuvering under different attitudes; or the impact of changes in wind direction on the aircraft, and The perceived deficiencies in operation... With this data, a truly reliable aircraft is possible.
"Ailerons don't seem to be a problem," Tilly patted her on the shoulder, "I'll leave it to you later."
Wendy felt her heart beating a little hard. She glanced at His Majesty the King in the distance, then turned to the soldier and said, "I'm ready, open the retainer."
"Yes, please pay attention!" The soldiers immediately became busy.
The runway was cleared and the green lights were all on, Wendy said silently in her heart. Although I don't understand the meaning of this password, since His Majesty said that it can bring luck, so I followed it.
With a slight shock, the glider type 1 was pushed onto the track.
Then there is the fall.
The wheels rubbed against the track, and the entire fuselage shook. She felt that she was sliding down the top of the slope quickly, and the sea at the end of the track was getting closer and closer to her.
A heart popped into his throat in an instant.
What's next
She thought in a panic, seeing that the track had already run halfway, but this thing showed no sign of flying.
"Give the wind!" Tilly shouted loudly.
That's right, to give the wind a speed that is not fast enough to support the weight of two people, she needs to create a stable and smooth upper wind, gently lift the huge wings
As soon as this thought came to her mind, her body had already made a move, the magic vortex was spinning, and an invisible airflow appeared out of thin air, lightly touching the underside of the wing.
The harsh rubbing noise was suddenly reduced a lot, and the weight of the glider seemed to no longer exist. Before Wendy could understand the meaning of these changes, the plane had already rushed out of the edge of the stone ridge.
A brief upturn made her experience a clear sense of overweight, as if someone reached out and pressed her against the seat.
At the same time, her body leaned back and she couldn't help pulling down the main lever.
The nose of the plane responded to her control, raising it more clearly.
The angle of view has also changed, the brown land covered with withered grass and fallen leaves has disappeared without a trace, and even the vast vortex sea has become a supporting role, the azure sky fills most of her field of vision, and the dazzling light spots make her. She narrowed her eyes slightly.
For a moment, Wendy felt that she was just like Haiyan rising into the sky, walking against the light.
This feeling was so free, and it made her understand why His Majesty said that airplanes and hot air balloons are two completely different things.
But after just a few seconds, Wendy found that the wind in her ears had subsided.
The nose of the glider was raised high, but it did not continue to climb, and time seemed to stand still. She wanted to increase the wind, but found that the wind blowing on the main wing not only did not reverse the predicament, but turned the fuselage upside down.
"You pulled your head!" Tilly exclaimed.
Before I could think about what went wrong, the plane fell like a stone.