None But Air: Episode 2, Episode 3

By MORI Hiroshi

Everyone puts his or her own life on the aircraft, and fly high into the sky. Because of that point of argument, I respect all the pilots, regardless of whether they are my friendlies or enemies. Some of the pilots, who may be able to become more and more skillful or still possess the potential for the future, may suffer from bad luck and be shot down. In reality, we cannot practice for aerial combats. Once we fail, everything will come to nothing. This is the most notable feature of our job.

There are no such things as gods for us.
What we believe are our mechanics and our own hands that hold the control sticks.

“You are the number-one pilot among those whom I know. You will probably surpass me in not-so-distant future.”

This is a story about the Teacher and me.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 29, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387299164

Book preview

None But Air: Episode 2, Episode 3

None But Air: Episode 2, Episode 3

Originally written in Japanese by MORI, Hiroshi

Translated by Ryusui Seiryoin

Cover illustration by mm

Cover design by mm

This work was first published in Japan in 2004.

Japanese edition copyright © 2004 MORI, Hiroshi / Chuokoron-Shinsha

English edition copyright © 2017 MORI, Hiroshi / The BBB: Breakthrough Bandwagon Books

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-387-29916-4

Episode 2: Loop

The flight of bats depends on their necessity, and their wings are completely covered with taut membranes. Bats’ prey, which are nocturnal, seek to escape by means of extremely complicated revolutions, whose confusion is enhanced by their various twists, rolls, spirals, and turns. So, the bats must chase their targets by flying upside down, while keeping the attitude diagonally angled or employing various other methods of orientations. They could not execute such maneuvers without causing their own destruction, if the bats had feathered wings that could let air pass through them.

This excerpt is from a manuscript originally written in Italian by Leonardo da Vinci.

-1-

It was about one month later when Sanka Mark A2 was brought to the airbase. Until then, I had piloted Suiga to fly in the sky six times. However, I had not encountered enemies at all during the sorties. Four times out of all the six flights, I flew with the Teacher. Although I wanted to learn more from him, I was not favored with a good opportunity.

Still, on the ground, I could converse with him several times. His aircraft and mine were moored in the same hangar, so we often met there. To my surprise, Sasakura was selected as the mechanic in charge of the Teacher’s aircraft. I did not know the details of what went down in making the deal. Sasakura was so full of spirit, to the extent that I was worried if he would not be able to focus on maintaining my aircraft properly.

On the other hand, I could not quite establish enough emotional attachment to Suiga. It was because I knew a new Sanka was coming to the base soon. Sadly though, it could not be helped. I just thought I would at least try to pilot Suiga as carefully as possible. Usually, a pilot would try to customize the aircraft as he or she would like after several initial flights. Even though I should have requested Sasakura to modify this and that of my aircraft, I had decided to hold back on that occasion.

The cockpit of Suiga was a bit too spacious for me. Such an oversized coffin could not possibly allow me to die in peace. It was because the body of this model was designed to be thick to be able to load a huge engine in the nacelle on its nose. Compared to this, Sanka was small. I felt they were completely distinct types of aircrafts, like they were weapons as different from each other as a knife and a blunt weapon were.

But I also thought piloting Suiga was a very good experience for me. The mechanism, in which the plane flew while being pulled, not pushed, by the engine power, gave me the sense of absolute stability when ascending to the higher altitude. Also, the rudder would receive the wind from the propellers, and it could shorten the time lag from the loss of control due to a stalling to the recovery. In this respect, I could gain the advantage in one-on-one dogfight, and that would allow me to add a wide variety of aviation.

However, I had been getting the impression that the current capabilities were reaching the limits. I could easily tell from my experience in piloting it that the engine and the fuselage were pushed to the edges. I might have pointed out that neither the vibration of the engine nor the sound of the wings cutting the wind had room for allowance or play to spare. It was similar to a case in which someone wearing a heavy suit of armor was trying to brandish a heavy sword. The condition would not allow any notion of adding anything else. In short, it was exhausting.

In the trend of the evolution of fighter aircrafts, I could say Sanka was a new derivative breed that emerged from a point that was far from the main stream. The Teacher said he had participated in the development project as a test pilot. What opinions and comments did he give them? I was quite curious about it.

This airplane had a moderate softness which pilots craved for. I knew that for sure.

Frequently, I flew an aircraft even in my dream. As expected, I would later recall that I had been in a cockpit of Sanka in many of the dreams.

I did not have an interesting dream so often. I was sure that my real life was much more interesting than my dream. As for my dreams, in most cases, they were scenes, such as something wrong happening, and my aircraft becoming uncontrollable. I had never experienced a fatal trouble like that in an actual flight. So, I tried to think that I had managed to consume my bad luck by having nightmares. In fact, it had been that way.

On the night when I heard from Goda that the new Sanka would arrive in the afternoon of the next day, I was so excited with joy and anticipation that I could not stay still in my room. I ran to the hangar to see Sasakura, when he was repairing a motorbike in front of the shutter. He had been given from someone a junk and was overhauling it. Although it had been dismantled in the last few days, it had regained the complete motorbike form. I was a bit surprised by that.

What’s up? You are looking happy. Sasakura greeted, while looking at me.

Sanka will be coming tomorrow.

Oh, congratulations on that. I surely would like to take a look at it. He put a wrench back into a toolbox. I want to see its three-stage intake manifold more than anything else. I want to know how they could fit that into such a limited space.

My guess is that they made something smaller by casting magic spells.

At the time, I noticed that Sasakura was not in his jumpsuit as usual. He was wearing a leather jacket instead. It was a normal attire for somebody else, but rare as his fashion.

Are you going somewhere? I asked.

Yeah, I will just make a test run.

What? Are you testing this? I looked at the motorbike.

There is nothing else that I can get on.

To where?

Ah, to the downtown area.

Where is the downtown located? How far away is it?

Haven’t you visited there? Sasakura opened his mouth.

Not even once. I shook my head.

Really ... Then, will you come with me?

What? How?

Unlike a fighter aircraft, we can share the ride on this one.

You lie. I laughed.

It’s true. Here, there is the seat, right? Sasakura tapped on the rear part of the motorbike. The seats are tandemly arranged.

Come to think of it, I had seen a photograph in which two people were riding on a motorbike. But the motorbike in the photograph was a larger, genuine type than the one Sasakura had been fixing.

What is out there in the downtown area?

Nothing in particular. We will drink coffee, eat pies or something, and get back.

It was 18:30. I had yet to have the day’s dinner. If I would not go to the dining hall, I would be summoned to the office to be reprimanded again.

I’m coming with you. I said.

What? Sasakura widened his eyes. Are you kidding me? He frowned and showed an unwilling look.

You have just invited me, haven’t you?

Ah, well ... I did, just for the heck of it.

Let me ride the motorbike.

What? Have you ever gotten on a motorbike?

I have ridden a scooter before.

No, you cannot ride this. Sasakura shook his head.

It seems to be easier than piloting an aircraft.

No.

All right, then. I will get on the rear seat. I tapped the seat.

-2-

By the time I recalled the face of the elderly woman in the dining hall, we were already away from the airbase by one kilometer in the forest. The road was bluntly straight and dark. Only the vicinity in front of us was lit with the headlight. I was right behind Sasakura on the motorbike. Even though it was very comfortable in the initial phase, it was starting to get colder and colder.

How are you feeling? Sasakura shouted loudly.

It’s cold! I replied.

After a while, the motorbike slowed down and stopped by a roadside.

We were in the forest, surrounded by the trees.

It seemed that a more spacious place was a little ahead of us, but there was no shop or house as much as we could see. There was no car. The surrounding atmosphere was eerie enough to make me imagine that wolves would appear at any moment. I should have brought a gun here, I regretted