Taxi to runway 24L via Alpha

[Janick Beauchamp]

"You have to realize that bes'uliiks are not usually used for target practice; the standard protocol for air-to-air target practice is quite different"

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"] was having a lot of questions: a normal thing. Thus far, she was pleased with Cass: in fact, maybe it's all that Cass needed to actually get started as far as flying was concerned. Even the aces had to get started somewhere, but this bes'uliik took heavy battle damage, maybe enough to be safer to write off than to maintain. It was firepower-killed but not mobility-killed, a rarity for a fighter, but capital ships, artillery or armor being only firepower-killed and still able to move, even in a limited fashion, was more common. But presumably there were excess material that couldn't be safely salvaged in this condition; that's why, on occasion, it was safer to salvage it after it has been destroyed in a target practice than as is. It was just the unlucky captured bes'uliik in poor condition, flying at speeds more akin to main battle tanks on repulsorlifts, maybe a fast MBT, than to actual dogfighting speed. So she has full confidence that it would only take a few tries above the landfill to shoot the bes'uliik down. Plus it had a trail of smoke making Cass' job easier to perform.

"Most of the time it's better to get closer before firing the guns, especially the faster the target is; lock-on is more important for missile firing. In atmosphere, the effective firing range of a missile depends on whether the target is flying towards you, away from you or even in flank; guns' range is less affected by the target's relative direction with respect to you. Often enemies will target the engines if flying in flank or behind you: in starfighter combat a mobility kill is more dangerous than a firepower kill, especially in atmosphere"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She nodded as [member="Janick Beauchamp"] spoke. Okay, so it wasn't the usual. That eased her curiosity, at least somewhat. There was usually a different protocol, but it looks like they were an exception to the rule.

As she came closer to the craft, she practiced moving the yoke to the right, left, up and down and watching the indicators and computer systems read their feedback to her. Janick wasn't kidding - it was moving fairly slowly compared to them or any other ship she'd seen. As they got closer, it looked more worn out and damaged. The smoke itself was particularly worrisome - this thing looked like it was already about to fall apart. Maybe she wouldn't even need to hit it with any missiles - it'd naturally just fall apart.

In either case, she got fairly close to the ship before allowing the computer systems to begin locking onto the ship. It was only a few seconds later that the systems lit up, letting her know she could fire. She pushed the button the yoke and... Bam, bam, bam. Several missiles shot out of the fighter and towards the bes'uliik. It only took several missiles for the ship to begin falling apart & then lit up the sky for a few moments in a fiery explosion.

"Wow." Cassiopeia didn't and not really couldn't say much else. She turned back as she processed the last bit of information Janick told her. She nodded, "That makes sense."

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"Usually what people call guns are the laser cannons. You have to realize that missiles are in finite supply and that you won't last very long in a prolonged engagement if you keep firing missiles at every target of opportunity"

It took [member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"] two missiles to shoot down the derelict bes'uliik to be exact. U-wing trainers usually had two tubes for missiles, whereas normal U-wings did not feature any. Now that she had an idea of how to handle herself in a fight, Cass should be able to undertake the final portion of today's training session. Now that the bes'uliik was shot down, in an explosion that projects debris all over the landfill, which were now much safer than when the craft was still in one piece. To the extent debris could be safe to manipulate given the heat they project, that is. Maybe total safety would come a few days from now, after the initial heat has dissipated and the radiation has decayed: it was probably the sort of hazard that was radiation-related, and where destroying the incriminated craft would force a decay of the radioactive isotopes into safer compounds. Maybe radiation is why Griet found better to simply have the worn-down bes'uliik disposed of in a target practice than through regular channels, she thought, before the time to land arrived.

"Let's return at the base for the final lesson of the day: landings"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She nodded as [member="Janick Beauchamp"] spoke. It was important to ration the missiles - it wouldn't be very useful to run out in the middle of a battle. That was important to remember, particularly considering how expensive she could only presume missiles cost. At least, en bulk.

Cassiopeia was proud of herself. She somehow managed to take down the bes'uliik with two missiles. It had exploded in a fiery explosion over the debris field. Her initial feelings about her target being something less useful diminished, if not gone. It only took two missiles to take the thing down - there was probably little to no hope in repairing it. It'd probably be broken down for parts that could be recycled & used. She could only imagine that would take days before they could get the material out of the debris field and begin recycling the materials.

And then there it was. The other dreaded issue. Landing. "Okay... So... Tips? Suggestions so I don't get us killed?" She nervously chuckled. She had heard landing the ship would be the hardest part - whether that is true had yet to be seen, but she was nervous about it.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"It's about engaging the repulsorlift when you're near decision height, that is, the point where you can safely make the decision of landing or not, which depends on the craft. Most snubfighters can operate under category IV conditions, which is near-zero visibility, but with automated controls. When you do reach that point, you gradually lower the throttle and push the repulsorlift button. Ideally you would want to slow down long before you reach decision height"

The literature of decision height, which is reported as above-ground elevations, usually talks about four categories of landings in IFR conditions, classified according to the danger level, and what aircraft can safely land under which weather conditions, also containing landing pad visual range in their definitions: categories I, II, III and IV have decision heights of 50m, 25m, 15m and 5m and LPVRs of 550m, 250m, 150m and 50m respectively. Again, [member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"] had no reason to be nervous because Janick could take over if she screws up badly enough to require it, no more than Janick had to be nervous. But if Janick had to take over, Cass would then have a demonstration of how a proper landing is performed. Sure, some instructors can get nervous, but these instructors tend to be green as instructors, if not as pilots. She watched the instrument panel as the U-wing made its approach back towards the airbase they came from, with a well-deserved break after the flight was done, and hopefully not have combat sorties to perform too soon after just getting started on learning it.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She carefully listened to [member="Janick Beauchamp"]. This would be a major part of her lesson - actually getting the craft back onto the ground. She knew bits and pieces of this - but she definitely didn't know how this ship worked or even how most ships worked. She would need to slowly push down on the throttle and slow the craft down before getting to the decision height. She'd have to remember that terminology - she liked it.

She was clearly nervous about it but Janick seemed to be okay. Janick could take control of the craft, which rested Cassiopeia's mind some. She didn't have to worry about accidentally killing either of them because she was trained, she knew what she was doing, she was the pro. Maybe Cassiopeia could eventually get as good as her. They were quickly getting close to the decision height, at least based off what the instrument panels were reading. She took a deep breath as she lowered the throttle more, the ship slowing down.

She took a deep breath and once she was right at the decision height, she hit the repulsorlift button. The ship began to land. Although, it was fairly bumpy before the ship fully stopped. Very bumpy. But the ship was undamaged and they weren't either.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"They always say that takeoffs are optional but landings are mandatory, in the sense that, in any flight you make, you have to land, provided no damage has been sustained to your craft"

Of course I would expect bumpy flying from a beginner but she's grateful for the autoland button, then again, so am I, especially in bad weather. Now, on Utapau that usually meant sandstorms, with light rain in Kessil's region, she thought, while realizing just how nervous [member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"] was as the craft reached decision height. Granted, she knew that it could have been worse, but at least Cass knew what mattered in the context of flying. Touch-and-go was a common drill for beginner pilots still in their training stages; here she feels that Cass made good progress and that she can fly touch-and-go drills solo at later stages, but it was best not to expect too rapid a progress, in that case one can become its own worst enemy. Then again, she knew the Force didn't automatically make better pilots; how else to explain the problems encountered by the Sith in cockpits, on Thyferra, on Kashyyyk and in other theaters where starfighters were used? Now that the U-wing landed on the pad, she opened the cockpit door and, since U-wings were sometimes used by air-cav squads, the passenger doors as well, through which the pilots had to enter.

"I know you learned a lot today, so what about you take a break from flying?"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"] and her were on the ground again. The ship was completely landed, parked, and almost shut off. It was a success. She nodded as she listened to Janick, a smile growing on her lips. "I like that. Takeoffs are optional but landings are mandatory, part."

Cassiopeia was worried she'd be terrible, but it turned out she was relatively okay. She definitely felt like she had the potential to continue to train & grow her skills - maybe she'd become a full fledged one one day. Teacher and starfighter, what a title.

In either case, the important thing was she felt like today was a success. And she truly didn't feel like it would have been possible without Janick guiding her.

Janick opened the cockpit door along with the passenger doors. Cassiopeia had learned a lot, but she had to agree with Janick - she was ready for a break. "Yeah, I think a break sounds pretty good." She nodded a confirmation as they would exit the starfighter. Back on the ground, Cassiopeia would stretch. She had to appreciate being able to stretch her body after being inside a relatively tight space.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"You were very lucky to get an instructor like me: you now how fighter pilots often seem to be - they like to go fast, especially those with the actual skill, and they often get impatient"

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"] was definitely grateful for Janick - she knew that, in some factions, especially LS ones, senior/elite pilots had a duty to train new recruits, even though as flight instructors, they were highly variable. Oh well, I think Cass would be a good CFI provided she gets the required amount of experience and/or skill, whichever happens first. However, part of the Sith factions' problems in a dogfighting context might be explained by them stressing anger and other negative emotions, conflating the training of the Sith proper vs that of the starfighter pilots; then again Sith have their hands in every aspect of running their factions' governments, while LS factions tended to give more control to NFUs if they feel it's better to do so, she thought, while remaining mindful that certified flight instructors tended to be more heavily regulated in Core Worlds and Colonies than in Wild Space. And probably First Order space as well. But she couldn't help but think of the business for piloting lessons vs. the regions involved. Yes, Wild Space often had a reputation for having a wide variety of flight instructors, in both quality and quantity.

"Goodbye..."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She nodded her agreement - she was lucky to get an instructor like her. Shew as patient, understanding, and more importantly, supportive. It wasn't often someone could get all 3 features in their teacher/instructor. She smiled a little. She was definitely right about that. "Yeah... You're right about that. No patience. Thank you so much, for everything." She wondered if she'd be her instructor for the next lesson.

"Would you be my instructor for the next round...? Or would it be someone else?" She didn't really want anyone else teaching her - she greatly preferred what she was learning from [member="Janick Beauchamp"]. Of course, maybe Janick really would prefer not to have to deal with her. She was a bit of a sloppy pilot.

In either case, Janick said goodbye so Cassiopeia gave a big grin and waved a little, "Bye. Thanks again, Janick."

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

All right, I think she should come back to me for more advanced training, but only after flying a few sorties. Yes, Cass was a little sloppy, but that's normal for beginners. Everyone went through that stage, she thought, while being remembered of the other pilots that actually tried to train the other recruits. As appreciated as she is, she couldn't be everywhere at once. She knew that it was harder to be patient, understanding or supportive if one was an ace pilot delivering basic training, and a vision flashed in her mind as to who actually did that: often the basic training was provided by ambitious, skilled pilots with some experience that hoped to perform well in that capacity so that they could find themselves in the command of flights or squadrons later down the road, depending on where they were at in their careers. So she returned to the mess, once again ready to gulp some more Asobi 95% tihaar, that azeotropic goodness in a tablespoon. The time has come to indulge in it, to get her mind off the sloppy flying of the apprentice, even though it wasn't a near-death experience.