According to Roland's request, the Ministry of Construction built a track leading to the sea on the edge of the stone ridge. The two ends of the track were raised like a crescent moon.
When the prototype was lifted into the air, as long as the fastener was released, it would glide under the effect of gravity until it rushed out of the track. The whole acceleration process was like a roller coaster in modern times, but it was far less exciting.
Of course, this alone could not guarantee that the wings could get enough lift, so Vendy still needed to create an upper hand.
Once the glider jumped out of the stone ridge, it would be more than 15 meters high from the sea, which would provide ample space for adjustment. With the speed of the glider, the pilot and the rescuers would be able to prepare for it, whether it was climbing or falling into the sea.
This was also the reason why Roland designed the prototype with two seats at the beginning.
Now that Lightning and Maggie were fighting in the Barbarian Land, the responsibility of rescue was naturally handed over to Tilly.
The latter readily agreed.
"Let's board the plane," Roland estimated that it was almost time, so he turned around and said to the two.
Vendy nodded, clenched her fists as if to cheer herself up, and then walked towards the aircraft with Tilly.
...
After boarding the plane, Vendy found that the thing was much bigger than she had imagined.
Especially the two pairs of flat wings on the top of the head and the feet, which were incomparable to any bird, even Maggie, who had transformed into a Devilbeast, was a little short of them.
Being blown by the sea breeze, the slender tips of the wings were obviously shaking, which made her feel a little uneasy. She always felt that once she flew, a gust of wind would break her wings.
Although Roland had mentioned that this was a normal phenomenon, the strength of the aluminum skeleton was completely capable of handling all kinds of maneuvers at low speed, and the toughness of the skin Soraya had drawn was also far stronger than ordinary leather and cloth, but the two wings were somewhat thin, compared to the surface area, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were just pieces of paper.
"Sir, when you're ready, just let me know." The soldier's words brought Vendy back to reality.
"I understand. Hmm … the first thing to do is …"
"Make sure everything is normal." Tilly, who was behind him, comforted him. "Don't be nervous. Even if something goes wrong, I'm here to watch over you."
"… Thank you." Upon hearing this, Vendy immediately felt relieved. Yes, she was not the only one who had listened to His Majesty's flight theory class. If someone could correct her in time, she would make fewer mistakes.
"First, the rear elevator is controlled by the main lever."
Vendy took a deep breath and pulled an iron rod in front of her seat. A creaking sound came from under her. She knew it was the sound of the wire at the bottom of the rod pulling the tail. Before the prototype was built, she had practiced hundreds of times on the simulator.
"The elevator is normal. Next is … erm, the rudder," Tilly said.
However, the parts on the simulator were much simpler. It consisted of two vertical rods, two pedals, and several steel cables. Vendy found it hard to believe that these few things could make the glider fly like a bird. After all, it was not much more complicated to operate than a bicycle.
If the elevator rod was a rod that could only move forward and backward, then the rudder rod could only move left and right. The cradle had fixed their trajectory, and the bicycle head could at least turn in a circle.
"The rudder is normal. Finally, the ailerons."
According to His Majesty, most planes had three sets of wings, one in the front and two in the back. From the front, the three sets formed a symbol of "earth". The vertical one was the rudder, which was similar to the rudder of a ship. If the wind was like water, its deflection could change the direction of the nose of the plane.
The first relatively short bar was the elevator, which could also be called the tail. When it was raised, the nose of the plane would be raised, and when it was lowered, the nose would be lowered, just like the rudder of a ship lying down. Both of them were very easy to understand. Vendy could infer their working principles from the chapter of "Decomposition and Synthesis of Forces" in Elementary Physics.
The last bar represented the ailerons. It was not until she saw them that Vendy understood where the word "ailerons" came from. They were embedded in the back of the big wings, and their area was less than one-tenth of the size of the big wings. They were connected to the pedals under her feet by the steel cables passing through the skeleton, one on each side.
Different from the other two, the ailerons had to be raised and lowered at the same time to be effective. The opposite forces on both sides would cause the plane to deflect or even roll. It was also the most important control part in flight.
Vendy had asked His Majesty about this. Since the rudder could cause deflection, why was there a pair of ailerons? His Majesty's explanation was that the three rudder surfaces did not work separately. Every movement required them to be completed together. If only the rudder was swung, it would easily cause the plane to move sideways. When making a sharp turn, the elevator had to be lowered to stabilize the altitude.
It was precisely because of this that he needed a detailed set of test data to write the Flight Manual that would serve as a guide. He needed to know what operations needed to be taken to achieve maneuverability under different postures, or the effect of changes in wind direction on the aircraft, as well as the inadequacies during operations … After obtaining these data, it was possible to build a truly reliable aircraft.
"The ailerons look fine." Tilly patted her on the shoulder. "I'll leave the rest to you."
Vendy felt her heart beating fast. She glanced at the king in the distance, turned to the soldiers and said, "I'm ready. Open the fastener."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The soldiers immediately got busy.
"The runway is cleared and the green light is on," Vendy said in her heart. Although she did not understand the meaning of this password, since His Majesty said it could bring luck, she would do as he said.
With a slight vibration, the Glider Type I was pushed onto the track.
Then it began to fall.
The wheels made a clattering sound against the track, and the whole plane began to shake. She felt that she was rapidly sliding down the slope, and the sea at the end of the track was getting closer and closer to her.
His heart instantly jumped to his throat.
"What should I do next?"
She thought in a panic. The track was already halfway up, but there was no sign that the glider was going to fly.
"Give me wind!" Tilly shouted.
Yes, give me wind. The glider's speed was not enough to support the weight of two people. She needed to create a stable and gentle wind to gently lift the huge wings.
As soon as this idea came to her mind, her body took action. The magic vortex started to spin, and an invisible airflow appeared out of nowhere and lightly pressed against the underside of the wings.
The harsh sound of friction was immediately reduced, and the weight of the Glider Type I seemed to have disappeared. Before Vendy could understand the meaning of these changes, the glider had already rushed out of the edge of the stone ridge.
A brief upward tilt made her feel a clear sense of weight, as if someone had reached out and pressed her down on the seat.
At the same time, her body leaned back, and she could not help but pull down the main lever.
The nose of the glider responded to her control, and it rose more obviously.
Her field of view also changed. The brown land covered with withered grass and fallen leaves disappeared without a trace, and even the vast Whirlpool Sea became a supporting role. The blue sky filled most of her field of view, and the dazzling light made her squint slightly.
For a moment, Wendy felt like a petrel soaring into the sky, flying against the light.
This feeling was so free, and she also understood why His Majesty said that airplanes and hot air balloons were two completely different things.
However, only a few seconds later, Vendy found that the sound of wind in her ears had subsided.
The nose of the glider was raised high, but it did not continue to climb. It was as if time had stopped. She wanted to increase the wind power, but found that the wind blowing on the main wing not only did not change the situation, but also made the whole fuselage tilt over.
"You've pulled too much!" Tilly exclaimed.
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