Disclaimer: Don't own and never will.

AN: In light of the huge number of Ace Combat oneshots I'm writing, I've decided to compile all my new ones into this collection.

It was a clear blue sky and not a cloud was to be seen. The wind was calm and the sun was shining. Even the birds seemed to be taking it easy today, with barely a flutter into the unthreatening sky.

And yet, in that clear blue sky, a red and blue Cessna 172 was in trouble.

Or rather, it's pilot was in trouble. Seven years old and Hans Grimm was making what was supposed to be his first landing, but he was coming in far too fast for a safe landing and his nose was pointing downwards. Most pilots would have scrubbed the landing altogether and come around for another pass, but Grimm's plane was almost out of power and he didn't have that luxury. No, it was now or never and Grimm didn't have any idea how he was going to pull this off.

He licked his lips nervously and his naturally pale face became even more pale. Cutting power to his engine, he let the prop feather and he tipped the nose slightly upwards. His speed was still too high when the two wheels of the tricycle undercarriage touched the green field below, but fortunately for Grimm's future as a pilot, it didn't crash.

Instead it bounced off the ground, like a stone skipping off of the water and skipped again a couple more times to roll to a halt at the feet of young Hans Grimm and he breathed a sigh of relief. He would have hated to have crashed his new toy on its first day out. Behind him, Karl Grimm gave his brother a friendly slap on the back.

"I told you, you could do it!" he said proudly with a smile and Hans smiled back. "You'll make a great pilot one day," he continued and Hans felt his stomach erupt with nerves. "Just keep practising!"

Hans smiled back. He wasn't so sure, but it felt good to have made that landing. Maybe he did have a chance after all?