Unknown Skies part 20
It was just over a month after Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven had watched the film "Frozen" with Sam. Sam was becoming more and more involved with the running of Arendelle, his main duties were still and always would be working on Quebec Echo and flying it in commercial service for Arendelle. Ever since the first taxy tests with the locally produced fuel, many more taxy tests were undertaken, some of them being at high speed to make sure the brakes and reverse thrust still worked.
The return to flight of the 757 would have to wait for a little while since Elsa wanted to have the airliner make its first flight in this world, in front of the large group of royals and dignitaries from all over the world at the Annual Spring trade fair. Huge numbers of people came from all over the world and it would be a perfect place for Sam and Dan to show off what the Boeing 757-200 could really do.
That day soon came and Arendelle was packed full of people. Merchants from all over the world came to sell their products and there were a great deal of them on offer. The passengers and crew of flight 595 did their best to help, a few of them even starting to sell a few things of their own! One person from the flight was selling her Aloe Vera Products which she had brought back on the aircraft with her!
Quebec Echo was the obvious star of the show, everyone gazed up at the airliner in wonder and a few of them were lucky enough to go inside and have a taxi ride on-board!
Just before mid-day, Noble and Commoner alike were gathered at the water's edge, the Nobles sitting in a raised set of seats which looked like the seating arrangement from a European football stadium.
Sam and Dan were already in Quebec Echo's cockpit, firing the jet up for its big moment. The two pilots stayed in contact with Elsa and Anna via a basic radio arrangement using Sam's laptop and an assortment of other bits. Elsa and Anna would act as Air Traffic Control, after a brief training session on Airline radio communication, and would relay any messages between the ground and the aircraft.
"All systems seem to be in good order. We should be ready to go shortly" Dan spoke to Sam as they finished their pre-flight checks.
"That's good. Don't want to disappoint the crowd do we?" Sam replied, gesturing to the crowd.
"No we don't" Dan agreed.
The two pilots were absolutely terrified. This was their one shot to impress the visiting people. However, they hadn't flown in a few months.
There was no time for worries now however.
"Ready?" Sam asked his friend.
"Ready" Dan replied.
Sam then activated his radio and spoke into it,
"Quebec Echo to Arendelle tower, we are ready for engine start."
Elsa's voice filtered through the radio back at Sam,
"Roger that. You are cleared for Engine start."
Sam then fired up both of the 757's Rolls Royce RB211 engines.
Everyone watching this was excited, this was it. Not long now until Quebec Echo took to the skies!
Once the engines were started, Sam and Dan taxied the aircraft along the Fjord, which Elsa had frozen to form a Suitable Runway and Taxiway system. The Two Pilots deliberately taxied the plane close to the crowd and did their control checks in front of the crowd. Finally, Sam and Dan brought the airliner onto the Icy runway, set the flaps and trim, and awaited their take-off clearance.
Elsa and Anna were unsure of who should be the one who cleared Quebec Echo for take-off. Since the one of them who did would be making history.
"You should do it Anna" Elsa said to her sister.
"Why me? You're the Queen. You should do it" Anna replied with a confused tone of voice.
"No Anna, you should do it. I insist." Elsa said back.
"Alright" Anna agreed and she put on the radio headset.
Sam's voice filtered through the radio,
"This is Quebec Echo; we are ready for take-off"
Anna paused for a moment, checking the instruments on Sam's laptop which would help measure weather and other factors which would effect flight, before taking a deep breath and saying,
"Quebec Echo, you are cleared for take-off. Surface wind is 3 knots to the west. Altimeter is 2-9-9-2. Welcome back to the skies"
"Roger that, Quebec Echo is cleared for take-off, surface wind is 3 knots to the west and Altimeter is 2-9-9-2." Sam replied before Dan added,
"It's great to be back"
Inside the cockpit, Sam and Dan both placed a hand on the throttles.
"Three, Two, One, Power!" Sam called out.
The two pilots pushed Quebec Echo's throttles to full power, the twin Rolls Royce Engines roared and the 757 began to move. Slowly but surely, and then faster and faster, the aircraft gained speed.
The noise generated by the engines was so loud that everyone watching had to cover their ears to prevent them being permanently deafened!
"60 knots" Dan called out.
"80 knots"
"100"
"120"
"140"
"180"
"220"
"V1, Rotate"
When Dan called out 'Rotate' both he and Sam gently pulled back on the control column.
The people watching the attempted take-off leant forwards in their seats as the nose of Quebec Echo lifted itself into the air. The whole aircraft seemed to hang in that angle for a long time but not long after the nose lifted into the air, the main gear legs relaxed as the weight of the 757 was transferred from them to the wings. Slowly, steadily and with grace that would rival Elsa herself, Quebec Echo took to the air!
"IT FLIES! IT FLIES!" Someone shouted. Everyone cheered at the sight of the airliner taking to the air. Elsa and Anna were the loudest of all.
"Welcome back to the skies Sam" Anna said into the radio.
"It's great to be back" Sam replied.
As the sisters and everyone else watched, Sam and Dan put Quebec Echo through its paces, making sure each of the aircraft systems were working properly. Once the checks were made, the two pilots couldn't resist showing off. They made several passes at low altitude, some with the gear and flaps extended. The crowd loved this and when Sam and Dan landed the jet as gracefully as the take-off, everyone knew that a new era in world history had just begun. The age of the Jet Airliner.