Chapter 24
"Today, we're doing aerobatics." Ace announced as he and Kerry walked out to the skystriker.
"What? I've never done aerobatics." Kerry turned white at that thought. "I barely made it through stalls and spins."
"Well, we're going to work on that. Listen, Cadet, if you plan on being a fighter pilot you are going to have to learn how to handle quick maneuvers and hone dogfighting skills." Ace stopped and turned to her.
"Yes, sir. But, I'm still not looking forward to it." Kerry sighed.
"No one really ever does, but, it does help with just about any maneuver as well as confidence." Ace said simply.
"Confidence?" Kerry stopped in her tracks.
"Yes, confidence. You have a slight confidence problem that you seem to hide by acting overconfident. Yet, when you fly, I notice hesitation in some maneuvers." Ace turned back to her. "So, we are going to work on that."
"I don't have a confidence problem when I'm flying."
"Not when its straight and level and basic maneuvers, no. But, anything else, yes." Ace said simply. "So, let's go."
"Does my dad know about this?"
"Your dad gave me carte blanche in teaching you how to fly." Ace smiled. "And you sound like a spoiled brat."
"Okay, so I'm scared. What if I can't do this? Then I'll never be an air force pilot."
"You can do this. Listen for the first few maneuvers, I will actually do them, then, you'll do them with me and then, you'll do them." Ace said simply.
As soon as Ace pulled the first barrel roll and hammerhead stall, he heard the unmistakable sounds of someone emptying their stomach contents into the air mask and smiled. Not because she threw up, well, yeah, partly because the sprout threw up, but also because he remembered when his aerobatic instructor pulled a barrel roll on him and he did exactly the same thing.
"You okay back there?" He asked trying to keep the humor out of his voice.
"Yeah." He could tell she was still fighting the nausea.
"I could land if you're not feeling well." He suggested. "Cadet, Kerry, it won't look bad."
"No, lets finish this." She hoped her voice wouldn't give away the fact that she was still not feeling well.
"You know what, we'll do this tomorrow." With that, Ace landed the plane. As he watched the young cadet stumble back to the operations office, he felt bad. But, he remembered how he felt when that had happened to him and he'd already been flying for several years including having had his flight instructor certification by the time he went through aerobatics in a jet. One of the requirements to be an instructor is to go through spin training and that had been a nightmare as well.
"Ace" He heard his commander's voice behind him.
"General."
"Everything alright?"
"Yes, sir. Sprout got sick during aerobatics training. I think she feels pretty bad right now and I'm not talking about her stomach either." Ace sighed.
"Ah, I remember my first aerobatics class, I swore I was going to die." Hawk laughed.
"I threw up all over the cockpit like Kerry did" Ace laughed. "But, somehow, I think Kerry thinks she's alone in this and she probably feels like she's never going to be a good pilot after this."
"What do you think?"
"I think she's a natural. I've never seen such raw talent in flying since, well, me." Ace smiled.
"I'll go talk to her."
"Sir, with all due respect, as her flight instructor I should be the one to talk to her." With that, Ace walked away.
"Of course, and by the way, where did Sprout come from?"
"I don't know, I just came up with it." He yelled back.
"Well, I like it." Hawk muttered.
He stood outside the women's locker room waiting for Kerry leaning against the wall, arms and legs crossed. He saw her head drop once she caught sight of him.
"Are you happy?" She said as she raised her head and he could see the red eyes of someone who'd been crying. "I'll never be a fighter pilot now."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I got sick in a simple barrel roll"
"Yeah, so? Come on, let's get out of here." He smiled.
"Where are we going?"
"Off base for a while. Go get your uniform and meet me outside in ten minutes." He walked off.
Ten minutes later, Kerry walked up to Ace who was standing next to a sweet brand new 1983 Fire engine red Mustang. He was wearing his class C Air Force Uniform with the blue and silver captain's bars epaulets standing out from the lighter blue shirt, the blue "Armbruster" nameplate adorning his right chest and silver senior pilot wings adorning his left chest just above the pockets. The blue 'wheel cap' service cap covered his head. She felt grossly overdressed in the full dress Air Force academy uniform. And she realized he was even hotter in uniform than in his flight suit.
"Nice ride." She saluted him.
"Thanks, just bought it." He walked around the passenger's side and opened the door for her.
"Where are we going, sir?"
"You'll see."
An hour later, they pulled up to the main gate of Hill Air Force base.
"What are we doing here?"
"You'll see." Ace smiled a sly smile that worried Kerry. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the officer's club.
"Come on." He opened the door and escorted her to the door.
"I can't go in there yet, I'm not an officer."
"Sure you can. Let's go." He opened the door to find his current girlfriend waiting for him. "Ginny!" He hugged his tall, beautiful girlfriend and suddenly, Kerry felt woefully inadequate. The woman was at least five ten, perfect body with chestnut brown hair and emerald green eyes.
"Brad. Glad you finally made it. I take it this is Kerry?" Ginny Veracruz stuck out her hand to the young cadet. "I am so glad to meet you, Brad can't stop talking about you. Says you're a natural in the cockpit. Better than he is." She smiled and Kerry was feeling a little less like a fish out of water. "Come on, let's get you a drink. You're over 21 right?"
"Yes ma'am."
"It's Ginny, not Ma'am. Even if I am wearing oak leaves, while you're in here, you're one of us" Kerry was so prepared to hate this woman, this Major, yet, she couldn't. The woman was too nice. "Now, I hear you had a little problem in aerobatics today?" Ginny lowered her voice and smiled. Kerry could hate her.
"Yes."
"Well then, boys, I think we need to welcome Cadet Kerry Abernathy to the "I threw up in my mask during aerobatics lessons" club, what do you say?" She raised her glass of white wine and shouted to the entire officer's club as Kerry turned beet red just before bursting out in laughter as every pilot in the room cheered, "WELCOME TO THE CLUB!"
Ginny laughed. "Why are you so red? We've all done it! It's a right of passage!"
"Really?"
"Really, I puked up all over the front seat of the T-38 I was assigned in UPT. Took four hours to clean up the mess and I swear they had to retire that plane because of the smell." Ginny said simply.
"Oh my god, mine was during the first spin, I threw up then passed out." A Lieutenant Colonel said. "Cadet, its nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, you should be more ashamed if you hadn't done it." He slapped her on the shoulder and suddenly she was feeling better. By the end of the night, three quarters of the pilots had recounted their own experience with upchucking during training or during a bad flight.
Brad kissed Ginny goodbye about three hours later and told her he'd see her the next weekend before driving Kerry back to the base.
"So, feel better?"
"Yeah, I do. I felt like a member of the family for once. Not like a general's daughter who has to be perfect."
"Is that why the attitude?"
"Yeah, it is. Everyone expects me to be perfect, like I'd make a bad impression on the great Brigadier General Clayton Mortimer Abernathy."
"Mortimer? Really, that's his middle name?"
"Hey, it was my great-grandfather's name." Kerry got huffy.
"It's okay. Listen, in there, no one knew or cared who your father is. They only care that you're you and when you get to UPT, that's all they're going to care about." Ace said simply. "You know why I took you there?"
"I'm guessing to show me I'm not alone?"
"Exactly, I knew that if I tried to convince you, you wouldn't believe me, but, if you met a bunch of other pilots who'd done the same thing. Then you might believe us. You're not alone. We've all done it at least once. Sometimes more than once. Heck, sometimes, I still get airsick. It happens, but, it's okay. It doesn't mean you don't belong in a cockpit."
"Now, let's get you home and into bed before your father smells that whiskey on your breath." He laughed.