W is for Warthog
Dynamite woke to the sound of thunder…or at least that is what she assumed it was as she rose from sleep. Now, as she listened, she wasn't nearly as sure. The sound sounded more like a cross between Avalanche's snores and a fart. It was also far too regular to be natural, but unexpected sounds were to be expected when you were bunking in a hangar on a military base.
Sighing, the ATV decided that her best option was to go grab a cup of coffee and hope that the sound would make more sense once the caffeine hit her system. She allowed her eyes to open and was about to put her engine in gear when she noticed how Cabbie was looming over her in the dark of the hangar. She started slightly once she realized that the plane was watching her in the dark, but she managed to keep herself from squeaking in surprise.
"Couldn't sleep?"
"No…" Dynamite cocked slightly to the side as she listened to the thundering sound once again. "That sound kept waking up me up."
"Some call it the sound of freedom…" Cabbie got a sad, distant look in his eyes. "But I can't help but consider it to be the sound of death."
"The war?"
Cabbie didn't have to say anything in reply. Just looking at how hopeless the old plane appeared made Dynamite engine ache. She always knew that Cabbie had scars that were invisible to the eye, but she also had seen just how skilled that the C-119 was at hiding his pain. The smokejumper knew that there was absolutely nothing that she could do to lighten his burden…but she could be there for him. So instead of one mug of coffee she got two of them, then she sat with Cabbie as the two of them listened to a silence punctuated by the rumble of Avalanche's snores and the report for a training Warthog.
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aka Warthog – A subsonic attack aircraft, the Thunderbolt II specialized in providing close air support and taking out ground targets. It also has the ability to act as an airborne forward air controller guiding in missiles and directing other aircraft's bomb drops. Designed to take a massive amount of punishment, this planes cockpit and critical flight systems are protected by titanium armor plating. One of the most distinctive characteristics of the A-10 is its 30 MM nose gun which is so powerful it can actually push the aircraft backwards when it is being shot.
Just over 700 of these aircraft were produced between 1972 and 1984. The A-10 is still in active service and can be seen flying out of many military bases. It is also a fairly popular model of aircraft in aerospace museums, especially in the United States.