To get the glider running, the Construction Department, according to Roland's requirements, built a track on the edge of the Stone Ridge that pointed directly towards the sea, with the ends of the track curving upwards like a crescent moon.
Once the experimental prototype was lifted into place, simply releasing the fixture would cause it to slide down under the influence of gravity, until it rushed off the track—the whole acceleration process was quite similar to a roller coaster of later generations, just not as stimulating.
Of course, these alone couldn't guarantee that the wings would get enough lift, so Wendy needed to create some wind herself.
Once it leapt off the Stone Ridge, the height difference of up to fifteen meters from the sea surface would provide ample adjustment space. With the glider's speed, the pilot and rescue personnel could be prepared whether it climbed or plunged into the sea.
This was also why Roland had initially made the prototype a two-seater.
Now that Lightning and Maggie were both fighting in the wilderness, the responsibility of rescue naturally fell to Tilly.
And the latter readily agreed.
"Let's board," Roland said to the two, estimating that it was almost time.
Wendy nodded, clenched her fist as if to cheer herself up, and then walked towards the aircraft with Tilly.
...
It wasn't until she climbed into the aircraft that Wendy realized it was much larger than she had imagined.
Especially the two pairs of straight wings above her head and below her feet, no bird could compare, and even Maggie after transforming into a Terrorbeast was a little short in length.
In the sea breeze, the slender wingtips could be seen shaking noticeably, which made her feel a little uneasy, always feeling that once it took off, a gust of wind could break it.
Although Roland had mentioned that this was a normal phenomenon, the strength of the aluminum frame was fully capable of handling various maneuvers at low speeds, and the toughness of the skin painted by Soroya was much stronger than ordinary leather and cloth, these two wings were too thin. For their area, calling them paper-thin wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Your Majesty, if you are ready, let me know," the soldier's words brought Wendy back to her senses slightly.
"I know, um... the first thing to do is..."
"Confirm that each control surface is normal." Tilly reassured from behind, "Don't be nervous, even if there's a problem, I'll be watching you."
"...Thank you." Hearing this, Wendy felt much more at ease. That's right, she wasn't the only one who had listened to His Majesty's flight principles class. If someone could correct her omissions in time, she could make fewer mistakes.
"First is the tail elevator, controlled by the main lever."
Wendy took a deep breath and pulled the iron lever in front of her seat with both hands. A creaking sound immediately rang out beneath her—she knew this was the sound of the steel wire at the bottom of the lever pulling the tail, and she had already practiced hundreds of times on the simulator before the prototype was built.
"Elevator normal, next is... um, rudder." Tilly continued.
However, the components of the simulator were much simpler. Two vertical rods, two pedals, and a few steel cables made up its entirety. Wendy found it hard to believe that these few things could make the glider in His Majesty's mouth fly like a bird, after all, it wasn't much more complicated to operate than a bicycle.
If the elevator lever was a rod that could only move back and forth, then the direction control lever could only move left and right. The card slot had already fixed their trajectories, while a bicycle handlebar could at least turn in a circle.
"Rudder also normal, last is the aileron."
According to His Majesty, most planes have three sets of wings, one in the front and two in the back, and the three together form a "土" (earth) shape when viewed from the front. The vertical one is the rudder, which functions like a ship's rudder. If you imagine the wind as water, its deflection can change the direction of the nose.
The first shorter horizontal bar is the elevator, also known as the tail, which raises the nose when lifted and lowers the nose when lowered, much like a reclining ship's rudder. Both of these are very easy to understand, and Wendy can use the "decomposition and composition of forces" chapter of elementary physics to deduce its working principle.
And the last horizontal bar represents the aileron. It wasn't until she saw the real thing that Wendy understood where the word "副" (auxiliary) came from—it was embedded behind the big wings, and its area was less than one-tenth of the former's, connected to the pedals under her feet by steel cables that passed through the frame, one on each side.
It is different from the previous two in that it must rise on one side and fall on the other to be effective. The diametrically opposite forces will cause the plane to deflect or even roll, and it is also the most important control component for flight.
Wendy had asked His Majesty about this, since the rudder could cause deflection, why add a pair of ailerons. His Majesty explained that these three control surfaces do not work independently, and every action requires them to complete together. Moving only the rudder can easily cause the fuselage to move sideways, and during rapid turns, it is also necessary to lower the elevator to stabilize the altitude.
That's why he needs a detailed test data to compile a meaningful "Flight Manual"—what operations need to be taken in different attitudes to achieve maneuverability; or the impact of wind direction on the aircraft, and the shortcomings felt during operation... Only after obtaining these data, a truly reliable aircraft may be realized.
"The ailerons don't seem to have any problems either," Tilly patted her shoulder, "The rest is up to you."
Wendy felt her heart beating a little fast. She glanced at His Majesty the King in the distance, turned her head and said to the soldier, "I'm ready, open the fixture."
"Yes, please pay attention!" The soldiers immediately became busy.
The runway is cleared, all green lights are on, Wendy silently recited in her heart. Although she didn't understand what the meaning of this slogan was, since His Majesty said it could bring good luck, then she would do it.
With a slight tremor, Glider Type I was pushed off the track.
Then it fell.
The wheels and the track made a clanging friction sound, and the entire fuselage shook with it. She felt that she was sliding down the slope quickly, and the sea at the end of the track was getting closer and closer.
Her heart instantly jumped to her throat.
What to do next?
She thought in a panic, seeing that she had already run half of the track, but this thing showed no signs of flying.
"Give wind!" Tilly shouted.
That's right, give wind—the speed of the slide 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 thought emerged, her body had already taken action. The magic vortex started to work, and an invisible airflow appeared out of thin air, gently resting under the wings.
The harsh friction sound suddenly reduced a lot, and the weight of Glider Type I seemed to have disappeared. Before Wendy had time to understand the meaning of these changes, the plane had rushed off the edge of Stone Ridge.
A brief upward tilt made her experience a clear sense of g-force, as if someone had reached out and pressed her into the seat.
At the same time, the backward tilt of her body made her involuntarily pull down the main lever.
The nose responded to her control, rising more obviously.
The perspective also changed with it. The brown land covered with withered grass and fallen leaves disappeared without a trace, and even the wide Vortex Sea became a supporting role. The azure sky filled most of her vision, and the dazzling spots of light made her squint slightly.
For a moment, Wendy felt like a petrel soaring into the sky, walking against the light.
This feeling was so free, and it made her understand why His Majesty said that planes and hot air balloons were two completely different things.
But just a few seconds later, Wendy noticed that the sound of the wind in her ears subsided.
The glider's nose was raised high, but it didn't continue to climb, and time seemed to stand still. She wanted to increase the wind power, but found that the wind blowing on the main wing not only didn't reverse this predicament, but instead caused the entire fuselage to fall backward.
"You pulled it too far!" Tilly exclaimed.
Before she had time to think about what went wrong, the plane had fallen like a stone.