Between the time they finished playing war and started lunch, Lieutenants Pickering and Dunn would be debriefed on the platform by an intelligence officer. Captain Mustache Carstairs would play that role.
While they changed into the flight suits, the students were permitted to leave the bleachers and examine the Wildcats.
But when it came time for him to examine it up close, Pickering was nearly as impressed with his Wildcat as any of them. As he went through the preflight and then climbed into the cockpit, he could find nothing at all wrong with it. The aircraft was perfect in every respect: There wasn’t a trace of dirt anywhere. The Plexiglas of the canopy and windscreen was clear and without cracks. Even the leather on the seat and headrest looked new. And, of course, everything worked the way it was designed to work; and there were no patched bullet holes on the skin of the wings or fuselage.
After a time, the student pilots were ordered away from the aircraft. Then sailors in pressed and starched blue work uniforms appeared with fire extinguishers. Porter and Captain O’Fallon started their engines, warmed them up, and moved to the threshold of the active runway. One after the other they took off and disappeared from sight in the direction of Alabama.
Ten minutes later, Bill Dunn looked over at Pickering and gave the wind-’em-up signal. Pickering followed him to the threshold of the active runway and stopped, to permit Dunn to take off first.
“Do you ever remember taking off one at a time?” Dunn’s voice came metallically over the radio. “Come on.”
Pick released the brakes and moved onto the runway beside him. Dunn looked over at him, smiled, and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Corey, Cactus rolling,” Dunn told the tower, and shoved the throttle to TAKEOFF POWER. Pickering followed suit. They started down the runway together.
Something is wrong! Something’s missing! Pick thought, and for a moment he felt fear.
Shit, goddamn it, you goddamn fool! This is a paved runway. Paved runways don’t cause the goddamned gear to complain the way pierced steel planking and large rocks do.
Life came into the controls. Twenty feet apart, the two Wildcats lifted off the ground.
“Colonel,” Dunn’s voice came over the radio ten minutes later. “Sir, I’m sorry, I forgot your call sign.”
“Cactus Leader,” Colonel Porter replied, “this is Red Leader. Over.”
“Red Leader,” Dunn replied, “this is Cactus Leader. Colonel, I’m out of bullets. Or at least a red light comes on when I pull the trigger.”
Pickering laughed and touched his mike button.
“Cactus Leader, this is Cactus Two. I’m out of bullets, too.”
“Cactus Leader, Red Leader,” Colonel Porter replied. “Break this off, and return to field.”
“Roger, Red Leader.”
“Cactus Leader, we will go first. Cactus Leader, there will be no, repeat no, unauthorized aerobatic maneuvers at any altitude in the vicinity of Corey Field. Acknowledge.”
What the hell does that mean? Oh, Christ, he thinks we were planning on doing a victory barrel roll over the field. Why not? We really whipped their ass. I expected to win, but not that easily.
“Red Leader, say again?”
“Cactus Leader, you will land at Corey and you will not, repeat not, perform any aerobatic maneuvers of any kind. Acknowledge.”
“Aye, aye, Sir,” Dunn said. “Cactus Leader, out.”
Dunn suddenly made a sharp, steep, diving turn to his right. This confused Pickering for a moment. He’d been flying on Dunn’s wing since they formed up again after what must have been the third or fourth time they shot Porter and O’Fallon down; and, confused or not, he followed him instinctively. Dunn straightened out heading west. Pickering could see Mobile Bay near the horizon.
Now what, Billy Boy? Are you going to do a barrel roll over Ye Olde Family Manse?
Lieutenant Dunn did precisely that, with Lieutenant Pickering repeating the maneuver on his tail.
Then Dunn did more than confuse Pickering; he astonished him. After putting his Wildcat into a steep turn (permitting him to lower his gear utilizing centrifugal force, rather than having to crank it down), he lined himself up with an auxiliary field and landed.
What the hell is that all about? Did he get a warning light?