Everyone knows that even third-generation fighter jets, which seem to be gradually losing favor with the U.S. military—such as the F/A-18 Hornet or the F-15 Eagle—have takeoff speeds far exceeding those of a slow Cessna propeller plane. With takeoff speeds of at least 200 knots, how could Castle possibly just jump in and pilot one?
Three minutes might seem like a decent amount of time, but that includes the time for loading the program, the moment he crashes before even completing takeoff, and the time it takes for him to furiously unbuckle his safety harness and storm out.
The chubby kid was laughing so hard he almost choked. After all, it wasn't often that he got to see his ever-confident Uncle Rick with such an expression on his face!
Knowing that he had once again done something foolish, Castle glared at the gloating chubby kid. "Didn't you say you were an excellent drone pilot? How about you give it a try, since this big toy was your idea in the first place?"
Completely oblivious to what was about to happen, the chubby kid had yet to realize the dangers of human nature before he was shoved into the simulation pod by Castle.
Since both of them had already suited up in full flight gear, the chubby kid, now forcibly wearing a flight helmet and pushed into the cockpit simulator, had no idea he was about to face disaster!
This high-fidelity flight simulator could generate up to five Gs of force, allowing pilots to experience the real physical sensations of aerial maneuvers like dives and rolls. Yet, still unaware of what was coming, the chubby kid cheerfully walked straight into Rick's trap!
To be fair, the chubby kid—who spent most of his time cooped up at home—might actually have some talent for piloting, or maybe he had just practiced enough. When he took off in the simulator, piloting the F-15 heavy air superiority fighter he had personally selected, he looked the part. At least he didn't stall and crash right after takeoff like Castle did. Instead, he smoothly climbed to around 400 knots and flew for a few minutes.
And then… disaster struck!
Feeling increasingly confident in his ability to fly a fighter jet (mostly thanks to muscle memory from using a joystick in video games), the chubby kid started showing off. Seeing that his seemingly omnipotent Uncle Rick had finally encountered something he couldn't master, the chubby kid decided it was time to prove his own skills.
But he forgot one thing—this simulator didn't just look real; it felt real. Pilots inside experienced the full force of high-G maneuvers. Though the system capped the G-force at a maximum of five Gs, that was still five times normal gravity. Given the chubby kid's weak, sedentary body—barely strong enough to handle a 0.5 G load—how could he possibly endure it?
The result of his overconfidence? The moment he attempted a sloppy Immelmann turn, he lost control and crashed. Moments later, he stumbled out of the simulator, face pale as a sheet, and threw up violently…
Half an hour later, after finally regaining some composure, the chubby kid and Castle sat dejectedly in front of the simulator, sighing in unison. This was ridiculous! After spending months building this incredible machine and proving its capabilities, they realized one major flaw: one of them didn't know how to fly, and the other couldn't physically handle it.
So what had all their months of hard work been for?
Just to create a toy they couldn't even use?
The state-of-the-art 128-degree motion platform they had painstakingly built, along with all the accompanying equipment—was it all just for show?
How was this acceptable?
Staring at the masterpiece he had designed—one capable of simulating cockpit layouts from traditional third-gen fighters (where the left hand controlled the throttle while the right hand held a stick positioned between the legs) to more advanced layouts like the F-22 and F-35 (where the stick was moved to the right side, freeing up space between the legs)—Castle felt utterly disheartened.
Had he really spent months creating this thing, only to realize now that he couldn't even fly?
This was beyond embarrassing.
This simulator incorporated cutting-edge technology, even surpassing the yet-to-be-deployed systems of the F-35. Unlike the F-35's planned color touchscreen displays, Castle had integrated flexible displays originally designed for deflecting visual stealth systems. These screens were not only more advanced and multifunctional, but they also greatly enhanced the immersive experience when used for external holographic cockpit displays.
By simply touching specific areas on the multi-function display (MFD), pilots could adjust information layouts, change display sequences, or restart the system as needed.
Gone were the overwhelming arrays of switches and buttons that cluttered older fighter cockpits. In this advanced simulator, most of those controls had been replaced by sleek touchscreens.
Lockheed Martin's F-35 was slated to be the first production fighter jet to eliminate the traditional heads-up display (HUD). Instead, its pilots would rely on a helmet-mounted display (HMD) that projected all necessary flight data directly onto their visors.
The advanced HMD first debuted in March 2006 at Lockheed's avionics lab. This system allowed the flight computer and integrated display management computer to process information and project it directly onto the helmet visor.
For F-35 pilots, this meant unprecedented convenience. No matter which direction they looked, they could still see crucial flight data right on their visor—unlike traditional HUDs, which required pilots to look straight ahead.
Castle had previously worked with Lockheed Martin's avionics lab to test helmet-mounted sight systems (HMS), such as the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). Designed to enhance close-quarters dogfighting by allowing off-boresight missile targeting, the JHMCS had drawbacks—namely, latency issues that prevented real-time synchronization with aircraft maneuvers. Because of this, Lockheed's fighters had never fully adopted the system.
But thanks to rapid advancements in computing, modern HMDs had achieved near-instantaneous data refresh rates, fully eliminating lag and keeping up with high-speed maneuvers.
That was why Castle and the chubby kid each had the most advanced flight helmets available.
And yet, despite all this high-tech gear, they were like low-level players decked out in endgame equipment, blindly stepping into a high-difficulty zone without the skills to match. They had all the cutting-edge tools, but none of the expertise to use them.
The perfect description for their situation? All gear, no skill.
"Uncle Rick, maybe we should start with basic trainer planes before trying this again. At our current skill level, there's no way we can handle this simulator…"
The chubby kid looked completely deflated. He had thought he had a knack for flying, but now he understood just how demanding real flight simulations were—far beyond anything he had experienced with drones or video games.
Given his weak, computer-bound body, he never should have jumped straight into such an advanced system. Right now, both he and Castle were nothing more than overconfident beginners. They had no business attempting high-G maneuvers before even experiencing basic flight conditions.
For now, their best bet was to start with slow-moving Cessna propeller planes. At the very least, they needed to familiarize themselves with real-world flying sensations before taking on their high-tech toy.
This simulator was meant for real fighter pilots. What business did two complete amateurs have trying to use it?
Castle sat in deep contemplation, wondering what had possessed him to think he could just build this thing and immediately use it.
This wasn't just overconfidence—this was outright delusion!
Did he really have to enroll in basic flight training just to play with his own creation?
Had he wasted all this time only to end up with a toy he couldn't even use?
Finally accepting their reality, Castle let out a long sigh and, along with the equally disheartened chubby kid, walked out of the building.
Just as they were leaving, John arrived with his little girl in tow, eager to see Castle test the simulator. But instead of witnessing triumph, he was met with the sight of two utterly defeated men, still clad in their flight suits, helmets dangling from their hands as they sighed in despair.
"Rick, what happened? Did it not work?" John asked curiously, holding his daughter.
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