Jet Turbines
At the dawn of the jet age Riga was a test pilot. She flew piston engine fighter planes. Every version of the legendary Messerschmitt 109 from the prototype to the K version. It was a real hot rod. It was the best service fighter Germany had produced. The 309 was faster and carried more guns. It was cancelled. Riga liked the 309 the most. She thought it should've been built. Future developments had made all piston engine fighters obsolete. Even the 109. Jet turbines powered aircraft were the way forward. The future was here now. Riga test flew Messerschmidt's newest plane the 262. The first prototype has a propeller on the nose. It had a tail dragger landing gear and flew line a bus. This was fine. When the jet engines were ready they were installed. One under each wing. The jet took a long to become airborne with the tail wheel gear. This was later fixed to include tricycle gear with a nose wheel. Riga flew this version of the jet. It was slow to accelerate. Yet with underwing turbines it was fast. Well over five hundred miles per hour. There was no roaring engine or vibration or spinning propeller. It was like horse riding through the waves on the beach. So care free like being a bird. The fastest bird in the world. This plane was no bird. It was armed with four big canons and would obliterate American bombers and avoid their escort fighters by its sheer speed. This was the future of air warfare. Riga flew at five hundred and fifty miles per hour. She could only fly for an hour. That hour was unlike anything else. What a machine. It was like a shark. In looks and capability. Riga knew she was the chosen one. Flying a weapon of the future right now. With this plane Germany would win the war. It really was like being a bird...
***