Firefox Down by Craig Thomas

Author:Craig Thomas [Thomas, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780061005800
Publisher: Warner
Published: 1993-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Hercules had completed its southward run, utilising the airway and a civilian call-sign and flight number. The pilot had requested landing instructions from Ivalo airport and dropped below the Russian radar net. Then, using visual and electronic navigation, and its radar in the mapping mode, it had flown northwards once more, heading for the dropping zone. The SBS unit had departed from the two paratroop doors during the first run over the lake at three and a half thousand feet.

First light was no more than a greyness in the sky, patched with darker cloud. Snow flurried across the windscreen, causing the co-pilot to intermittently operate the wipers.

Every light on the Hercules had been extinguished.

'All clear ramp doors and depressurising,' the pilot heard the loadmaster announce over his headset. 'Ramp opening, ramp down and locked.'

'Roger. Ninety seconds to Initial Point.'

'After IP, heading two-one-five, skipper,' the navigator informed him.

'Roger - two-one-five.'

'Roger… turning to two-one-five… two-one-five steady.' Ahead of the aircraft, the dawn attempted to lighten the sky beyond the flurrying snow. The wipers cleared the screen. Stunted and dwarf trees confused the pilot's sense of distance. 'Speed coming back to 160 knots.' The undulating, snow-blurred outlines of the land seemed to rush just beneath the belly of the aircraft. 'Wheels down,' the pilot announced. 'Flaps down.' It was a precaution, in case the aircraft came into contact with the ground. 'Lamp on, Diane - '

'OK - ready this end,' the loadmaster replied.

'Lake in sight,' the co-pilot said:

Ahead of them, beyond the last, straggling trees, the apparently smooth surface of the frozen lake stretched away, narrowing as it did so. Trees crowded down to the shore, like a fence around the ice.

'Got it. Keep the wipers on.' Snow rushed at and alongside them.'I've got the smoke marker-'

'Altitude fifteen feet… twelve… ten…'

'Stand by-five, four, three, two, one… Go!'

The nose of the Hercules tilted up slightly as the five pallets followed each other, sliding off their metal tracks and disappearing through the open ramp. The aircraft seemed to bob up, floating on a slight swell.

'Drop good-all away, clean and tight. Ground party already beginning to recover… ready to close up this end.'

'Roger, Diane, standby for ramp closing.'

The Hercules passed southwards over the narrow neck of the lake. A stronger flurry of snow rushed at them, obscuring the pilot's glimpse of tiny, moving figures on the ice. Then the lake was behind them.

'Initial heading - two-two-four.'

'Roger-turning on to two-two-four… ramp closed.'

The Hercules skimmed the stunted trees to the south of the lake. Whenever the flurries of snow revealed the horizon, the lightening sky appeared full of dark, heavier cloud.

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