"Aerobatics Part 1, the 'Compulsory Maneuvers,' will begin shortly. Please refer to your pamphlets or the monitors."
An announcement echoed across the field.
The "Compulsory Maneuvers" event was similar to what was once called "compulsory" in figure skating; it was a competition to see how beautifully and accurately a pilot could trace a predetermined flight pattern.
The scoring was handled by a magi-brain. Marikka had commanded Testa, the management magi-brain of Onogoro Island, to serve as the official judge.
Jin had decided on the specific maneuvers by dredging through his memories of model aircraft competitions in modern Japan.
- Takeoff: Smoothly transition to level flight after the taxi. (10 points)
- Level Flight: Maintain a straight line for 100 meters at an altitude of 3 meters. (10 points)
- Horizontal Figure Eight: Maintain an altitude of 3 meters while tracing two perfect circles with a 10-meter radius joined together. (20 points)
- Three Consecutive Loops: Starting at an altitude of 3 meters, perform three perfect circles with a 20-meter radius in the exact same location. (40 points)
- Immelmann Turn: Perform the first half of a 20-meter radius loop starting from 3 meters; at the apex, perform a half-roll from the inverted position to transition into level flight. (Essentially a vertical U-turn.) (30 points)
- Split S: From level flight, perform a half-roll into an inverted position, then perform the bottom half of a loop to transition into level flight. (Essentially the reverse of a vertical U-turn.) (30 points)
- Landing: Return to the starting vicinity and land smoothly. Points are deducted for bouncing. (10 points)
Total: 150 points.
The participants had been notified well in advance, so everyone had presumably practiced these specific patterns repeatedly. As a safety measure, a barrier had been deployed at an altitude of approximately one meter between takeoff and landing to ensure that the aircraft would not be destroyed even if they crashed.
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"It looks like we are ready! Aerobatics Part 1, the 'Compulsory Maneuvers,' starts now!"
Luckhart Randol, the MC, made the announcement, and a roar of applause erupted from the crowd.
"Bib #1, Natalia! Her triplane, Halcyon, is taking off!"
Since the runway had been smoothly paved with Hardening magic, a seamless takeoff was possible. Halcyon taxied for about twenty meters before lifting gracefully into the air. Then came the level flight.
"She’s very stable. Perhaps that's the advantage of a triplane?"
"In addition to that, we’re inside a windless barrier. There's also that attitude control magi-device from Jin-sama—I believe its effects are quite significant."
"This competition is fascinating! I’d love to try it myself... maybe I'll ask Marikka later," Sion remarked, clearly enthralled. She was so focused on the flight that the MC and commentator’s words seemed to go in one ear and out the other.
"The figure eight... oh, that was magnificent!"
"However... ah, her altitude dropped slightly during the second turn."
Then came the consecutive loops.
"What a sight!"
"During the second loop, she seemed to lack a bit of speed; the circle flattened out slightly."
Jin, listening from the sidelines, found the combination of the enthusiastic MC and the analytical commentator quite entertaining. As expected, three consecutive loops were difficult; speed tended to bleed off by the second and third rotations, making it hard to maintain a perfect trajectory.
"Immelmann turn! She pulled it off cleanly!"
The Immelmann turn was named after Max Immelmann, a German ace pilot from the early days of the First World War. It was a maneuver he devised that involved a 180-degree loop followed by a roll—either sequentially or simultaneously—to perform a vertical U-turn. Without sufficient speed, an aircraft would stall in the middle of the loop, making it a high-level technique for the aircraft and engines of that era.
As a side note, while Jin knew the history of the Immelmann turn, he had no idea where the term "Split S" came from.
"What an interesting movement... I think I’d get motion sick if I were actually on board, though," Sion observed candidly.
"Next is the Split S!"
This was the opposite of the Immelmann turn, a U-turn that converted potential energy from altitude into speed.
"Oh, splendidly done."
Since biplanes and triplanes were essentially World War I-era designs, they were naturally capable of such maneuvers.
"And the landing... she touched down beautifully!"
"That was quite the flight."
In seconds, the results were projected onto the large magi-screen. Takeoff: 9. Level Flight: 8. Horizontal Figure Eight: 13. Three Consecutive Loops: 21. Immelmann Turn: 24. Split S: 25. Landing: 8. Total: 108 points.
"A very respectable score! Next is Bib #2, Shu Nidou! His swept-wing aircraft, Denkou!"
As a swept-wing aircraft, Denkou performed its maneuvers with overall high speed. While speed wasn't a scoring factor, higher speeds meant greater centrifugal force, which often caused loops to become oversized.
"The loops felt a bit large."
It was a performance that stood in sharp contrast to Natalia's low-speed Halcyon. Shu Nidou's scores were: Takeoff: 8. Level Flight: 8. Horizontal Figure Eight: 14. Three Consecutive Loops: 20. Immelmann Turn: 24. Split S: 23. Landing: 8. Total: 105 points.
The judging was proving to be quite rigorous.
Bib #3, Eugene Foul, also completed his run without any major issues in his tapered-wing aircraft. Takeoff: 9. Level Flight: 9. Horizontal Figure Eight: 17. Three Consecutive Loops: 22. Immelmann Turn: 21. Split S: 21. Landing: 8. Total: 107 points.
Bib #4, Greena Kuzuma, flew her elliptical-wing aircraft, Tempest, with great elegance. However, she seemed to lack a bit of precision. Takeoff: 9. Level Flight: 9. Horizontal Figure Eight: 14. Three Consecutive Loops: 20. Immelmann Turn: 22. Split S: 21. Landing: 9. Total: 104 points.
Bib #5, Sireen Eschenbach, used a biplane that seemed well-suited for this flight pattern. Takeoff: 8. Level Flight: 8. Horizontal Figure Eight: 14. Three Consecutive Loops: 21. Immelmann Turn: 23. Split S: 22. Landing: 8. Total: 104 points.
Bib #6, Sidney Marek, piloted a rectangular-wing aircraft with folding wings. He performed with the wings fully extended. Takeoff: 9. Level Flight: 8. Horizontal Figure Eight: 15. Three Consecutive Loops: 23. Immelmann Turn: 23. Split S: 23. Landing: 8. Total: 109 points.
Bib #7, Werner Randol, entered with a tapered-wing aircraft featuring telescopic wings.
"Oh! He's shortening the wings for the sections that require speed!"
"He’s playing to his aircraft's strengths."
"He’s doing quite well, isn't he?"
Takeoff: 9. Level Flight: 9. Horizontal Figure Eight: 16. Three Consecutive Loops: 24. Immelmann Turn: 22. Split S: 21. Landing: 9. Total: 110 points.
Bib #8, Florence Fahlheit, struggled a bit with her swept-wing aircraft, Blue Sky, resulting in a somewhat rough performance. Takeoff: 7. Level Flight: 8. Horizontal Figure Eight: 15. Three Consecutive Loops: 25. Immelmann Turn: 20. Split S: 19. Landing: 7. Total: 101 points.
Bib #9, Elvis Alcott, delivered a strong performance in his biplane, Double Wing. Takeoff: 8. Level Flight: 9. Horizontal Figure Eight: 16. Three Consecutive Loops: 22. Immelmann Turn: 23. Split S: 23. Landing: 8. Total: 109 points.
"There are some slight variations, but no one is running away with it yet," Sion murmured.
"Indeed. After all, everyone here is a top-tier technician," Stayhart Randol replied.
"Next up is Bib #10, Rubina Garrett! Her delta-wing aircraft, Nile!"
"Nile is the only delta-wing aircraft in the field. I’m eager to see what kind of maneuvers she can pull off."
After a smooth takeoff and level flight, Nile proceeded through the figure eight and consecutive loops. While the horizontal figure eight was a bit of a struggle, her consecutive loops were the most impressive seen yet.
"That Immelmann turn was fantastic. And now the Split S! Splendid!"
"It seems delta wings are excellent for loops and rolls."
"That was a very spirited performance, just like Rubina herself."
Then came the landing. She was perhaps a bit too spirited, resulting in a slight overrun. Takeoff: 8. Level Flight: 9. Horizontal Figure Eight: 13. Three Consecutive Loops: 27. Immelmann Turn: 25. Split S: 24. Landing: 6. Total: 112 points.
"That’s the highest score so far!"
"But Jin-sama is next."
"I have high hopes for this."
Then, Bib #11, Jin's Zero, took to the air.
"Utilizing the advantages of a variable-sweep wing aircraft, what a magnificent takeoff!"
"His level flight is incredibly stable."
"The figure eight... his altitude hasn't budged an inch."
After flawlessly completing the takeoff, level flight, and figure eight, Zero entered the loops. Jin retracted the wings to prioritize speed, performing three consecutive high-speed loops.
"Those are perfect circles," Sion remarked, impressed.
The Immelmann turn was also performed with the wings retracted, allowing for sharp, agile movement. The subsequent Split S followed suit.
"He really is in a league of his own."
For the landing, Jin extended the wings to lower the wing loading, drifting down for a feather-light touchdown. Takeoff: 9. Level Flight: 9. Horizontal Figure Eight: 18. Three Consecutive Loops: 27. Immelmann Turn: 26. Split S: 25. Landing: 9. Total: 123 points.
"He did it! As expected of the Magi Craft Meister! The new high score!"
Then came Lordtoss's turn.
"Bib #12, Lordtoss-sama’s tapered-wing aircraft, Swallow, is starting now!"
After a smooth takeoff and stable level flight, he moved into the horizontal figure eight.
"He’s handling it well without losing any altitude."
"When you deepen the bank angle, the aircraft naturally wants to drop. You have to compensate by pulling back on the elevator or increasing engine output. If the balance is off, the turn warps, or the plane starts to climb."
"...Say, Stayhart, you seem awfully knowledgeable about the specifics," Sion interjected with a squint.
"Eh? Well, yes, that is my job as the commentator."
"I suspect your knowledge goes deeper than that."
Sion pinned him with a skeptical look. Unable to withstand the pressure of her gaze, Stayhart Randol finally confessed.
"The truth is, under the guise of preparing for this commentary, I asked Jin-sama to build me a trainer plane. I’ve been practicing a bit..."
"That’s cheating. I’ll have to ask Jin to make one for me later as well."
For now, they returned their focus to the competition. Lordtoss's Swallow finished its Split S and entered the landing phase. Takeoff: 8. Level Flight: 9. Horizontal Figure Eight: 18. Three Consecutive Loops: 26. Immelmann Turn: 24. Split S: 24. Landing: 9. Total: 118 points. He moved into second place.
"Finally, we have Marikka. I wonder how she’ll handle the aerobatics."
To Sion, Marikka would always be "that girl," regardless of how much time passed.
Marikka showed a surprisingly stable flight. Takeoff: 9. Level Flight: 9. Horizontal Figure Eight: 17. Three Consecutive Loops: 25. Immelmann Turn: 24. Split S: 25. Landing: 9. Total: 118 points. She tied with Lordtoss for second place.
The spectator stands erupted in generous applause for the participants.