Targets of Opportunity (1993) by Joe Weber

minutes later, he and Blackwell were again airborne to explore the high-speed handling qualities of the compact fighter.
    Climbing to 15,000 feet, the test pilot performed a series of aerobatic maneuvers, including aileron rolls, barrel rolls, and steep turns. Blackwell followed the MiG at a distance of 200 feet.
    Lowering the MiG's nose, Grady let the airspeed build to 380 knots and pulled up into a loop. Coming down the backside, he let the airspeed build. Accelerating through 420 knots, Stanfield felt the controls begin to stiffen. 425 . . . 430 . . . 435 . . . the MiG trembled.
    The aircraft suddenly rolled to the left as Stanfield attempted to force the stick to the right.
    "Trouble!" Blackwell radioed as he watched the MiG continue to the inverted position. The nose tucked down, pointing at the earth as the MiG rotated to the left.
    "Get off the power!" Lek said while everyone raced out to the ramp area. "Do you copy?"
    Transfixed, Hollis Spencer held the mike at his side. The wall-mounted speaker remained silent.
    Brad searched the morning sky, spotting the corkscrewing MiG as it hurtled toward the ground. The sunlight glinted off the revolving wings, adding a dimension of surrealism to the situation.
    "Oh, Jesus," Brad said to himself while Blackwell popped his speed brake and performed a split-S to follow the MiG. "Come on, Grady .. . get it together."
    The spiraling fighter slowly stopped turning and started a highspeed recovery. Austin watched the MiG's nose rise in a punishing, high-g pullout. Almost level, the fighter disappeared behind a line of hills.
    Unaware that he was holding his breath, Brad sharply exhaled when the MiG rocketed above the hilltops.
    "Okay," Stanfield radioed in a tight voice, "I've got it collected. I'm turning final for a full stop."
    "Sonuvabitch," Palmer exclaimed, and removed his sunglasses.
    "Lesson number one," Brad remarked, trying to slow his breathing. "You have to believe the man who has flown the machine . . . when he says it locks up at 440 knots."
    Nick let his head sag, then slowly shook it. "That was a close one, my friend."
    Brad glanced at the MiG. "Say hallelujah. . . ."

    Chapter EIGHT
    The men on the parking ramp and in the hangar were subdued and quiet when Stanfield brought the MiG to a halt. He raised the highly polished canopy, shut down the engine, secured the systems and controls, then sat quietly in the cockpit, slowly recovering from his brush with death. Grady had had close calls before, but none that had been decided by a matter of thirty feet. He still felt the effects of the adrenaline racing through his body.
    Two technicians placed the pilot's boarding ladder against the fuselage while Lex Blackwell brought the Crusader to a halt behind the MiG. Spencer walked to the ladder when Grady unstrapped and removed his helmet. Stanfield's hair was damp and his face was ashen.
    Pilots often had a more extreme reaction after a traumatic incident was over. During the crisis, their minds went into a basic survival mode and often blanked out all other sensory inputs.
    Spencer waited patiently for Grady to climb out of the cockpit. Brad and Nick joined the project officer as Stanfield stepped over the edge of the canopy railing and deftly backed down the ladder.
    The usual twinkle in Grady's brown eyes was gone, along with the perpetual smile. The small pilot looked wilted, but steady on his feet.
    Lex Blackwell hurried over to the group while Stanfield wiped his face with the sleeve of his flight suit.
    "You okay, partner?" Lex asked with genuine concern. No one else said a word while Stanfield composed himself.
    Grady inhaled. -Yeah . . . and I've got a recommendation."
    The remark, delivered with a hint of a smile, broke the tension in the air.
    "We had better not," Stanfield emphasized, pointing his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the MiG, "fly that goddamn anvil over four hundred knots. "
    "Count on it," Spencer said, making the limitation an order.