Oh boy.
As always, these things start off uneventfull.
Our tanker heads out to take up station.
I had been mucking around for a while, harassing the enemy airfield. Berbunch signs on a bit later and takes off to join me there.
Cluster bombs: if you want to hit more than you're aiming for.
Eventually I took some damage trying to hit some AAA with the Avenger. Just a few holes, but it knocked out a MFCD so I figured I'd bug out and RTB, fuel was running low anyway.
I set her down at homeplate and taxi to a parking. Berbunch had beaten me to homeplate in the usual fashion
, so I got to enjoy watching another take-off.
I remember commenting "and I thought I was safe here". Little did I know, those words would ring all the more true not much later.
So I'm repaired, rearmed and refueled and preparing to fire the engines back up, when I hear the scream of a pair of turbofans, getting closer. I figured "just another flyby", and since I was busy I didn't look up. Suddenly the aircraft rocks and ends up leaning right a bit. The master caution was blaring too, and I thought to myself "that must have been a close pass".
When I look up, the T-handle for the left engine is flashing. "Engine fire?" I thought, and looked to my left. First thing I noticed was part on the left wing was gone, with flames gushing out the end of what was left of it. So I lean out a bit and get a look at the engine, realising it has seen better days as well and why the master caution is nagging me.
"The ram attack is the weapon of heroes."
So I jank the pulsing T-handle, discharge a bottle of extinguisher and call my chief over. We agreed a case of beer and some scotch would be sufficient compensation for his troubles.
Just another thursday at Senaki.