Rooks had grabbed everything in sight around A6, but there it was....a big fat red sector counter that wouldn't go away. It had been there for an hour, with no sign of anything on radar. It was just buggin' me...
Figuring it was a tank, I grabbed a CannonHog (tm) and started a systematic sweep of the entire sector. (Can you say, "flat rate"?) Back and forth I went at 400 feet...east and west from north to south...searching for the elusive con.
I got out the calculator. Hmmmm...400 ft....3.3k icon range....should be able to spot 'em out to about 1.8 miles....that's a 3.6 mile swath...25 miles in a sector....that's about 6 sweeps....
The hunt was on. Back and forth, constantly switching views. Searching for a distant dot, or the sudden appearance of an icon. Checking radar all the time. The evil red blob is still there. Still no radar blip. Search and destroy!
Now I'm on the last sweep, and still no contact. Did I miss him??? Uh oh, fuel is dangerously low. Close to A29 I decide to chance a landing to refuel. On the approach, my engine sputters and dies. I glide in deadstick. Quickly replane and check radar. Still there!
I take off and head west. Searching. Then...in the very southwest corner of the sector...there it is!! Not a tank. Not a goon parked and waiting. It's a P-51. Just sitting there on the ground behind a hill.
My heart is beating fast. Has he seen me? Will he have time to .ef? Will he escape his rightous death? I bore in....steady....steady....get close....800...600...400...pr
ess the trigger. A glorious explosion!!! My quest is over!!!
But is it??? Frantically I press the key for the map display. It's gone!! The phantom sector counter is gone!!!
It was just buggin' me....
popeye
