Nathan asked Daniel to lower the landing gear. Daniel objected at their current speed and angle. Extending the gear would increase drag and push them closer to a stall. Nathan agreed, but explained they only needed the gear locked for a few seconds to generate the mechanical signal. Daniel asked if Nathan was certain.
Nathan did not claim false confidence. It's the best chance we have left. If we don't try, the center of gravity crosses the limit in about 2 minutes. Daniel lowered the landing gear. The aircraft shook violently.
Speed dropped further. Nathan told him to pull the levers in reverse order. Three first, then one, then two. Daniel followed the sequence. The release valve still did not open.
Nathan checked the data and found the left gear had locked, but the right side had not fully seated. The mechanical signal required confirmation from both sides. Daniel rocked the aircraft gently to seat the right gear into position. A locking sound echoed through the cabin. Nathan called out.
Now, Daniel pulled the third lever again. The valve opened. On the display, the fuel accumulating in the rear tank stopped climbing. After a few seconds, it began to fall. Nathan told Daniel not to lower the nose yet.
He had to wait until the center of gravity drifted back into the safe range. Every second felt stretched. Airspeed remained only a few knots above stall. Inside the control room, no one spoke. The only sound was the low hum of monitors and Daniel's steady breathing over the radio.
A man working through a problem he had trained his entire career to face and hoped he would never actually meet. Daniel held the aircraft steady, the nose trembling just above the edge of control. Nathan read the numbers aloud, guiding Daniel to ease the nose down in small increments. As the center of gravity crept back toward normal, Daniel gradually lowered the nose further. Speed increased.