Author Comments The original source material for this story is probably very obvious to those who read it. I was inspired by aviation test pilots from the 1950s. In particular, Chuck Yeager. Yeager's biography and the novel, The Right Stuff, gave me the the feel and color I was looking to replicate in this tale. From the look of the starfighter - silver metal skinned birds, to the bar that the pilots hang out in, to the "know your plane" attitude of the protagonist, this story is very much an homage to Chuck Yeager. -- Ken McConnell