"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Jr 10 - And His Ultrasonic Cycloplane" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

system. So, you see, the ship can be operated on land like a car!"
Bud whistled. "Man, oh man, if this baby could only cook, she'd have
everything!"
Shortly after luncheon, the cycloplane was
16 ULTRASONIC CYCLOPLANE
wheeled out onto an airstrip. The two boys climbed aboard, wearing heavy
flight gear in case of any emergencies during the test.
The roomy cabin contained both front and rear seats like an automobile. Tom
and Bud took their places forward as pilot and copilot, then the canopy was
closed and sealed.
This trial run was first in a series of five which proved satisfactory. During the
next several days a few kinks were ironed out. At last the boys were ready to
give the craft its major test-trying to break the sound barrier.
"Going to use the jet on take-off?" Bud inquired.
Tom shook his head. "No. We'll take the express elevator straight upward.
Hang onto your hat, pal. Here goes!"
Switching on the ultrasonic generator, Tom cut in the rotor drums. With a
smooth purr, the twin cylinders spun into action. Slowly at first, then with dizzying
speed, the cycloplane rose into the blue.
"Wow, what a climb!" Bud gasped, shooting a glance at the indicator. "Eight
thousand feet a minute!"
Below them, Swift Enterprises with its sprawling buildings had dwindled away
to toy size. The whole of Shopton and the blue expanse of Lake Carlopa were
partly hidden by cloud banks and floating haze.
"Now let's give 'er the gun!" Tom chuckled, well-pleased by the ship's
performance so far.
JAKE THE CAT 17
He opened the jet to full power. As the craft shot forward, he kicked in the
afterburner. Like a rocket, the ship speared through the blue!
"We'll climb a bit higher, then dive through the sound barrier," Tom
announced. "Probably wouldn't hurt to pick up a bit more altitude before we-"
His words were cut short as the plane bucked suddenly in a violent shudder.
The next instant, both boys were shaken by wave after wave of crazy vibrations
that raced through the fuselage as the ship careened wildly out of control!
"G-good night! D-do something, s-s-skipper!" Bud pleaded.
With a desperate effort, Tom slammed shut the jet throttle. Instantly the air-
speed indicator flickered downward.
The vibrations slowly died away and the ship steadied on course. Tom
brought her around in a gentle turn and began a long glide back to Shopton.
"Good night! What happened?" Bud asked.
"Not sure." The young inventor frowned. "But I have a pretty good idea."
"Name it."
"The ultrasonic waves from the generator interfere with the normal air flow.
At low speeds it's not noticeable, but somewhere around 450 knots, it sets up a
violent disturbance."
Picking out the closest landing spot, Tom reported his predicament to the
control tower and came down on the commercial airfield at the
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Swift Construction Company. This company, managed by Mr. Swift's
boyhood chum and business associate, Ned Newton, manufactured the various