Now, I can see two ways this encounter will end. Hopefully not in the way that'll leave the Blue Ridge a flaming ruin on a mountainside.<br/><br/>Ramster, In-characerly, already pointed out the gamut of MASSIVE flaws in Hedy's little tantrum, but, to reiterate:<br/><br/>A: Never leave a mercenary unpaid. Money makes the world go 'round, after all, especially for people that get paid to shoot things, and like both getting paid, and shooting things.<br/><br/>B: The Avenger and Vampire have maximum ranges of around 650-750 miles; the next-largest plane, the Devastator, has a maximum range of 400 miles. The Flying Sieve has a range of maybe 350, and the Bloodhawk, due to being, well, around 40% engine by weight, eats fuel, and so has a short range of 300 miles, but is amazingly maneuverable.<br/><br/>Telling them to spend at least 5 hours in their planes, moving at an average cruising speed of 150 MpH would mean that, around 6 pm, Dashenka's Bloodhawk would kiss dirt, followed 20 minutes later by Reiji's sieve, 20 more minutes later by Alys' Devastator, and take an extra 2 hours for Major's and Ramster's. Assuming that the Blue Ridge would be in position around 9 PM, none of Hedy's (unpaid) hires would be in the sky, all would likely be extremely pissed at her, Due to A: towing Fees, B: Having to survive in a desert for at least one night, possibly longer, alone, and C: refueling.<br/><br/>C: Ordering them to fly solo: Easiest way possible to get your ass killed by roaming raiders, bad luck, or mechanical failure; There's a reason solo flying in combat was discontinued by all militaries before 1917, barring a few rare special cases (Billy Bishop, for example) With a wingman or two, you always have someone you can trust watching your back in case someone decides to get sneaky or bastardly and try to turn your plane into swiss cheese.<br/><br/>They can also radio in your position if you're forced to bail, and, if it's safe and flat, can even land to pick you up, as Every plane in the hangar is large enough to have two seats.<br/><br/>In this case, the fact that Heinz is a former Air officer in the German Air Force of the Great War makes him a good choice for de-facto 'flight leader' simply because he's already experienced things like the above, to the point where he probably got just as fed up with incompetent leadership as WWI's infantry.<br/><br/>So, in this case; anyone that wants to commit suicide can go ahead and follow Hedy's (currently spite-filled and immature) orders, or, everyone can sit down in the flight lounge, and politely talk things through. I, personally, would prefer Option B, simply because, well, It means less meaningless deaths.