I have seen C-5 & C-17 types doing low-level flight practice as well as touch-and-go landing drills up at Wright-Patterson om several occasions. They weren't exactly NOE if only to avoid all sorts of issues beyond aircraft performance! Nonetheless, on one occasion they were low enough that someone with better eyes than me might have been able to read their squadron identification numbers. It's an impressive sight; despite looking like they could barely move, those gigantic craft were moving way faster than the traffic on US 4 or I-675.Ryujin wrote:Not to sound flippant or anything, but was the cross-country flight a non-stop one? I couldn't help but think of the gang setting down next to a roadside diner somewhere (one which happens to have an airfield rated for something as massive as a Garuda). Or, during their world tour, some tropical paradise where they can all jump out and go UMI DA!
Another possibility is that, as implied earlier, they were actively avoiding detection, and had to take a more circuitous route to bypass known radar sites & patrols, adding significantly to the flight time while flying at a more reasonable speed. If we assume the existence of a Minovsky Craft system or auxiliary lift jets, they might have even engaged in some low-altitude derring-do to avoid detection--with a reasonable chance of not turning into part of the landscape (yes, I would like to see a C-5 or an A380 flying NOE irl).
I am going to support Rujin here in that the timeline dates suggest action, but not necessarily movement. Even moving at the maximum encumbered weight, there is little doubt that a Gaw or Garuda could cross the continental USA in a single afternoon, or circle the globe within a 24-hour period. I do think the numbers supplied by radioactive 28 & Stark Rezel support this conclusion as well. (You guys rock the equations.
) Episode showing gimmicks aside, the timeline seems to indicate deliberate travel plotting by Kalaba, with specific "where" and "when" settings for operations established. Not to mention the inevitable "hurry up and wait" aspect, which always turns up to confound the smoothly-plotted plans of men. 