Wiley Post’s Pressure Suit

Origin
The original prototype for Top Gun’s Maverick, Wiley Post pushed aviation beyond its limits at the time, but is hardly remembered today. A paroled, eyepatch wearing Oklahoman, Post first found his calling in the skies as a circus parachutist. He became a personal pilot and named his Lockheed Vega Winnie Mae after his daughter. Not one to shirk from a challenge, Post bested the Graf Zeppelin for time flown and distance set in 1931. Post circumnavigated again in 1933, but solo this time. He broke his own speed record and became the first to test out radio direction finder and autopilot, still experimental equipment at the time.

Everyone in the country revered him as the next Lindbergh. Then he changed his goals. Instead of looking across the endless horizons, he stared at the miles of sky above. With a spaceman looking pressure suit, Post flew higher than anyone before and learned important differences from surface flying. All attempts to make it cross country though failed, as he found himself struggling against the newly discovered jet stream.

Combining mail with high speed flight was what Post hoped would turn his passion into a profitable job. However, Lockheed would not supply him with custom changes they thought were dangerous to landing. Using his own designs instead, the plane proved too heavy and crashed on a trip to Alaska, killing Post and passenger Will Rogers, a famed Oklahoma entertainer.

Effects
The user can clearly envision the movement of air around them, from sudden downbursts to circulating updrafts high above. Even small movements of their hand will show the pressure waves it leaves, all through a modified diver’s helmet. However, disturbing the user will cause some of the neighboring winds, even the jet stream itself, to wrap around the user as a protective barrier. A lack of control oftentimes leads to the creation of a extreme weather front or even localized cyclone.