business.”
“Bullshit! It is my business. It is going to take both of us to get through this weather, and we can’t do it if you’re drunk! Why do I put up with this shit night after fucking night? Heather, relax. Like the weather, we go through this shit all the time, too.”
“Lucas,” Mike snapped. “Shut the fuck up and tell me what you found on the radar.”
Though still pissed, Lucas knew that the miles were being eaten up quickly and this wasn’t the time to argue.
“The first thing I want to do is to get a release from Center so we can do our own thing. If it’s OK with you, why don’t I fly the plane and you fly the engines? Having studied the radar, I have a good feel for how we can get through this stuff.”
“Fine by me—let me know when you want it,” responded Mike.
Lucas began the process of getting a change in their flight plan: “Kansas City Center, this is Convair three-seven-one-three-papa.”
“One-three-papa, this is Kansas City Center. Go ahead.”
“Kansas City Center, one-three-papa would like to deviate from our flight plan as necessary, to pick our way through this line of thunderstorms.”
“One-three-papa, that’s approved. There are no other planes in the area. Just give us a call when you want to rejoin the airway, and if you would, give us an update on the weather when you have a chance.”
“Roger, one-three-papa.”
Lucas dropped both of his seat’s armrests. With both hands on the wheel and both arms resting on the armrests for stability, Lucas said, “OK, Mike; I have the plane.”
“The plane is yours, Lucas. I have the engines.”
By that time, they began to experience a light chop, signaling a pending change in weather. Having been through this many times before, Lucas and Mike knew what to expect.
“Mike, see this patch of light green?” Lucas pointed to the radar screen. “This is where I’m headed. After about five miles, I’m going to make a twenty-degree left turn to keep us out of the heavy stuff, and I think we will be able to shift back to the right after about twenty miles, but we’ll have to play that by ear.”
The plane began to pick up more turbulence, and light rain beaded on the windshield.
Heather became very much aware that Lucas and Mike had stopped arguing, and that they had both adopted a serious tone and a single focus. She also realized that her romantic mood and environment had suddenly changed to one of at least mild concern. Seeing lightning directly ahead and rain on the windshield was a new experience for her. The rain caused the cabin’s noise level to increase significantly. Heather tried to sort out what was happening, and to also compare each sound and sight with something more familiar.
The rain grew heavier and louder.
The sound of the rain was very much like a million BBs striking the windshield at one time. Seeing lightning from a pilot’s view is another foreign sight hard to describe but it looked to Heather that the whole sky was lighting up.
Shortly after a bright flash, Lucas turned to Heather and shouted above the noise of the rain, “That’s the stuff we need to avoid! It’s about ten miles ahead of us.” To Mike, he announced, “I’m going to make that right turn now.”
The plane shook violently, gaining and losing hundreds of feet in altitude every few seconds.
“Mike, watch those engines!” Lucas yelled above the noise of rain beating against the windshield. “I’m going to try to keep the wings level. I can’t even keep a steady heading. Mike, why don’t you pull the power back? See if slowing down will help.”
“Good idea—don’t want the manifold pressure to jump up on us, and a little less airspeed may give our passenger a better ride,” Mike said, turning to smile at Heather.
Heather felt her anxiety worsening. When she’d asked Mike if she could go along on their trip, a near-death experience hadn’t been what she’d had in mind. Being in the middle of a
“Bullshit! It is my business. It is going to take both of us to get through this weather, and we can’t do it if you’re drunk! Why do I put up with this shit night after fucking night? Heather, relax. Like the weather, we go through this shit all the time, too.”
“Lucas,” Mike snapped. “Shut the fuck up and tell me what you found on the radar.”
Though still pissed, Lucas knew that the miles were being eaten up quickly and this wasn’t the time to argue.
“The first thing I want to do is to get a release from Center so we can do our own thing. If it’s OK with you, why don’t I fly the plane and you fly the engines? Having studied the radar, I have a good feel for how we can get through this stuff.”
“Fine by me—let me know when you want it,” responded Mike.
Lucas began the process of getting a change in their flight plan: “Kansas City Center, this is Convair three-seven-one-three-papa.”
“One-three-papa, this is Kansas City Center. Go ahead.”
“Kansas City Center, one-three-papa would like to deviate from our flight plan as necessary, to pick our way through this line of thunderstorms.”
“One-three-papa, that’s approved. There are no other planes in the area. Just give us a call when you want to rejoin the airway, and if you would, give us an update on the weather when you have a chance.”
“Roger, one-three-papa.”
Lucas dropped both of his seat’s armrests. With both hands on the wheel and both arms resting on the armrests for stability, Lucas said, “OK, Mike; I have the plane.”
“The plane is yours, Lucas. I have the engines.”
By that time, they began to experience a light chop, signaling a pending change in weather. Having been through this many times before, Lucas and Mike knew what to expect.
“Mike, see this patch of light green?” Lucas pointed to the radar screen. “This is where I’m headed. After about five miles, I’m going to make a twenty-degree left turn to keep us out of the heavy stuff, and I think we will be able to shift back to the right after about twenty miles, but we’ll have to play that by ear.”
The plane began to pick up more turbulence, and light rain beaded on the windshield.
Heather became very much aware that Lucas and Mike had stopped arguing, and that they had both adopted a serious tone and a single focus. She also realized that her romantic mood and environment had suddenly changed to one of at least mild concern. Seeing lightning directly ahead and rain on the windshield was a new experience for her. The rain caused the cabin’s noise level to increase significantly. Heather tried to sort out what was happening, and to also compare each sound and sight with something more familiar.
The rain grew heavier and louder.
The sound of the rain was very much like a million BBs striking the windshield at one time. Seeing lightning from a pilot’s view is another foreign sight hard to describe but it looked to Heather that the whole sky was lighting up.
Shortly after a bright flash, Lucas turned to Heather and shouted above the noise of the rain, “That’s the stuff we need to avoid! It’s about ten miles ahead of us.” To Mike, he announced, “I’m going to make that right turn now.”
The plane shook violently, gaining and losing hundreds of feet in altitude every few seconds.
“Mike, watch those engines!” Lucas yelled above the noise of rain beating against the windshield. “I’m going to try to keep the wings level. I can’t even keep a steady heading. Mike, why don’t you pull the power back? See if slowing down will help.”
“Good idea—don’t want the manifold pressure to jump up on us, and a little less airspeed may give our passenger a better ride,” Mike said, turning to smile at Heather.
Heather felt her anxiety worsening. When she’d asked Mike if she could go along on their trip, a near-death experience hadn’t been what she’d had in mind. Being in the middle of a
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