ten.”
The office girl smiles a welcome and looks over to an instructor, scanning the NOTAMs on a noticeboard. He turns around with a welcoming grin. “Didn’t think there’d be too many flyers with that name. G’day Jed!”
Dan Saunders, looking very professional, is a young instructor building flying time until he can move on in the world of aviation. White, open-necked shirt, epaulets on his shoulders, a winged gold badge on his chest worn with pride and neatly ironed black trousers covering a slim, tanned, athletic body. He has been a member of the Aero Club of Southern Tasmania, more recently scoring a job up North to build his time in the air.
‘Hi Dan! Good to see you again. You giving me a work out?”
“That’s the story. It’s a beautiful aircraft and the owner is a bit fussy. Here on holidays?”
“That’s the plan. This is Alexander. We’re here for a few days touring.”
They chat for a while before Dan indicates a pile of documents.
“This is the airport layout,” he says, pointing to a map, “and these are the various frequencies. Delta Tango Romeo is a standard Cessna 182 but fitted with long-range tanks, a three-blade prop and drooped wing tips. Avionics were recently upgraded. These are the aircraft handling notes, performance charts and weight and balance information. I’ll give you some time before we get started. While you are reading, I’ll have a look at your log book.”
Alexander makes coffee while Jed studies the documents. As he discards them, Alexander picks them up and inspects them closely, running her finger carefully over the tables and graphs. When Jed finishes, she points to the weight and balance and performance graphs.
“In summer, with full tanks and some baggage, this plane would struggle to lift four people unless there was a long runway,” she announces decisively. “Air produces less lift as the temperature and altitude goes up.”
“You are right,” Jed says with open respect. Sharp as a tack but what else does he expect? He’s never met a non-pilot who could get anywhere near deciphering those charts. “Don’t under estimate the 182. It’s a fantastic aircraft and there are only two of us and it’s not summer. It has all the performance we will need, even with full tanks.”
“I don’t doubt it, I’m just interested in the science,” she replies, shooting him another teasing look.
Dan walks over to interrupt them and it is time to go. As they walk out to the aircraft, Jed gives a running commentary. “The 182 looks like the smaller 172. Both are four seaters but the 182 has two hundred and thirty horse power compared to one hundred and sixty in the 172. It’s bigger all round but not immediately obvious. If you climb in the back I’ll daily the aircraft.”
Alexander does as she is told for once and settles in, watching intently as Jed goes around the aircraft in a full circle, checking the propeller, oil, fuel, wheels, flaps, ailerons, elevators, rudder and everything else to ensure it will fly safely, then joins Dan in the cockpit. They strap in, plug in the headsets and Jed starts working through the pre-start checks aloud so that Dan can hear.
Once she puts on the headphones, Alexander enters a different world. She has many skills, has made smart investments in real estate and the stock market and considers herself as good as any man but is fascinated by what she sees transpiring between Dan and Jed. A relationship in which the younger man must evaluate the older, based on mutual respect forged in the unforgiving environment of aviation. She watches and listens carefully, taking everything in. She is enjoying the opportunity to place her trust in a man and to bury her learned distrust in eager anticipation.
“Control lock out, brakes off, fuel on, master on, magnetos on both, mixture rich, priming the engine,” Jed announces. “Throttle set and locked, prop clear,” he calls, looking left and right and then cranks the engine to
The office girl smiles a welcome and looks over to an instructor, scanning the NOTAMs on a noticeboard. He turns around with a welcoming grin. “Didn’t think there’d be too many flyers with that name. G’day Jed!”
Dan Saunders, looking very professional, is a young instructor building flying time until he can move on in the world of aviation. White, open-necked shirt, epaulets on his shoulders, a winged gold badge on his chest worn with pride and neatly ironed black trousers covering a slim, tanned, athletic body. He has been a member of the Aero Club of Southern Tasmania, more recently scoring a job up North to build his time in the air.
‘Hi Dan! Good to see you again. You giving me a work out?”
“That’s the story. It’s a beautiful aircraft and the owner is a bit fussy. Here on holidays?”
“That’s the plan. This is Alexander. We’re here for a few days touring.”
They chat for a while before Dan indicates a pile of documents.
“This is the airport layout,” he says, pointing to a map, “and these are the various frequencies. Delta Tango Romeo is a standard Cessna 182 but fitted with long-range tanks, a three-blade prop and drooped wing tips. Avionics were recently upgraded. These are the aircraft handling notes, performance charts and weight and balance information. I’ll give you some time before we get started. While you are reading, I’ll have a look at your log book.”
Alexander makes coffee while Jed studies the documents. As he discards them, Alexander picks them up and inspects them closely, running her finger carefully over the tables and graphs. When Jed finishes, she points to the weight and balance and performance graphs.
“In summer, with full tanks and some baggage, this plane would struggle to lift four people unless there was a long runway,” she announces decisively. “Air produces less lift as the temperature and altitude goes up.”
“You are right,” Jed says with open respect. Sharp as a tack but what else does he expect? He’s never met a non-pilot who could get anywhere near deciphering those charts. “Don’t under estimate the 182. It’s a fantastic aircraft and there are only two of us and it’s not summer. It has all the performance we will need, even with full tanks.”
“I don’t doubt it, I’m just interested in the science,” she replies, shooting him another teasing look.
Dan walks over to interrupt them and it is time to go. As they walk out to the aircraft, Jed gives a running commentary. “The 182 looks like the smaller 172. Both are four seaters but the 182 has two hundred and thirty horse power compared to one hundred and sixty in the 172. It’s bigger all round but not immediately obvious. If you climb in the back I’ll daily the aircraft.”
Alexander does as she is told for once and settles in, watching intently as Jed goes around the aircraft in a full circle, checking the propeller, oil, fuel, wheels, flaps, ailerons, elevators, rudder and everything else to ensure it will fly safely, then joins Dan in the cockpit. They strap in, plug in the headsets and Jed starts working through the pre-start checks aloud so that Dan can hear.
Once she puts on the headphones, Alexander enters a different world. She has many skills, has made smart investments in real estate and the stock market and considers herself as good as any man but is fascinated by what she sees transpiring between Dan and Jed. A relationship in which the younger man must evaluate the older, based on mutual respect forged in the unforgiving environment of aviation. She watches and listens carefully, taking everything in. She is enjoying the opportunity to place her trust in a man and to bury her learned distrust in eager anticipation.
“Control lock out, brakes off, fuel on, master on, magnetos on both, mixture rich, priming the engine,” Jed announces. “Throttle set and locked, prop clear,” he calls, looking left and right and then cranks the engine to
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