Abby, Two
Copyright© 2019 by Old Man with a Pen
Chapter 8
‘Well, he’s back, I can relax now,’ Abby thought... ‘and maybe get in some time behind the stick.’
It had been two weeks since she’d flown and she missed it. If Australia had only one thing ... it was space to fly ... open space ... aerobatic space.
As soon as she had her private pilot license, she’s decided she’d like to fly someplace. Flying between Bathurst and someplace the first time had been interesting ... like a road trip. And like a road trip ... the second time was boring. ‘Been there, done that ... even bought a tee shirt in the airport lounge boutique.’
Boring enough that she hit up her wifi and connected with ‘aerobatics.’ An SNJ-6 is fully aerobatic, and the ones for the Chilean Navy were ... abet, two seat trainer versions ... armed against possible insurrection. Her 20 SNJ-6’s were equipped with two 7.62 NATO cowl mounted Browning AN/M2 machine guns firing through the propeller arc and two 12.7 NATO AN/M2 machine guns in the wings. (Her Bearcat’s were armed too.) Aerobatics changed a boring trip from here to there into an adventure.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is the Australian national authority for the regulation of civil aviation. Although distinct from the government, it reports to the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. CASA is responsible for monitoring civil air operations in Australia, issuing appropriate licenses, enforcing safety requirements and protecting the environment from the effects of aircraft use. And somebody saw me and didn’t like it.
Ton of bricks.
When I landed at home ... Bathurst (YBTH), I was met.
“License?”
I forked over.
“Logbook?”
I handed that over, too.
“Come with me,” he said.
“I don’t go anywhere with an unknown man ... let me call my dad.”
I fished out my phone. “I hope he’s home.” I said as I punched number one. When he picked up, I put him on speaker.
“Daddy, I need you at the airport,” I said.
“Abby?” He wasn’t asking if it was me ... he was asking what I’d done.
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