Chapter 35

After the ‘most rigid’ visual inspection possible, the constituent parts were shipped off to Texas ... there to be ‘stress tested’ to a fare-thee-well by the original shipper ... Except ... the shipper confessed to using MY Scarlett as replacement parts ... replacing said parts with the ‘latest’ and ‘greatest’ improved pieces from the factory as they came in.

However ... that revelation came too late ... I was immersed in study at the University of Texas in Austin ... and fifteen.

Why the gap?

High School was ‘uneventful’ ... and ‘boring.’ “Nothing to see here ... Move along.”

Except...

... ain’t it the truth.

There is Always Something.

Charlie Arthur died. Charlie was a LONG TIME Pentwater resident.

After seven years, his estate came up for auction.

World War Two memorabilia.

And I went...

Dumbshit!

Skipped class ... The ONLY time I missed a class ... and went.

The auctioneer knew me and issued me a bidding card.

There were barns full of scrap ... well ... junk ... umh ... mostly. I bought a B-29 Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone a twin-row, supercharged, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine with 18 cylinders displacing nearly 55 L. Power ranged from 2,200 to over 3,700 hp (1,640 to 2,760 kW), depending on the model ... or ... so the flyer said.

It wasn’t. A B-29 engine.

The Other bidder, A David Anderson, from Holland, Michigan, was ferocious ... upping the price a thousand at a time.

“Mr. Auctioneer! Jerry!”

“Mr. Anderson?”

“Is ... this ... child ... a legal bidder?”

Ooo ... wave a red cape at a bull, why don’t you.

“Yes, Mr. Anderson. May I make known to you, Tyche Selene Flintkote ... heir apparent to Flintkote International?” The auctioneer got all formal on us, “Tyche Flintkote ... David Anderson. David ... Miss Tyche Flintkote.”

Mr. Anderson said, “Jerry,” (the auctioneer). “Might we have a moment or two?”

Jerry grinned, “Be my guest, I’ll sell something else.”

And ... of course, he auctioned off the only thing I wasn’t old enough to buy.

The fifty cal machine-gun.

Grrrr!

“Why do you want that damn motor,” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said ... and truly ... I didn’t. “Why do you want it?”

“I own several Skyraiders and I want this engine for parts,” Mr. Anderson said.

“But ... it runs ... why parts?”

“You can never have too many parts,” he said.

“Yeah ... I have a Verner Scarlett 7 ... I know what you mean.”

And the upshot of that was ... I went to Holland and eventually BOUGHT a Skyraider ... for my Skyraider engine. And That’s how I got me and my stuff to Austin.

Honors ... but the management wouldn’t let me even BE at graduation ... no ... my diploma came in the mail ... along with an ecstatic letter from UT Austin ... bubbly even.

They ... at least ... were glad to have me.