Chapter 11

The last night at home we had a big family dinner, and for some reason Grace thought it was funny to sit in my lap most of the night. We took a last walk in the darkness, and she again said she would miss me. I admitted I would miss her also, she was the best pesky younger sister a guy could have. She looked at me after I said that, then sighed and nodded.

We did hold each other for several minutes in the darkness near Trixie’s old stable. I asked if her mom was ever going to put another horse in it, and Grace just shrugged. “I have no idea, maybe someday. Give her a few more years, that horse was like family to her.” I nodded, and she looked into my eyes, then kissed my cheek softly and headed into her house.

Mom drove me to the airport, and Harve was there waiting for me with the DC-3. He grinned and went to file the flight plan as I loaded my things into the back. I had my skis, as well as skates this time. I realized that I could do both in LA, and it might give me more to do.

He grinned at me once we were in the air and heading south, and I asked how long the plane was going to be in the shop. “Oh, about three weeks. New paint job, and some upgrades to the avionics.”

“Is this getting the same paint scheme as the other planes?”

“Oh no, this is going to stay aluminum clad. But it will be cleaned and polished, and the logo added in blue. That way if we get a rental for a TV or movie production we can just cover it up or paint it over. Then return to the new look when it’s done. But it should look like it had just rolled off of the factory floor when they are done with it.”

I nodded, as it did look rather grimy outside at the moment. I told him what I had been talking to Tina as well as Pete and Mandy about flying the last week, and he nodded in agreement. “Yes, if you can take the ground school part at the University, do that. Now I am already rated as a flight instructor, so when you are ready for the flight part, so long as we can use your brother’s plane it will only be $40 per hour, plus fuel.”

He then went into how much that would cost. A minimum of 15 hours with him, and another 5 hours of solo time. I whistled, and Harve nodded. “But look at it in this way. If you want to go up here, so long as the plane is not being used you will be able to use it with Pete and Mandy’s permission. Or even save up for your own, you can get a used Cessna for under $50,000. With an air speed of around 140 miles per hour, that is about five hours flight time to Pocatello.”

I whistled, and said that was about the time difference between driving and flying in this plane. “Yep, that’s why Pete got into it in the first place. He was spending so much time driving back and forth, it was hurting his being able to run his businesses and have a private life.”

“How does he do it all anyways?”

Harve laughed, and smiled at me. “Simple, he does not. You see, your brother in many ways is like a General in the Air Force. He makes the big policy decisions, sets the direction, then just trusts those under him to do the job he asks. But back when I first met him, most of his time was in that Internet company he started. He had just sold the big one in LA, and after buying into my dream they bought the Commander. We met Tina when they were buying the Bonanza, and he hired her a month or so later. She was just an airport bum then, trying to beg stick time in exchange for her flying. But she was working on her IFR and twin engine certs already. By the time we had our first charter, she had both.”

During the rest of the fight he also told me he might be having to take a leave of absence in a few more months, and I looked at him. “Oh, not because of Pete at all. No, we got six month warning orders last week. I still fly C-130 for the National Guard, and we are probably getting activated.”

“Wow, what will that mean?”

“Well, thankfully we normally only do three month deployments. Likely an Air Base in Qatar, flying people and supplies to and from Iraq and Afghanistan. Pete will likely bring in one of the other pilots to fill in for me, he has been talking about hiring another one full time anyways. When the Lockheed is ready we will need at least one more, and likely put another on-call here in LA for the Cessna we just bought.”

“So you bought another Cessna? That’s what, six planes now in Gem Charter?”

“Seven, if you count the Bonanza. Eight when we get the Lockheed up here. And with the number of charters going up, we need more pilots. And you might want to think about it, by the time you graduate you could get the flight time needed to be a charter pilot. And one area that needs good lawyers is the aviation industry.”

I looked at Harve, and he nodded. “Yes, there are such lawyers, and most are pilots. We have one in LA we use, mostly in helping us on contracts, and nailing down different things with the FAA and TSA. Since 9-11, a lot changed in this area, and they help us make sure we are doing everything in compliance with the new laws.”

And when he told me I needed at least 500 hours of flight time to get a commercial pilot license, I whistled. “Yep, that’s why Tina was an airport bum. She wanted to do that, and was exchanging co-pilot time for flight hours. The guy Pete and Mandy bought the Bonanza from could not fly anymore, he was down checked on his last physical. But Tina was there, and they paid her to fly them about for an hour to check it out. That was mostly how she was getting her time back then, an hour here or an hour there.

He then made a radio call, and grinned. “She finally passed her 500 hours as we were flying to pick the Commander. The four of us flew the Bonanza all the way cross country, to Buffalo, New York in fact. We checked out four or five different ones, then picked up the one we liked in Ohio I wanna say. Tina passed her 500 hours during that trip, and by the time the runway was built up there at the ranch she had her Charter License.”

“Well, 500 hours is a lot. So I can see why it would take a while.”

“Well, unless you own your own plane, figure $50 an hour plus gas for rental. And remember, the minimum hours to even get a license is 20. Most students get two or three times that many flight hours. And one advantage you will have, is these trips. If you do decide to go for a license, you can start flying and getting air time as soon as you start. We will get you a log book, and at that point start maintaining it. Each time we take these trips, Tina or I can take off or land at first, then let you fly most of the trip. That will help you build up a lot of hours, and once you are ready you can start doing takeoffs and landing also.”

He looked at me and smiled. “Oh, and those would be great for you in other ways also. For the Commercial, you need a certain number of what they call ‘cross country’ hours also. That means landing at an airport other than where you took off, and some moderate long distance navigation. On each of those trips in a Cessna you will get a lot of that in. Because there will be at least one fuel stop on the way. That means each one will be many hours of cross country flying.”

I asked him what would be the best plane to use for that, and he grinned. “The Cessna 172. That’s why I insisted that Pete buy one for our LA operation. I am actually already talking with a few flight schools, so students can hire me and the plane if they want more instruction time. And I’m certified as an instructor for single and twin engine, IFR, turboprop, and single and twin engine jets.”

“Wow, that’s not bad. Is there a lot of demand for that?”

“Well, for those that want to go commercial, yes. IFR is almost required then, and twin engine and turboprop helps also. Jet, depends on the company you work for. You are looking at the neighborhood of a million for something like a Lear, and they also limit where you can land.”

“Why is that, the noise?”

Harve laughed and shook his head. “No, the runway. The one at the Ranch would never support a Lear, it only supports the DC-3 because it was designed for short runways. No, jets need a lot of space, and more than just gravel or basic asphalt like we got up there.”

“Do you think they will ever get into flying jets?”

“Oh, Mandy already has her certification for twin engine jets. How do you think they flew to Hawaii a few years ago? Right after Mandy got certified, they rented a Lear 60 and flew there. She is the one that really wants the Texan and a jet for air shows, I think for Pete it is more to humor her and keep her happy.”

“So, is it really a fighter like she told me?”

“Oh yes, it’s a real fighter. The US never really used it as one, but some countries did. Israel, Greece, England, and France all used them as a fighter back in the day. Mostly as ground support, dropping bombs on infantry. In fact, look at almost any old WWII movie involving the Japanese and it was a Texan that was used for the Zero. But they are looking at two of them. The Texan ultimately for Pete, and a jet for Mandy. But between you and me, I think the Texan will be enough. Mandy really has no idea what all is involved in flying fighters.”

“Have you done it?”

“Yep, a few times. Rated in trainers as an instructor, but I never had an interest in being a fighter jockey. I like flying cargo, we got a longer life expectancy in case some big war ever goes hot.”

“You mean, like Iraq.”

“Oh no, Iraq will never really go hot like that. Their Air Force is mostly a joke, and the only threat really is their ground to air missiles. No, I’m talking like Russia or China, somebody like that with a real Air Force. Heck, the Iraqi Air Force barely even flies at night. And almost never does any long distance flights. Hell, their most common fighter is the MiG-21, which literally was designed in the early 1950’s. A lot of countries still fly them because the Soviets made over 10,000 of them, and for a country like that they are cheap. Good against each other, but not a front line country like the US or Russia.”

“So in other words, they don’t stand a chance and we will crush them.” I said, a bit sour.

“Of course, but they are the ones that attacked two different countries in just over a decade, and are giving the middle finger to the UN. Heck, in the last decade they have fired at US and other aircraft dozens of times, and lost half a dozen or so fighters trying to either go after their own civilians, or attacking aircraft patrolling the no fly zone. All they have to do is stop fighting the sanctions and do as they are told.”

“You mean the same sanctions that are starving their people?”

What I did not expect was for Harve to laugh. “Oh, the sanctions are not starving them, their own government is. Saddam starves his people because it looks good in the world press. Hell, look at most famines. The Soviet Union, China, North Korea, Ethiopia, even Somalia.”

“You mean where they shot down our helicopters and we killed all those people a few years ago?”

“Yep, the US was not just there on their own, we were part of a UN Peacekeeping Force. Warlords were stealing food and starving people to try and get them on their side. Basically join them as fighters or you starve. The UN, US, and other countries were fighting them by trying to deliver food themselves. Well, it was working, and eventually the warlords started to attack us. Did you ever see the movie based on that?”

I admitted I had, but did not remember much other than the fighting. And he encouraged me to watch it again, especially the start. “It actually opens with Aidid’s army attacking the Red Cross and UN food shipments, and shooting any that tried to accept the food. That is true, and in fact the son of a bitch finally got killed a few years later. At which point his son took over. He was actually a US Marine, and now he is just another warlord as bad as his dad was.”

“So we trained his son?”

“Well, his son along with his wife moved to the US way back in the 1970’s. The dad was actually trained in Moscow, and was in the Somali military. Involved in a few coup attempts, after one of them his wife took their son and fled to the US. He served in the Marines, even gave some interviews back then as he was actually in Somalia with the Marines, fighting against his dad. Did his time, got out, then when dad was killed his supporters announced he was their new leader and he went back.”

“So he must have been loved then, right?”

“George, remember they are Marxists.”

“But Marxists work to help the people.”

“Oh yes, as brutal dictators. For over 50 years now, the Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron fist. Fidel down in Cuba, it just goes on and on. Wanna bet that when Kim Jong-Il dies, one of his sons takes over? Same with Fidel, he has two brothers and a son high up in the government. Wanna bet they replace him when he kicks the bucket?”

“Well, if their people love them what is wrong with that?”

He looked at me, and shook his head. “George, they have to love them. Not loving the President in those countries can get you shot. You’re too young to remember Tiananmen Square. That was in China, I wanna say 1989. Bunch of college students held these peaceful protests, for about two months. Holding marches, waving banners, and all saying they loved Communism, but wanted more freedom. Finally they erected this big statue out of Papier-mâché in the square they called the ‘Goddess of Democracy’, kinda like the Statue of Liberty but holding the torch in both hands. The next day, China stormed in with tanks and machine guns. Around 3,000 were killed, and many of the leaders just vanished.”

“Well, they were protesting the government.”

“They were peaceful protestors. And saying over and over that they supported their government, they just wanted more freedom. Not unlike the Civil Rights era, where most of the marchers like Dr. King said they loved the country, they just wanted equal rights. At least here though, nobody went after them with tanks and guns.”

Thankfully at about that time we were preparing to land, and Harve had me lightly hold the stick as he brought the plane in for a landing. And I was paying a lot more attention, and noticed that he landed it differently than the Commander.

“Yep, this is a tail dragger. You bring in the front gear first, land with them on the ground and the body straight, then slow so the tail sinks to the ground. In a tricycle like the Cessna it is the reverse, rear wheels first then sink the nose wheel. General rule of thumb, always land with the largest number of wheels first.”

Once we were on the ground and the plane parked, I hopped out to chock the wheels as Harve shut everything down. And I saw a yellow runway truck pull up next to the plane. Harve hopped down, then after checking the wheels helped me unload my things and we threw them into the back of the truck. I shook his hand, and the guy in the truck gave me a ride to my truck. I tried to give him $20, but he just shook his head and thanked me.

“Thanks, but don’t worry about it. Harve always gives me a tip, would not feel right to take your money also. But next time you get yourself a beer, lift one up for me also, will ya?”

I grinned and said I would do that, and was soon heading back to the dorm. As New Year’s Eve was still a day away, I was not surprised to see I was the only one in my room. I had hoped to stay in Idaho a few more days, but it was either fly back with Harve or fly commercial and pay a taxi to get me back to where my car was.

Finally I got everything put away again, and gave Keith a call. I was hoping he might be having a party as he was talking about that before I left, but no such luck. Some friends had asked him to join them on stage at a bar, and he said it was a place he knew that strictly followed the 21 and over law so he could not get me in. We chatted for a bit, then he handed the phone over to Crystal and we talked for a bit.

She was staying home though, seems her mom had a thing about leaving the house on that night because of all the drunks. But we promised to get together again soon.

It was getting late, so I just threw a dinner in the microwave, and opened a beer and threw some porn on my computer. And as it was just me in the room I was soon in only a robe and jacking off as I saw Tera Patrick getting it doggy style. Finally popping a nut I took a shower then headed to bed.

I was having breakfast at the cafeteria when I saw a flier that there was a party there that night. I sure had no plans, and I realized that Crystal’s mom was probably right, driving on New Year Eve was likely not a good idea with all the drunks that would be out. I spent most of the day reading ahead in a few of my books, deciding that trying to be ahead might be a good idea.

I looked through my closet that evening, and decided on a red shirt with my black slacks. And finally all ready I threw on my gray jacket and headed to the Student U. I had a couple of beers before heading over, and the party was already going when I got there.

I was chatting with a group from my English class when I saw Shawna out of the corner of my eye. I soon made my way over to her, and boy did she look hot. There were two guys already trying to chat her up, and I could not blame them. Her dress was a sparkly silver, and only fell a few inches down her thighs. And the way it was cut down the front there was no way she could have been wearing a bra under it.

One of the guys gave me a dirty look when I walked up, and while I was only intending to say hello, Shawna grinned at me and gave me a big hug. Then kissing my cheek she told the two guys that “her date had arrived”, and taking my arm guided me to the area where a bunch were dancing. I smiled and asked her if I had interrupted anything, and she shook her head.

“Naw, in fact your timing was perfect as they kept hinting we should take off and go to a party they knew about over in North Hollywood. And I was starting to run out of excuses as to why I was not going.”

“Well, to be honest I did not even know you would be here tonight. But trust me, if I had known I would have asked you to be my date. And that dress, it looks amazing Shawna.”

“Thank you. It was actually kind of a last minute decision, to be honest. I was going to spend it at home, but my brother said he was having a bunch of his friends over.”

“What, you did not want to spend it with your brother and his friends?”

“Oh, no way! At least a couple of them had been after me since I was in Junior High. Most are a year or two older than me, and think I want nothing other than to go to bed with them. Not unlike the two over there you helped rescue me from.”

I noticed them still watching us closely, and I saw that Shawna had noticed them also and she grinned at me and pressed herself against me, reaching behind my neck and pulling me in and giving me a hot kiss. One that I felt all the way down to my toes. After an unknown amount of time later she released me, and I looked down into her eyes. I also saw that during our kiss her glasses had pressed against our faces and had gotten smudged, which caused her to giggle as she removed them.

We headed off to get some snacks, and she excused herself for a moment to use the bathroom. And it was with a slight sigh of relief when I saw the guys heading out the door. When Shawna rejoined me I asked her if that would be a problem, and she shook her head. “Naw, I knew one of them, we share a trig class. He’s not a real gangbanger, just another wannabe from the Valley. In fact, I bet if I offered to take them to my place my brother and his friends would scare the shit out of them. They’re all Inglewood Family, Blood affiliates. They would probably have them in the backyard within 15 minutes telling them to make themselves scarce.”

I laughed, and we sat on the side and I grinned as she sat in my lap. We spent the next several hours alternating between dancing, kissing a bit, and chatting with friends here and there from various classes. And even more than my friends, I realized Shawna for all her hotness was a real geek. Of course, she was also a Computer Science major. Something I would not have expected but she had told me she wanted a “Real degree with a real career” when she graduated.

And I was somewhat surprised to learn she played D&D. And it seems that the group she was in was doing Third Edition. I just stood there with my arm around Shawna’s waist and listened as they were going on and on about different prestige classes, and I should not have been surprised that Shawna enjoyed playing a female sorcerer, and was quite the geek.

After a bit she asked me if I was bored, and I was surprised when I shook my head. “Actually, to be honest I grew up playing Second Edition. And quite often at least once a month or so I would get together with my mom and brother and we would do an adventure. But always second edition, none of us cared much for third.”